Rumors of an Apple-made tablet have been swirling for years and have picked up in recent months. At first I longed for a well-made tablet — something that could provide the portable-ness and touch screen of my iPhone but with a bit more screen real estate and maybe even a proper (slide-out) keyboard. But when I tried to image actually using one in my daily life, I was no longer so sure I saw a need. 
While tablets are a nice idea, I can’t help but feel that someone should first extrapolate upon the concept and bring it a step further. I can get quite a bit done on my iPhone, and it works because it’s always in my pocket, it has a functional web browser and other apps to keep my connected, and it covers all of the basics of day-to-day online interactions. The current idea of a tablet would be the same in functionality, just with a bigger screen. If you want more horsepower and a proper keyboard (and don’t need it to be pocketable) then go for a netbook. I’m not sure what, if anything, would bridge that (not so big) gap between smartphone and netbook.
I’m sure tablets will get their opportunity, but will they still be around in five years, or will we realize they’re not necessary? The classic idea of a tablet just has too much overlap with existing technologies.
My dream device: a tablet/netbook hybrid with a keyboard that folds down into the size of smartphone to stash in my pocket. Folded or collapsed, it would provide as much functionality as a smartphone. Unfolded, it would offer a larger screen, a pull-out keyboard, and an eye-friendly e-ink screen (a la today’s e-readers) on the flip side. Rollable LCDs would likely play a factor in such a design.
Kevin Rose (Digg founder, etc, who has been a reliable leaker in the past) tweeted last week that an Apple employee told him, “well, I wouldn’t call it a tablet.” I’m not an Apply fanboy (disclaimer: I am happy iPhone/iPod customer) but that really piqued my interest.
While tablets are a nice idea, I can’t help but feel that someone should take the concept a step further. I can get quite a bit done on my iPhone; a tablet would be the same in functionality, just with a bigger screen. If you want more horsepower and a proper keyboard (and don’t need it to be pocketable) then go for a netbook. I’m not sure what, if anything, would bridge that (not so big) gap between smartphone and netbook.
I’m sure tablets will get their opportunity, but will they still be around in 2015, or will we realize they’re not necessary? I’d rather see a tablet/netbook hybrid with a slide-out keyboard that folds down into the size of smartphone to stash in my pocket.