Anybody going to miss these?

[nickdalzell]

Seeing two things tablets have over laptops 1) much better battery life 2) more portable

with the advent of affordable bluetooth keyboards, there isn't much left to differentiate a tablet from a laptop. even Microsoft Windows is following suit, having their full version Windows 8 on their tablet lines, making even PC apps/games an eventual possibility on their tablet lines.

An iPod touch can do far more than a Zune. it can do wifi, apps, games, pretty much all the iPhone does, except phone calls (and that is also debatable given apps such as Pinger and Google Voice having iOS ports) as for the Shuffle, it is only $49 compared to the Zune's $399, and last, the Zune is still a Microsoft product, one could say they're even tighter locked down than Apple products. Apple just washed them away, as did Android

you can buy an MP3 player for less than $19 today. the only benefit of buying just an MP3 player (with no other functionality) from MS or Apple is to show off a label, nothing more.

 

[mikedt]

Seeing two things tablets have over laptops 1) much better battery life 2) more portable

The decent(expensive) tablets tend to have a good battery life, like the iPad. But on the other hand many of the cheapo $40-$60 tablets, the battery life can be quite abysmal. Often just 90-120 minutes when playing a movie.

with the advent of affordable bluetooth keyboards, there isn't much left to differentiate a tablet from a laptop. even Microsoft Windows is following suit, having their full version Windows 8 on their tablet lines, making even PC apps/games an eventual possibility on their tablet lines.

I've got the Lenovo S110 10inch netbook/small laptop, it's actually about the same size as an iPad, somewhat thicker though. But for what I use it for, there's currently no tablet that could replace it AFAICT. When it's in its bag, many people whom I work with actually thought I had an iPad, until I revealed what it really was.

I've also got a Fujitsu UH900 UMPC, running Windows 7 Home Premium and Linux Mint. This PC will actually fit in my jacket pocket. And I've used that for work and travels as well.

An iPod touch can do far more than a Zune. it can do wifi, apps, games, pretty much all the iPhone does, except phone calls (and that is also debatable given apps such as Pinger and Google Voice having iOS ports) as for the Shuffle, it is only $49 compared to the Zune's $399, and last, the Zune is still a Microsoft product, one could say they're even tighter locked down than Apple products. Apple just washed them away, as did Android

Think I mentioned this before, I've never actually seen a Zune, only read about them on the interwebs. I've seen plenty of iPod Touches though, I used to have a first gen one.

you can buy an MP3 player for less than $19 today. the only benefit of buying just an MP3 player (with no other functionality) from MS or Apple is to show off a label, nothing more.

Think that's why they cough up all that money for Apple products here in China, to brand whore with. Microsoft on the other hand doesn't really carry the same perceived cachet and prestige as Apple here. Pirated Windows XP Professional with IE6 and pirated Office 2003, running on whatever thing is still very much the order of the day.

 

[nickdalzell]

i wouldn't use a budget tablet to replace a laptop. the hardware is inferior, and using it is a lot like using an IBM PC XT running Nettamer and DOS PPP drivers to access the internet. 10 minute Google search, anyone?

any tablet that is comparable to a laptop in usability is going to cost some money. ironically the same money almost as having a laptop. $499 for an iPad or $499 for a dual-core Intel laptop running Windows 8?

i hardly ever use a laptop anymore. the iPad has replaced it. the only rare example is when i'm transferring stuff back and forth between devices using backed up APKs on my laptop's hard disk (tons of 'em)

 

[zuben el genub]

I find a tablet far better for astronomical uses. I can use the phone, but the Vulcan can't manage the phone without shutting the program down.

I've got all the reference stuff I need on the tablet - my cameras' manuals, road logs, weather, etc.

Plus I can take football or baseball games I recorded, change them into MP4s and watch those.

 

[Speed Daemon]

In memoriam: the beloved products we lost in 2012 | Ars Technica

I never used any of the things on the list, so I'm not really affected. A couple of them I would have liked to have tried. But since they're gone I suppose I'm better off not knowing about them before their death.

 

[Bob Maxey]

I also read that Avon cosmetics/fragrances are being discontinued, and I will miss a lot of Avon products! I remember selling Avon in my late teens, and I used to spend all my profits on their products. I love that stuff!

I remember the Avon Lady. Not to mention the Fuller Brush salesman; the milk delivery and a few others.

 

[nickdalzell]

i still think the folks up in arms about Twinkies being discontinued will believe anything. they're still sold here and i see 'em all the time. of course i never was into them myself, and let's face it, how many times have there been claims that Twinkies were going away, that they were full of uranium, etc etc? it's a popular theme but not really true. either way, i doubt Avon will be disappearing anytime soon just the same.