CES 2011: The Future Of Tablets

  by Jesse Thomas

If the JESS3 team took anything away from this year’s CES, it is that a significant number of tablet computers will be released in the next year and continue to grow in popularity and influence. With all of these new tablets hitting the market, what must creators of tablets consider when creating their product to ensure it will be a success?

Ben Bajarin spoke on this very topic at a CES panel today. He brought up four key ideas for the future success of tablet sales.

1. It is important to know the consumer. Ultimately, what does your consumer want? If companies do not have a firm grasp on the kinds of consumers they want to target, tablets will not be able to make an impact on a niche market.

2. Know how to add value. For tablet computers to succeed, they must know how to add value to their consumers’ lives. Bajarin’s example was that it has to be more than “just being the cheapest product out there”—the value of the tablet must be apparent to the consumer beyond the simple price point.

3. Developers have a key role in tablets’ success. Beyond the actual hardware, developers have an influential role in the success of any tablet. In the future, developers will make important decisions regarding which operating systems they will develop on. From a macro-standpoint, there must be innovations both on the hardware side as well as the software side.

4. Make the tablet something that will keep users engaged. Through examining smartphones, research performed by the CEA shows that many users are very brand-loyal. Tablets must be exceptional products that will keep users from jumping to other tablets or brands.

Here are some other interesting tidbits I took away from today’s panel.

• Users who use tablets primarily as a personal service device with many features will require a larger screen, while tablets that focus on one or two main features are likely to require a smaller screen.
• For the upcoming year, Bajarin stated that the majority of tablets sold will be Wi-Fi only ones as people continue to gauge if any/how much data usage is needed. However, it is projected that in the next few years, people will migrate more towards 3G/4G-enabled tablets.
• Prices for tablets will come down. Bajarin stated that tablets that hit the $199 price point will do “especially well”. He referenced the iPod Touch price drop as an example of how lowering prices could shoot sales through the roof.
• When questioned about magazines on tablet computers, Bajarin stated that the challenge is found in repurposing content onto these devices. The content should be reinvented to better make use of the functionality that tablets have to offer.

For more information on tablets at CES, check out Adam’s post from yesterday.

Photo Credit: Feel Android
By Forrest Kobayashi | Strategist

Send an email to Forrest at [email protected].



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