To be a Niche product or not to be a Niche product, that is the question.

It seems that as we move into 2010 the debate over the need for tablet computing is still going strong. Unfortunately, a lot of the meat of the debate from technology pundits like Tech Crunch’s MG Seigler and Joe Wilcox from Betanews are still focused on the rumored Apple tablet as the make or break product for this emerging vector.

In his January 2nd article, “The world doesn’t need an Apple tablet or any other” Joe Wilcox pans not just the still rumored Apple tablet, but the whole concept of tablet computing. He views tablets as a niche product. He cites three distinct reasons what the Apple tablet, or any other tablet for that matter, are just not needed.

“The greater desirability of smaller devices; overlapping functionality with devices above and below it; and functionality too limited without a physical keyboard.”

While his first two points have some merit, they are not a really strong argument against a tablet when you take a closer look at them.

There is a strong desire for the increased functionality of phones like the I-Phone, the Droid, Blackberry and other feature rich phones, and not everyone who wants one of these will want a tablet. That is something I would expect, though. There are a lot of people who desire the smaller devices to consolidate what was becoming an unmanageable plethora of devices that we carried for entertainment. These new devices pull together the elements of music playing, games, radio, video and social networking in a package that fits in your pocket. That is not the market that tablets should be targeting anyway.

Yes, tablets will have overlap with the products above and below it. There is no question about this claim. What I am having trouble understanding is just how this is a good reason to not have the availability of a tablet for people who can take advantage of the feature set that tablets have to offer. This line of reasoning is analogous to saying that the auto industry should have the ultra sub compact and the large SUV. After all, the compact, midsized and full size sedans have all the same feature as the other two.

It is the third of his arguments is one of be the biggest concern being voiced about tablets in general, but is easily addressed by spending a few dollars on a travel friendly solution such as the Mertline flexible or the Matias folding keyboard. For a person who is on the go. After all, sometimes having the keyboard attached can be a pain.

If I were asked “What would you use the Apple tablet, or any other, for?” I would say for everything that I use my laptop for, and more. I think with the right tablet I really could set my laptop aside permanently.
Of course, this would only work if one or more of the tablet manufactures produce a well thought out product that has enough power and features to allow mw to keep doing all the things that I need to do daily.

The way I use my laptop is probably represent the average laptop user today. I use my laptop to send and receive e-mail, write documents and spreadsheets, create presentations, blog and social network, web surf, read, listen to music, watch videos and sometimes play games.

When I look at the upcoming tablet offerings for 2010 I see that they can handle all of these things in some fasion (though I may not be able to use the exact same software, or I may have to shift some of my apps I use to cloud based apps). Could I do much of this on something like the I-Phone? Yes. Would I be happy trying to use the I-Phone or any of the other feature rich phones as my primary too for this kind of daily activity? Absolutely not! Why? The screen size is just too small. That is why the tablet has a place in the product mix, and has the potential to be much more than a niche product.

I happen to agree with MG Seigler’s views that the tablet has the potential to be a real paradigm shifting product once it gets into the hands of the right people. I also agree that the whole tablet industry’s success or failure does not rest with the Apple tablet. There are other tablets on the verge of release that could have just a strong an impact on the future computing.

Foremost in my mind is the soon to be launched Edge Dual book, and the JooJoo (or Crunchpad depending on who you talk to). Both of these products share a lot of similarities to the touted Apple tablet. The table below gives us a snapshot of the three (though not all of the specs are confirmed).

What we see is that all three of these devices have their strong points and weak points. The JooJoo has the largest screen of the three, but lacks in battery life, and expandability of its storage. It is a machine that needs the internet like a fish needs water to survive. The Apple tablet has the most memory, a great video chip, and the most storage, but it will come with the kind of price tag that Apple is known for, and it may have a lobotomized version of OS X powering it (or the I-Phone OS).

The Edge has the least memory of the three, and is the heaviest, weighing in at almost three pounds. The advantage, however, could be the one that gives it the biggest bang for the buck. Unlike the Apple tablet or the JooJoo, the Edge comes with second screen that is a dedicated e-reader with a pen touch interface. This allows the user to do all kinds of interesting things, like mark up pdf files, make noted in e-books, and can interact with the tablet side of the device.

One thing is certain, the coming decade will yield a continued increase in the products that come to market as part of this industry innovative cycle that we are in. Technology companies will have to continue to try new to find new innovative products and different adaptations of existing technologies in an attempt to find the “next have to have” item.

Tags: Android, Apple, Apple Tablet, Arrington, Chaos, Crunch Pad, Fusion Garage, HTC, Innovation, IPhone, JooJoo, Tablet, Tablet Computing, Tablet PC