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Tablets Android tablets are dead
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Google’s CTO of Android tablets sees tablet sales passing laptops ‘in the not too distant future’
I wonder if all this talk is going to actually result in something. Like Google actually making tablets.
I'm still dearly missing an Android 8" tablet. I think that size category is completely overlooked at the moment and hope that it'll become more popular again soon. I mean Apple is completely without competition for their iPad Mini. I could see Google for example making an 8" Android tablet with an OLED screen and making good profit off it + spreading the use of Android if they managed to keep it a bit cheaper than the iPad Mini (which is expensive as hell especially with cellular).
Samsung could do it too. For me, that's where the Note brand could really shine. In the 8" size category.
Personally, I'm losing interest in "phablets". Where I used to think they were the best of both worlds, now they feel like the worst of them. My iPhone 12 Pro Max is starting to feel annoyingly heavy and cumbersome for all the menial every day tasks like checking the weather, reading a text message, checking my bank account, finding another song to play. And at the same time, when I have ten minutes and want to browse the web, watch a YT video or game a bit, the display isn't big enough to really satisfy me, no matter how gorgeous the image quality is. Then, I want something bigger. But not as big as my iPad Pro, my portable work horse and TV.
So I'm about to shift to a smaller phone + an iPad Mini cellular. I just have to test it and see how it goes.
Another advantage of having a smaller phone is that it can be cheaper/less important to take care of. Regardless if I have insurance and screen protectors up the wazoo, I still treat my Pro Max with great care, its just in my spine to do so. I can never relax with it like I do when I use my old 7 Plus on the beach in the summer (I never bring a shiny new phone to sandy areas). And those moments on the beach last summer is when I realised just how much I love using a phone that I don't have to be so careful with.
So, the current plan is to pick up a used SE2020 for "small daily driver", and then a new iPad Mini 6 cellular for "big daily driver", and see how that goes. My only (huge) gripe with the iPad Mini is that the display isn't OLED, because that's one of the things I truly love about my Pro Max. But there just isn't an alternative, so I'll have to live with it. (If I can.)
Which brings me back to where I started. An 8" OLED Android tablet priced lower than the iPad Mini might just make a KILLING on the market. While spreading the use of Android. Especially now if Android L becomes a thing and is adopted by developers. I for one am keeping my fingers crossed. Because I would love to use both Android and iOS side by side, and small iPhone + small Android tablet would be the perfect way of doing it. I've tried two-phoning it several times but it just doesn't work for me.
Tl;dr please devs get into Android L and give manufacturers a great reason for making 8" Android tablets. And Google, Samsung and the rest of you, are you just going to let the iPad Mini trot all over the 8" market space forever?
I wonder if all this talk is going to actually result in something. Like Google actually making tablets.
I'm still dearly missing an Android 8" tablet. I think that size category is completely overlooked at the moment and hope that it'll become more popular again soon. I mean Apple is completely without competition for their iPad Mini. I could see Google for example making an 8" Android tablet with an OLED screen and making good profit off it + spreading the use of Android if they managed to keep it a bit cheaper than the iPad Mini (which is expensive as hell especially with cellular).
Samsung could do it too. For me, that's where the Note brand could really shine. In the 8" size category.
Personally, I'm losing interest in "phablets". Where I used to think they were the best of both worlds, now they feel like the worst of them. My iPhone 12 Pro Max is starting to feel annoyingly heavy and cumbersome for all the menial every day tasks like checking the weather, reading a text message, checking my bank account, finding another song to play. And at the same time, when I have ten minutes and want to browse the web, watch a YT video or game a bit, the display isn't big enough to really satisfy me, no matter how gorgeous the image quality is. Then, I want something bigger. But not as big as my iPad Pro, my portable work horse and TV.
So I'm about to shift to a smaller phone + an iPad Mini cellular. I just have to test it and see how it goes.
Another advantage of having a smaller phone is that it can be cheaper/less important to take care of. Regardless if I have insurance and screen protectors up the wazoo, I still treat my Pro Max with great care, its just in my spine to do so. I can never relax with it like I do when I use my old 7 Plus on the beach in the summer (I never bring a shiny new phone to sandy areas). And those moments on the beach last summer is when I realised just how much I love using a phone that I don't have to be so careful with.
So, the current plan is to pick up a used SE2020 for "small daily driver", and then a new iPad Mini 6 cellular for "big daily driver", and see how that goes. My only (huge) gripe with the iPad Mini is that the display isn't OLED, because that's one of the things I truly love about my Pro Max. But there just isn't an alternative, so I'll have to live with it. (If I can.)
Which brings me back to where I started. An 8" OLED Android tablet priced lower than the iPad Mini might just make a KILLING on the market. While spreading the use of Android. Especially now if Android L becomes a thing and is adopted by developers. I for one am keeping my fingers crossed. Because I would love to use both Android and iOS side by side, and small iPhone + small Android tablet would be the perfect way of doing it. I've tried two-phoning it several times but it just doesn't work for me.
Tl;dr please devs get into Android L and give manufacturers a great reason for making 8" Android tablets. And Google, Samsung and the rest of you, are you just going to let the iPad Mini trot all over the 8" market space forever?
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There are brand new Samsung tablets out there…
Shop All Tablets | Android Galaxy Tablets | Samsung US
Select and compare the latest features and innovations available across Samsung's entire line of Galaxy Tablets. Find the perfect Samsung tablet for you!
None in the 8" size category except the A7 lite which is just too much of a budget device to fill the role I'm talking about.There are brand new Samsung tablets out there…
Shop All Tablets | Android Galaxy Tablets | Samsung US
Select and compare the latest features and innovations available across Samsung's entire line of Galaxy Tablets. Find the perfect Samsung tablet for you!www.samsung.com
I think you're replying to the thread title rather than my post, I'm not talking about Android tablets being dead in general.
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My first Android experience was an inexpensive Nexus 7 and it was a good little tablet at the time.
I downsized my phone from 13PM to 13Pro and I’ve really enjoyed the smaller form factor. Not so heavy and huge in my hands or pockets. Don’t miss the battery boost enough to overcome these other benefits. Every time I wonder if I am missing larger phone, I fire up 13PM and think nope. I would trade it and get a mini to use with 13 Pro if it had better screen and more pro features. But mini 6 isn’t doing it for me. Too expensive for the specs IMO.
My experience with TWO Nexus 7's was rather bad. Both developed a bug where the screen wigged out and flickered and eventually went completely dead. Apparently this was a common issue with the 1st Gen Nexus 7 tablets.
I also tried a Nexus 10. Talk about gimped out the gate! Even with the support for updates they got, it never got fully featured updates. It got ONE Android version update and it had most of the key features of that update gimped (no transparent status bar, no ART, etc)
Nexus 6 phone. Always hot, literally 3 HOUR of standby with screen off! Never did figure that one out. Still have this one, but it's stored and had a custom ROM (was trying to figure the issue out to no avail) when last I used it.
Even the most budget Samsung tablet will perform a ton better than any of the trash Amazon puts out. The OG Kindle fire from like 2012 was great, but all the new ones are awful. IIRC the original Fire was glass front and textured rubber back similar to a Nexus 7, while all the new ones are low-tier garbage with cheap plastic and easily hashed up displays. The newest Fire OS is still based on oudated Android 6.0 Marshmallow. Not surprising given they only have 1-2 GB RAM and MTK CPUs, like they're running specs from 2010 or something. My HTC Thunderbolt performs better than those pieces of trash!
I tried to run benchmarks on them and when the benchmarking app didn't crash, the scores were far worse than a Samsung Galaxy SII or HTC Thunderbolt. Fire Tablets bug me for even existing since they're designed to be thrown away. Literal e-waste. We cannot sustain the planet at this rate. I feel extreme pity for anyone who wastes their money on one.
I also tried a Nexus 10. Talk about gimped out the gate! Even with the support for updates they got, it never got fully featured updates. It got ONE Android version update and it had most of the key features of that update gimped (no transparent status bar, no ART, etc)
Nexus 6 phone. Always hot, literally 3 HOUR of standby with screen off! Never did figure that one out. Still have this one, but it's stored and had a custom ROM (was trying to figure the issue out to no avail) when last I used it.
Even the most budget Samsung tablet will perform a ton better than any of the trash Amazon puts out. The OG Kindle fire from like 2012 was great, but all the new ones are awful. IIRC the original Fire was glass front and textured rubber back similar to a Nexus 7, while all the new ones are low-tier garbage with cheap plastic and easily hashed up displays. The newest Fire OS is still based on oudated Android 6.0 Marshmallow. Not surprising given they only have 1-2 GB RAM and MTK CPUs, like they're running specs from 2010 or something. My HTC Thunderbolt performs better than those pieces of trash!
I tried to run benchmarks on them and when the benchmarking app didn't crash, the scores were far worse than a Samsung Galaxy SII or HTC Thunderbolt. Fire Tablets bug me for even existing since they're designed to be thrown away. Literal e-waste. We cannot sustain the planet at this rate. I feel extreme pity for anyone who wastes their money on one.
That's the main reason I'm thinking of going with an Android tablet or a used iPad too.
PC laptops are a lot cheaper than Macs too. I saw a PC with 16GB of ram, 2TB SSD at the price of base model of MacBook Pro…
I went with a 2018 11" iPad Pro - 256 GB and cellular and ebay for Logitech type cover and third party pen.
Complete, only a modest amount more than an iPad Air.
I have gone through: Original iPad, Nexus 7", and two Samsung. And am happiest where I am now. Not lusting after a faster iPad Pro.
My experience with 2 Amazon tablets is they begin to fail in 2-3 years.
I loathe my iPad and have stopped using it. Need to find it a new home.
So my trusty Samsung is all I've got for daily use.
A long list of things the iPad can't do that my Samsung can.
The only thing wrong with Android is the 2-3 years of OS updates and maybe another year of security updates, and game over.
I loathe my iPad and have stopped using it. Need to find it a new home.
So my trusty Samsung is all I've got for daily use.
A long list of things the iPad can't do that my Samsung can.
The only thing wrong with Android is the 2-3 years of OS updates and maybe another year of security updates, and game over.
You don't need updates to have a usable device (See Galaxy Note II, I used it until 2022)
Updates tend to require more specs than an older device can handle thus lag
Updates tend to change stuff that should be left alone (see: iOS 7)
My trusty Samsung/ONN tablets work fine and I take care of anything I own since I pay outright and I can't justify treating a $600 device like crap. Those who 'rent' everything don't usually take care of it since they get free replacements but the planet suffers. I've lost count of how many phones I see in the wild with shattered displays and I've found a lot of old discarded smartphones that work fine but someone tossed into the garbage for some inexplicable reason.
I buy things for life. I don't buy something that I feel necessary to toss into the garbage later on. I still have a working PC from 2008 that although not officially supported by Windows 10 still runs Windows 10. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle in THAT order.
I'm sure there's someone out there still enjoying a PC XT, and only needs to write documents or keep a contact list or play some classic DOS games. Nothing becomes useless or a brick just because it's 'unsupported'. People need to understand that.
Updates tend to require more specs than an older device can handle thus lag
Updates tend to change stuff that should be left alone (see: iOS 7)
My trusty Samsung/ONN tablets work fine and I take care of anything I own since I pay outright and I can't justify treating a $600 device like crap. Those who 'rent' everything don't usually take care of it since they get free replacements but the planet suffers. I've lost count of how many phones I see in the wild with shattered displays and I've found a lot of old discarded smartphones that work fine but someone tossed into the garbage for some inexplicable reason.
I buy things for life. I don't buy something that I feel necessary to toss into the garbage later on. I still have a working PC from 2008 that although not officially supported by Windows 10 still runs Windows 10. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle in THAT order.
I'm sure there's someone out there still enjoying a PC XT, and only needs to write documents or keep a contact list or play some classic DOS games. Nothing becomes useless or a brick just because it's 'unsupported'. People need to understand that.
Oh yeah I loved that little Nexus. It was good for its time and felt innovative, and it did fill that role of a tablet-form phone companion since all the phones were so small then. I loved the simplicity of its design too.
I agree about the Mini being too expensive. Especially with the premium for having a cellular connection on it. If it had OLED, I'd be ok with the price anyway though. Aside from that, my only gripes are how weirdly things scale on it, but I'm hoping I can live with that. Anyway, for my experiment I've decided to put up with the price as I just realised I can sell my 12 Pro Max for the equivalent of what the Mini costs, even if I sell it to a refurbish site. It also helps that I can use the Pencil 2 I already own on it.
If there was a good quality 8" Android tablet though, I'd have pulled the trigger on that a long time ago. Regardless of what size phone I have. If on top of that it was a Note with the built in S-Pen, I'd even consider paying more than what the Mini costs.
Nick ... I like to keep my devices up-to-date.
We don't agree there. That's cool.
I am 0 for 2 with Amazon. Actually 0 for 3.
My original TV Stick is bad too.
Roku products seem to work forever.
I also feel Apple TV is an overpriced Android TV lookalike.
I keep my data in the cloud.
So about once a year or so, I think it is useful to do a day one refresh with my tablet. This was a suggestion years ago from HP.
I think updating apps just makes them fatter.
My Samsung tablet works fine. Three years old now.
I may get another tablet to replace my iPad.
I still use my Amazon tabby for music at night with headphones.
My Samsung doesn't sleep when you close the case.
Don't wanna wake anyone up.
We don't agree there. That's cool.
I am 0 for 2 with Amazon. Actually 0 for 3.
My original TV Stick is bad too.
Roku products seem to work forever.
I also feel Apple TV is an overpriced Android TV lookalike.
I keep my data in the cloud.
So about once a year or so, I think it is useful to do a day one refresh with my tablet. This was a suggestion years ago from HP.
I think updating apps just makes them fatter.
My Samsung tablet works fine. Three years old now.
I may get another tablet to replace my iPad.
I still use my Amazon tabby for music at night with headphones.
My Samsung doesn't sleep when you close the case.
Don't wanna wake anyone up.
Oh don't get me started on the Fire Stick!!! My PlayStation 4 I bought from a second-hand store is better than that and the Apple TV combined!
I keep everything though, so I still got those stupid tablets, sticks and a dozen or so Rokus. I figure I'm prepared for the apocalypse or at least got enough backup stuff in case something breaks. I probably got around 6 different smartphones to fall back on (modern ones, that is, in addition to dozens of ones from 2010-14--my fav era) so in the unfortunate event my S20 FE is dropped, lost, stolen, or even eaten (my Galaxy SIII got chewed on by a pet deer and the OLED died!) I got literally a lifetime's supply worth of tech. I am now saving money and only spending it on food, personal care, health and car care (yes, I still work on my own stuff!) and the only exception to that is buying physical copies of movies/tv shows and what few subscriptions I still have.
Those who live life on credit are the living example of that old Lending Tree ad where the guy had a fancy house, car and life but was 'in debt up to his eyeballs'. How do people live like that? I guess I'm the odd one in that I never got credit nor do I even have a credit score. I always buy things outright. Learned that lesson from my great grandfather. I don't feel I'm missing out on anything (certainly not debt + interest) so I never understood the obsession with renting/credit. If you can't afford it, then using a credit card only multiplies your problems later on. I was raised in the era where credit cards were used for mere cash advances, or as emergency funds. Rarely, if anything else.
I am only 43, but I think and act like I should be 83. I guess having a great grandfather who taught me to fix things and appreciate what I got really helped me. People today live too much in fast fashion and must have new shiny phone every year or two. I remember when folks didn't even buy a new CAR until theirs died, got totaled and couldn't be fixed. At one time a car was a lifetime purchase. I plan on keeping both my 2006 Ridgeline and my 2005 Saturn ION for the rest of my life. They're both in pristine shape. Short of them getting totaled I can't foresee anything irreparably breaking on them ever. Today's cars are junkyard fodder in ten years especially when the stupid infotainment system is obsolete in 5, and if it breaks in a modern vehicle, you lose your radio and climate controls among other bits and it can't be replaced with an aftermarket unit like my ION or Ridgeline can. Last vehicles that allowed owners to repair seem to have been made until 2008.
I remember as a kid you'd only see cars from 50 or so years ago in a junkyard unless they're wrecked, but today I walk through one and find cars that are not even a decade old, only 110+ thousand miles, paint in perfect shape, and probably nothing wrong with them, other than the owner got bored and needed (wanted) a new one in 5 or so years. Many are nicer than what I have. People aren't even trying to sell them anymore. There's some running examples too, and you can get a really nice loaded Chrysler Pacifica for less than $1495. They really depreciate these days.
I keep everything though, so I still got those stupid tablets, sticks and a dozen or so Rokus. I figure I'm prepared for the apocalypse or at least got enough backup stuff in case something breaks. I probably got around 6 different smartphones to fall back on (modern ones, that is, in addition to dozens of ones from 2010-14--my fav era) so in the unfortunate event my S20 FE is dropped, lost, stolen, or even eaten (my Galaxy SIII got chewed on by a pet deer and the OLED died!) I got literally a lifetime's supply worth of tech. I am now saving money and only spending it on food, personal care, health and car care (yes, I still work on my own stuff!) and the only exception to that is buying physical copies of movies/tv shows and what few subscriptions I still have.
Those who live life on credit are the living example of that old Lending Tree ad where the guy had a fancy house, car and life but was 'in debt up to his eyeballs'. How do people live like that? I guess I'm the odd one in that I never got credit nor do I even have a credit score. I always buy things outright. Learned that lesson from my great grandfather. I don't feel I'm missing out on anything (certainly not debt + interest) so I never understood the obsession with renting/credit. If you can't afford it, then using a credit card only multiplies your problems later on. I was raised in the era where credit cards were used for mere cash advances, or as emergency funds. Rarely, if anything else.
I am only 43, but I think and act like I should be 83. I guess having a great grandfather who taught me to fix things and appreciate what I got really helped me. People today live too much in fast fashion and must have new shiny phone every year or two. I remember when folks didn't even buy a new CAR until theirs died, got totaled and couldn't be fixed. At one time a car was a lifetime purchase. I plan on keeping both my 2006 Ridgeline and my 2005 Saturn ION for the rest of my life. They're both in pristine shape. Short of them getting totaled I can't foresee anything irreparably breaking on them ever. Today's cars are junkyard fodder in ten years especially when the stupid infotainment system is obsolete in 5, and if it breaks in a modern vehicle, you lose your radio and climate controls among other bits and it can't be replaced with an aftermarket unit like my ION or Ridgeline can. Last vehicles that allowed owners to repair seem to have been made until 2008.
I remember as a kid you'd only see cars from 50 or so years ago in a junkyard unless they're wrecked, but today I walk through one and find cars that are not even a decade old, only 110+ thousand miles, paint in perfect shape, and probably nothing wrong with them, other than the owner got bored and needed (wanted) a new one in 5 or so years. Many are nicer than what I have. People aren't even trying to sell them anymore. There's some running examples too, and you can get a really nice loaded Chrysler Pacifica for less than $1495. They really depreciate these days.
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And I almost wasted money on a Fire Tablet a week ago. $9 at the thrift store. No, actually maybe $4.50--it was half price day (but I'm not sure display case items get that discount).
I'm pretty sure it was OLD. As suggested above, it did look better than what I see now at Target.
I passed on that tablet--I figure there better options for my needs. Even if I have to spend more than $9!
I do, too--at least with anything attached to the Internet. There have been times I've broken this rule, but it was with caution. Like a brief period when an OS hit EOL. I figured no important updates were likely to come out before I was able to upgrade. (This was Linux, not Windows--with Windows, I'd have been concerned about some exploit being discovered in the current version of Windows that would also be likely a problem for the old version.)
I'm not up on the ins and outs of pricing these days--but PC laptops have historically had more attractive prices. And let's not forget that there are more choices, so one can potentially find a better hardware match for one's needs.
That car that looks good with low miles might have something catastrophically wrong with it. Say, transmission failure. So even though the car looks good (and is in good shape overall), it's deemed not worth fixing, because the repairs will be far more than the car is worth.
That's certainly part of it, especially re: minivans and certain cheaper cars (the era of 'cloud cars' aka the Dodge Stratus and Plymouth Breeze with the 2.7L V6 with the fatal flaw of badly designed oiling system were particularly crap) but there are many I've actually cranked over and drove around! I know the junkyard owner well and they sell most of the good ones and they're in high demand today. They just got an old decrepit looking Pontiac Sunfire (1997 model) on the lot and it was GONE in an hour! It sold for $995.
But I was kinda thinking of that Pacifica for a bit. I am glad it sold, it was literally $1295 and it had a backup camera, remote start and navigation! Not bad for 2007 and was in nice shape. Certainly nothing that will get you in a subscription **cough** Toyota Remote Start *gag* BMW Heated seats....
Still though, a lot of people get another vehicle in 5 or so years, and many don't sell the old one because it's pretty much worthless and no tech will service an out-of-date infotainment system when it breaks and disables most of the vehicle, and you can't replace it with a junkyard unit since they're 'mated' to the computer in the car so you're SOL in the event it dies like the ancient Buick Reatta/Riviera CRT computer did!
Today's cars might be safer and more efficient but they're full of so many electronic gizmos and software that gets obsolete (feel sorry for those who subscribed to the expensive OnStar plan for their 2008 GMC Sierra only to find out it's dead when the AMPS shutdown occurred one year later!) that keeping them long-term is less likely. It's one thing to have your radio die, another to lose your instrument cluster, radio, climate control and most of the power options. I'm sure most of those 'nicer' cars in the junkyard had that issue before anything else given those parts were pretty much gutted out first. But let's face the facts: No one is going to restore a 2010 Ford Focus or a 2014 Honda Odyssey in 50 years. None of today's cars will be classics ever. You will still find running examples of the 1958 Plymouth Fury or a 1969 Mustang or 1968 Chevrolet Nova forever but you will never see anyone restoring a modern plastic econobox.
Although, it was not long ago that there was a literally PRISTINE 1980 Chevy Chevette parked at the K-Mart, so stranger things do occur....
It's more the user's browsing habits. I can hook up a Windows XP machine today and leave it online and without anti-virus and it's still fine a month later. If all I do is Google and read Reddit nothing will happen. Now, going to the Pirate Bay, doing sketchy Torrenting, visiting the Dark Net, or going on Porn sites will indeed get you into trouble. But if you're into that you have far more issues than the OS being EOL IMO.
I doubt that even MEMZ or WannaCry will even run on WinXP!
I'm a radio kinda guy.
It takes 2 disc jockeys to change a lightbulb.
1 to go on the air and talk to it for 10 minutes and the 2nd one to find an engineer.
I do read Car Talk in my Saturday paper.
Use to listen on NPR, but not so much now.
You know, the Doodlebug is the best car ever.
This from a guy who doesn't drive anymore.
The boneheads at Disney+ keep me from watching The Love Bug once a year on Turner Classic Movies.
I use to live in Calaveras County, not far from Chinese Camp.
You are right about old stuff Nick.
Honda has a new motorcycle/scooter with a real carburetor and drum brakes.
Check out the Honda NAVI.
People will learn to be wary of products with Amazon's name on them.
With gas so high, it's time for an ebike.
Then I'd new a phablet.
It takes 2 disc jockeys to change a lightbulb.
1 to go on the air and talk to it for 10 minutes and the 2nd one to find an engineer.
I do read Car Talk in my Saturday paper.
Use to listen on NPR, but not so much now.
You know, the Doodlebug is the best car ever.
This from a guy who doesn't drive anymore.
The boneheads at Disney+ keep me from watching The Love Bug once a year on Turner Classic Movies.
I use to live in Calaveras County, not far from Chinese Camp.
You are right about old stuff Nick.
Honda has a new motorcycle/scooter with a real carburetor and drum brakes.
Check out the Honda NAVI.
People will learn to be wary of products with Amazon's name on them.
With gas so high, it's time for an ebike.
Then I'd new a phablet.
I honestly don't know why Volkswagen made such a simple car then got all complicated later on like the rest of the German car makers. They all follow BMW with overly complicated crap and 'DRM batteries' (I'm serious). The old VW Beetles, Carmen Ghias and Micro-buses were bone simple and lasted forever. Much like my Saturn. There's very little to fail.
An e-bike would be a bit cumbersome in winter where temps regularly drop below 15 degrees F, or when I go visit my girlfriend who lives 540 miles away. That's just out of range of a Tesla as well unless there's a SuperCharger network on I-40 I didn't notice last time I went!
I'm noticing a lot of really beat up Geo Metros coming out of the wood work since gas got past $4/gallon around here. I mean beat, as in rusted out, salt eaten hole-filled. No one takes care of their stuff anymore. I'm seeing cars in my own neighborhood already losing the clear coat and they're not even a decade old yet. They truly don't make 'em like they used to.
I'd like to hope that given the chip shortage, supply issues and so on, that people will be less inclined to buy some tablet or phone they don't even need and learn to appreciate what they already have and optimize it properly. Our planet cannot handle our current rate of e-consumerism. As I say often, "You can graduate Harvard with an i486"
An e-bike would be a bit cumbersome in winter where temps regularly drop below 15 degrees F, or when I go visit my girlfriend who lives 540 miles away. That's just out of range of a Tesla as well unless there's a SuperCharger network on I-40 I didn't notice last time I went!
I'm noticing a lot of really beat up Geo Metros coming out of the wood work since gas got past $4/gallon around here. I mean beat, as in rusted out, salt eaten hole-filled. No one takes care of their stuff anymore. I'm seeing cars in my own neighborhood already losing the clear coat and they're not even a decade old yet. They truly don't make 'em like they used to.
I'd like to hope that given the chip shortage, supply issues and so on, that people will be less inclined to buy some tablet or phone they don't even need and learn to appreciate what they already have and optimize it properly. Our planet cannot handle our current rate of e-consumerism. As I say often, "You can graduate Harvard with an i486"
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My first car was a 1973 VW Fastback which was SO bad it gained the infamous label of having "fuel infection", not fuel injection. It was awful. My next car was a 1973 VW Super Beetle and that car was super simple to work on unlike the VW Fastback.
I agree, that German cars, actually European cars in general have become overly complicated and as a result tend not to be reliable and are expensive to maintain. I would not own any euro car including a Benz. I'll easily take a Ford over any other American made car and any Euro car. Ford, the last 2-3 decades got it's act together and has produced some of the most reliable cars.
My theory is European cars are status symbols and talk to any BMW owner and they'll proudly tell you how much the car cost and they only take their cars to the dealer for service. They almost brag about it. The other thing is that dealers today make their money on the service side and not the sales side. So they don't want people to work on their cars because they are so simple, they can watch a YT video and do it themselves. They have purposely designed these cars to intimidate anyone who tries and repair it themselves.
Actually the best built cars tend to be the KIA's, Hyundai's and the Japanese cars. I totally forgot about Asia.
Well, hopefully Google does something. Android hardware is evolving, with tablets gaining more tractions due to the pandemy, and foldables. Google so far literally left it to Samsung to innovate, and maybe they'll just copy some of it for Android 12L. This is why I'm more into a fan of Samsung OneUI than Google's Android itself. Stock Android is barely doing anything new in the recent years, other than themes, which most OEMs have already had their own implementation. I mean Samsung is innovating more to the point they can offer longer OS upgrade support to their devices than Google to Google's own pixel. TBH, I don't even know what's the improvements of Android 12, or even 13, over 11.
The problem with Samsung innovating is that, well, the innovations will only for Samsung devices (eg. Dex). Without Google being more pro-active, this will hurt Android in general as developers won't bother optimizing their apps just for Samsung. Most developers will take the lowest common denominator. Google has to be the one putting the proper tablet features and APIs into Android itself.
I remember one VW mechanic telling me (probably about 2000) how much he wished they still made the cars of the 1980s! (Which admittedly weren't as simple as the old Beetles--but were less of headache than apparently anything that followed.)