A Drop in Tablets

Whatever you do, don’t look at the Dow. Again.

Trading just started here in the U.S., and the Dow is already on the way down again (but only 1.68 percent, as of press time).

Stairs on the way up, elevator on the way down.

Me, I want to turn my attention back to some positive technology news. Okay, er, uh, well, some technology news, anyhow.

I’ll start with a report from IDC as reported by VentureBeat on the subject of tablet sales. IDC’s latest report indicates the tablet market has now declined YOY for 13 quarters straight, with Q4 2017 witnessing a 7.9 YOY decline.

IDC’s estimates count both slate form factors and detachables (tablets with keyboards included).

In terms of market share, Apple led the way with 26.6 percent share, followed by Amazon at 15.6 percent, and Samsung at 14.1 percent.

If you, too, aren’t in the market for a new tablet, perhaps the Apple HomePod might strike your fancy.

The Verge got their hands on one, explaining that whether Apple likes it or not, the HomePod "is the company’s answer to the wildly popular Amazon Echo and Google Home smart speakers."

So what’s the skinny? The Verge writes that "while it’s true that the HomePod sounds incredible — it sounds far better than any other speaker in its price range — it also demands that you live entirely inside Apple’s ecosystem in a way that event Apple’s other products do not."

So, Apple HomePod is like Wilson the Volleyball — it lives on an island, like Tom Hanks in "Castaway." Got it.

For an example, consider this headline from the review: "Siri Can’t Compete with Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant."

You can’t ask Siri to look up a recipe. You can’t ask Siri to make a phone call. (You have to start the phone call on your phone and transfer it to the HomePod to use it as a just-okay speakerphone.) Siri also can’t compete with the huge array of Alexa skills, or Google Assistant’s ability to answer a vast variety of questions.

In other words, if you’re living on Apple’s island ecosystem, have at it.