Tablet World.pdf

BACK PAGE What’s next for tablets?
What’s next for tablets?
In 2013 expect to find spectacular screens, increasingly speedy quad-core
processors, lashings of RAM, even cheaper prices and 4G connectivity
98 TABLETWORLD
In 2013, no doubt we'll see tablets with spectacular screens, increasingly speedy
quad-core processors, lashings of RAM and, thanks to the advent of subsidised
tablets from Google, Barnes & Noble and Amazon, even cheaper prices. But one
new technology we're expecting to appear this year is support for super-fast 4G
connectivity. Currently, only the iPad and iPad mini support 4G LTE in the UK.
We’ve seen truly impressive 4G performance in tests, which can match or
even beat your home-broadband connection in both upload and download speed.
In the real world it’s unlikely you’ll see the circa-40Mbps speeds we were able to
enjoy before EE made public its 4G network, but there’s a good chance of you
being able to access a connection that’s between five and 10 times faster than 3G.
That’s assuming you live or work in one of the 16 cities in which 4G is available.
OM4G! How much data?
However, we were surprised by EE’s 4G tariffs. The pricing was always going to
be high, but we didn’t expect to see such meagre data allowances. It’s absurd that
a 500MB plan even exists. With a 4G connection running at 10Mbps, you’d burn
through that in seven minutes.
Yet EE suggests you wind down on your commute home by streaming
a film. Given the faster connection, you’d probably want to stream it in HD.
That’s 3.2Mbps if you’re streaming from BBC iPlayer, so a typical two-hour
film would use just under 3GB of data.
Oddly, EE offers only 8GB of data per month with its top package, which
costs an eye-watering £56 per month (or £66 if you want a 12- rather than
24-month contract). There’s no unlimited data option.
EE hasn’t explained this decision, and is putting out mixed messages about how
it expects people to use 4G. It likens 4G to a high-speed train, claiming that you’ll
cover the same distance per journey (or use the same amount of bandwidth
per activity), but in less time. But EE also says you can play games, watch TV and
stream HD movies on the go.
The point of having fast mobile broadband is to enable on the move the
sort of activities you would previously have enjoyed only over Wi-Fi. Until the
data limits are brought into line with home-broadband packages, streaming
‘The Apprentice’ in HD will remain an unaffordable luxury.
“You’ll cover
the same
distance per
journey, but
in less time”