Tablet guide

‘How to buy a Tablet Pc?’ Do we ever wonder? The reality is, that the first question that pops up in our mind when we have to buy a Tablet Pc or any other product for that matter is ‘Which Tablet to buy?’ Let us look at what common mistakes does the buyer make what can be done to overcome them.

The Tablet Pc market in India today is booming and every month the rising number of Tablets sold, tell a story. Last year 3.1 million (31 lakh) Tablets were sold throughout India. Of this, nearly 63 % have been of the low cost budget segment. With increasing Tablets sales, there has been an increase in the number of customer complaints regarding malfunctioning Tablets or queries about some feature or the other. A large number of these, though are due to the way people go about buying their devices and they themselves are to blame. The 3 most common mistakes are:

1. Making Pre-set Budget without thinking too much

Be it Tablets or smartphones, people often allot an upper limit or lower limit to their budget. This is the first and biggest mistake that they make. Before deciding a price tag, people should first think deeply about why they want the Tablet and how important is it to them.

Think, if an Android or iOS would make any difference to the way you use your Tablet. If an additional memory storage of 4 Gb makes a difference or if a Dual SIM slot is really important. Make a choice based on what you want. Not on what others are doing. It is the most fatal type of thinking anyone can do.

If it is for Work related purpose, it is advisable to keep a flexible budget range since it is no point facing disappointment at the cost of time lost due to a malfunctioning tablet that you bought just to save a few extra hundred rupees.For entertainment or gifting reasons, it is ok to keep a tighter budget but only if all your needs can be met by a device in that range. People often give up on a few features since, they can’t find a good enough tablet in their budget range.

It is important to realize that for an average Indian whose annual salary is Rs 82,000 buying a device like a Rs 5000 Tablet should be given much more thought and procedure. You cannot afford to keep buying again and again just to suite your need. A Tablet once bought, will be replaced after only a year or two of usage. So, no point keeping fixed price range just trying to balance out your short term budget. In the long run, a little extra spent on the right Tablet can make all the difference and trust me, you will not regret it.

2. Blindly following Advice

The second mistake, people most often make is in the second step of buying, that is, while deciding which Tablet to buy.

Consumers usually look for an easy way out and feel safe just asking so called ‘experts’ or ‘techies’. Often this advice can come from the neighboring uncle or some kids go  down the street who owns a ‘cool’ looking device.

Then there are those (and this comprises a large number) who fall into the seller’s trap. This is the most easily manipulated lot who often trust the good looking-nicely speaking sales guy roaming around the shop dressed not in a uniform but in casuals. Beware! They catch you off guard with a subtle joke or compliment or two and it becomes easy to convince people to buy what they don’t need. They have been trained to do that. It is hard to protect oneself from this kind of a mistake since, the decision to buy in this case is made almost instantaneously. There is no scope to return the object and there is little you can do except go on and use it and repent.

The only way to correct this is to make your own decision. Don’t let people make that decision for you, since, you’l be the person who ends up paying. So take advice from the people who matter and follow it up with thorough research and reasoning of your own. You can either look this Online, where a host of websites and blogs tell you different aspects of a phone or look around and talk to different shopkeepers. Hear carefully what all of them are saying. Only when you are fully convinced, should you narrow down on a device or two. 

3. Not enough Price checks

After you have your budget in place and you have decided which Tablet you want to buy, comes the last and final stage, where you have to actually make a final decision: Where to buy from?

This important question ends up deciding at what price you finally buy your Tablet. Indian mindset is generally towards cheaper products and people have a low tendency to be influenced by AC showrooms and value added services of a specialty store. So, ultimately a simple price related query remains. However, for many this is a stumbling step. People, end up finding high discounts on unknown Online shopping sites or for that matter fall for low EMI schemes. It is human nature, to be influenced by the Lower Price tag. Whatever, tablet they might have thought of buying, they chuck it for the so called ‘low priced’ device which many find later is not so low priced after all.

Either there is some defect in the device or delivery. Sometimes, the warranty may no longer be valid. Many times, people realize their mistake too late after they find that the feature they compromised on was actually very important.

For example, you end up with a 2 Mega pixel rear camera tablet which cost maybe, Rs 500 less than some other the other phone which although a little costly, also had a auto focus and flash. Now, clicking pictures in the night when you have free time and want to hang around with friends becomes impossible since, you fell for the Price trap.

The simple and most effective way to avoid such price traps is discipline. Yes, may sound odd but first go and check every possible source. Ask around in local shops and markets or look for it online, where sites like 91mobiles.com supply instant comparisons for Tablet prices on various online sites. Only, when you are not satisfied and cannot match your budget with the tablet of your choice, should you compromise. Either wait for a few months, for prices to fall, or go for the nearest possible alternative. An iPad Mini can easily be replaced by a Nexus 7 if the need is just for entertainment and media.

It is not always possible to avoid these mistakes for us. We have too much to do and too little time. Ultimately it boils down to proper planning. Make sure you go about your buying systematically. Allot sufficient time, maybe a week, to make all your decisions and research. Make sure you are not fooled into buying something you do not need. There is no harm in being an informed user. A Tablet or smartphone is something very important to your day to day life. It is time we give importance to it and follow the latest developments. Only then, can we avoid The 3 Mistakes of buying. Feel free to write comment and let us know if you have any queries.

A few good things to be sure of beforehand :

1. Not all the internet dongles are supported by all the Tablet PCs. So, it will be wise if you pick your budget Tabs keeping in mind the dongles you are actually planning to use.
2. Make sure the service center of your chosen Tablet PC is in reach as Tablet PCs(especially budget segment) need good care and hence are likely to pay visits to the service centers quite often.
3. As Android Tablets are becoming extremely popular and selling blindly, check for the latest Android version in Tabs.