While there are still no guarantees, especially with Google and Microsoft looking to replace
niche devices with simple browser - based alternatives, the addition of players like Sony, Asus, and Barnes and Noble pretty much ensures that the concept of electronic books is here to stay.
Asking developers to go out of their way to support
a niche device with a small install base was unrealistic from the start.
We look forward to camera improvements, which will help increase its appeal; but at the moment the Razer Phone is indeed
a niche device with niche appeal.
Samsung still insists that the Galaxy Note line does not directly compete with the iPhone due to it being
a niche device with a much smaller shipment base.
Not exact matches
As a company dealing
with the media - streaming - player
niche, it's up against huge megaliths including Apple, Google, Amazon, Microsoft and Sony, all of whom offer not just similar
devices, but also a host of related hardware and services.
It also doesn't hurt to have a vote of confidence from Blackberry, which is also trying to carve a
niche in a world being crowded
with iPhone and Google (NSDQ: GOOG) Android - based
devices.
Sony has done this
with a number of their
devices and smaller
niche companies are also offering products.
As Rick Richter, CEO of Ruckus Media Group, explained in an interview
with GoodeReader, those concerns have lessened now that
devices have come down in price and are no longer a
niche - market product.
Another small useless
device with a marketing strategy aimed at a
niche segment it does not really serve.
Keeping in mind that Edge is designed for scientific - minded, professional users the read books / journals
with graphics and in large page format, I believe it is an amazing
device for this
niche.
However, the tablet is going to be a
niche device,
with a humongous 18.4 - inch sized display.
This closed system of ebook selling doesn't foster book discovery and can lead to
niche specific bookselling while isolating potential readers who are trapped by the retail platform associated
with the e-reader
device or app they choose.
In a market that is overrun
with e-reader
devices — there are over forty different e-reader product reviews on GoodEReader.com and more than twenty previews for future e-readers, not to mention the e-reading capable tablets and phones — Aluratek has found its
niche in being a one - stop location that meets the electronic needs of a wider market.
However, what has also to be said is that the XOOM shipment numbers might be less but is yet comparable
with other tablet
devices that are in the market leaving aside Apple iPad which has a nook and
niche of its own.
The
device with a 7.85 inch sized display will fill a
niche flanked by the 9.7 inch iPad on one hand and the iPhone 5 and iPod on the other.
Then there is likely to be segmentation in the tablet category,
with several
niche segments coming up instead of a single
device scenario that we are facing
with.
XiaoMi has really managed to make a name for itself in the mobile market in recent years
with the sheer number of
devices it produces for every bracket,
niche, and preference on the market.
Exactly right Erod... that's why I have predicted tablets first on the market will be
niche devices, that
niche being people
with disposable cash.
While it is too early to tell how much traction tablets will gain among potential buyers, analysts say the state of technology is such that there might finally be the right mix of applications, hardware and mobility available to make tablet PCs more than just a
niche device in an already - crowded market,
with gadgets designed to deal
with almost any computing a person may need.
While previously dismissed by analysts as a relatively stolid
niche market, the popularity of e-readers during the 2009 holiday season - combined
with the high - profile release of the Apple iPad, which features a baked - in e-reader-has led to something of an arms race between competing products: as soon as one
device undergoes a software or hardware update, it seems, the others feel duty - bound to introduce a new feature of their own.
Before putting its US charge plans into effect, Lenovo seems very keen to capture a massive piece of the Chinese smartphone pie
with the help of all - round powerhouses like the K900, but also more modest
devices targeted to certain
niches, such as the newly unveiled S820.
Sadly I suspect the publishers and
niche device vendors are not securing their future but hastening their demise as they force people to find better solutions to either create, distribute or purchase books — for instance like Robin Sloan is doing
with his new novel http://bit.ly/4bKSBv
Naturally there will be some that are happy
with that and I have to say that given my data - centric usage profile (I use voice capabilities less than once per day) it would probably work for me too but unless the Streak is priced at a bargain - bucket level, which I doubt, it will stay
with that
niche of primary users and a secondary, iPad - like, community of users that want a casual, secondary internet tablet
device.
It's got its
niche to appeal to, such as students and the military (and as a Navy vet, I can definitely see the benefits of having a couple hundred PDF tech publications available on a single 7 ounce
device with exceptional battery life, potentially
with a built in light for evening operations or those under darker than normal conditions).
The Vita's fine as a
niche gaming
device with an awesome localised / indie catalogue and amazing legacy collection.
The seven - inch reader has always been kind of a
niche device — a sort of thought experiment into what an ultra-premium devoted e-reader would look like,
with 300 PPI resolution, double the storage (starting at 8 GB), a waterproof body and built - in Audible.
The numbers and spectacle around the cameras suggest that the P20 Pro, especially, is capable of so many imaging tricks, but from my short time
with the
devices, it's a mix of fantastical results and
niche - bordering - on - pointless.
Fingerprint authentication and contactless payments are just two recent examples, having both existed in Japan and on
niche devices for over a decade before Apple raised them to global prominence
with the iPhone.
With an excellent camera pedigree — it has a Sony IMX378 sensor inside, the same one as the award - winning Pixel — this is certainly a capable
device, and one that, if you check out our hands - on, comes off as a well - rounded handset, especially given its
niche market aspirations.
It's a
niche product for sure, but for those craving Sony's hardware design
with Google's software, that
device is finally a reality.
The sheer size of the Mi Max 2 makes it a
niche device, but if you're in the market for a phone
with a large screen and class - leading battery life, there isn't a better
device available today.
This is a valiant first effort when it comes to heading direct - to - consumer in the U.S., but we're not so sure a
device with such a
niche size and lack of headline - worthy features is going to appeal to enough people to really make waves.
OnePlus, which has carved out a
niche in the smartphone market by launching
devices with top - of - the - line specifications but
with affordable price tags, may soon break into the mainstream.
On the spec ends, the Xiaomi Mi MIX is no slouch either, which is what happens otherwise
with niche and unique
devices.
The Galaxy Note 5 fills a certain
niche as the only true phablet
with an S - Pen and great software to support the
device.
A
niche, high - end
device it has complete control over on which to best showcase its vision for Android (even if that is now Pixel - flavored rather than vanilla),
with OEMs shipping its pared - back software experience in their mid-range and entry - level
devices.
The camera found on that
niche device appears to be similar to the one featured on the rear plate of the Galaxy S9; it uses a 1.4 μm sensor mounted behind a lens
with much more moving parts than what you can find inside any fixed - aperture glass, i.e. the kind of lenses that are usually used in smartphones.
The company has released wave after wave of
devices with Alexa built in, filling various
niches, and leaving competitors little time to create any competition in the space,
with one notable exception.
The company has released wave after wave of
devices with Alexa built in, filling various
niches, and leaving competitors little time to create any competition -LSB-...]
However, Microsoft hasn't offered much information on what
niche they're hoping to fill
with these
devices until now.
When Samsung launched the Galaxy Gear smartwatch earlier this month, its status as a
niche device was made even more apparent by its lack of compatibility
with all but two of Samsung's smartphones...
The company's
devices fall into Google's Android
niche, however, it is only a handful of compatible Samsung Galaxy smartphones that have been updated
with the latest Android 6.0 Marshmallow.
That being said, the BeatsX borrows much from its predecessors — including but not limited to the flat, no - tangle cable and stellar compatibility
with iOS
devices — while carving out its own
niche as one of the first balanced pair of headphones from the low - end loving company.
OwnZones (http://www.ownzones.com) is the first destination on the web where customers can enjoy access to a range of high - quality
niche media spanning a variety of categories served on any desktop or mobile
device,
with attractive prices and terms.
When Samsung launched the Galaxy Gear smartwatch earlier this month, its status as a
niche device was made even more apparent by its lack of compatibility
with all but two of Samsung's smartphones and tablets.
It's true the phone packs the capabilities of the iPhone 6S and comes
with the cute looks and comfort of the iPhone 5S, but
with Apple using this
device to reach out to the developing markets, it may have to rethink its strategy considering the wealth of alternatives available out there, especially from the Android
niche.
There's no question the phablet is more of a
niche device, but its iconic S Pen stylus is now even better,
with higher accuracy and more levels of pressure sensitivity making it great for sketching and drawing.
There's another thing about predictability that I haven't mentioned: it means something is ready for the mainstream, that it's no longer a fringe or
niche device for only those willing to deal
with its eccentricities.