What does “software ecology” mean for tablets?
About a year ago, we would say "the tablet market ushered in a huge change." At that time, Google stopped launching Android tablets, which cast a shadow over the tablet market. At the beginning of the birth of the tablet, the main focus was the difference. It is larger than a mobile phone screen and more portable than a traditional PC. In theory, it can bring a better audio-visual experience, and occasionally come to "productivity." However, Android's native ecology is rarely optimized for the form of tablets. In addition, tablets that were originally positioned vaguely were soon marginalized and eventually abandoned.
Unexpectedly, today, the tablet market has changed again, but it is not that the tablet computer is completely replaced, but the performance of the tablet computer market is getting better and better.
According to the latest report released by IDC, China's tablet market shipments in the third quarter of 2020 are about 6.9 million units, a year-on-year increase of 21.7%, setting the highest year-on-year growth rate in a single quarter since 2014.
At the beginning of the year, due to changes in the general environment, people’s study, work and living habits have changed. Home office and online education have become the norm. Together with the usual consumer and entertainment needs, the frequency of use of tablet computers has greatly increased, and the tablet market has become active again. .
From the specific data, it seems that consumers who have changed their work and lifestyles have “recognized” and “accepted” tablets again.
Hardware upgrades and ecological construction have changed the tablet
Things are always moving forward. The same is true for the tablet computers that were "dying" in the past few years.
When the tablet was born, it followed the approach of hardware first and ecology. However, the processor performance and computing power were not enough at that time, not to mention the current NPU and AI, which made it difficult for tablet computers to perform some "complex" tasks on the hardware first. At the same time, the Android tablet software ecosystem has always had shortcomings. For example, the lack of targeted optimization leads to a poor horizontal screen experience, making it a large-screen mobile phone and being marginalized.
▲ Huawei's first generation Android tablet S7.
Later, some manufacturers chose to stick to it. While iterating on the hardware, they continued to increase the deep cultivation of the software ecosystem, and gradually recovered the positioning of the tablet.
Huawei first began to involve in the tablet business in 2010. From the first generation of S7 to the latest MatePad Pro 5G, the processor has improved and improved several times or even ten times in process, architecture, and performance. At the same time, Huawei's tablet has targeted optimization and upgrades in terms of overall design, full screen, battery life, fast charging, accessories, etc., making the tablet lighter and thinner, with better texture, and more in line with people's preferences.
From IDC's latest market report, it can be seen that Huawei currently maintains the No. 1 shipment in the domestic tablet market and holds 37.7% of the market share. As the leader in domestic shipments, Huawei is also a typical representative of deep-rooted software ecology. For example, the brand-new EMUI 11 has recently been launched, and all aspects of the software experience after the tablet has been upgraded to a higher level. Relying on its own understanding of tablet "productivity" and "creativity", Huawei has gradually evolved EMUI 11 into the most complete tablet ecosystem.
▲ After upgrading to EMUI 11, the "Smart Multi-Window" function of Huawei tablets.
From the birth of the first-generation tablet to the present, Huawei has been thinking about how to make the tablet more in line with people's needs and how to integrate the tablet into its own ecology. EMUI 11 brings a new experience to the exclusive functions of Huawei's tablet, such as "smart multi-window", "multi-screen collaboration", "parallel vision" and other exclusive functions have ushered in new upgrades.
Since then, with hardware upgrades and a sound software ecosystem, tablet computers are no longer an accessory or expansion screen of smart phones, but have gradually become an indispensable existence in people's work and study.
How does EMUI 11 enhance the Huawei tablet experience?
EMUI 11 applies many theoretical methods based on human factors research to interaction design. The upgraded MatePad Pro has become more smooth, natural and comfortable in terms of micro-motion, transitional, and gesture-based dynamics. In addition to the interactive experience, the popular system-level translation and AI subtitle functions on the Mate 40 can now also be used on the MatePad Pro. The user experience of Huawei mobile phones and tablets is becoming more uniform and consistent.
The other is the further upgrade of the horizontal screen ecology.
In the home and mobile office, and when the tablet is required to exert "productivity" and "creativity", the tablet is basically horizontal. This form is closer to a traditional PC. It can also be used with keyboards and other peripherals to improve input efficiency, making it easier for people to enter The status of the job.
Therefore, manufacturers need to make corresponding optimizations for the "horizontal screen" state of the tablet, such as how to optimize the experience of the app's horizontal screen, and how to optimize the split screen of different apps. Of course, as different terminals in the same ecosystem, it is also necessary to consider how multiple devices are linked and how to aggregate information on different screens.
If you are editing a document or making a table at home, you need to constantly refer to other data. If you are on a tablet, you may need to switch back and forth repeatedly, which is very inconvenient. The "smart multi-window" of Huawei's tablet solves this pain point. After upgrading to EMUI 11, up to 4 applications can be displayed on one screen, and applications that do not need to be used temporarily can be stored through the floating ball, so as to realize fast switching and calling between applications.
At the same time, with the support of EMUI 11, the "multi-screen collaboration" function has also ushered in a further upgrade. The new "multi-screen collaboration" is not only to project the mobile phone screen on the tablet, but to put the mobile application clone on the tablet's large screen, and now it also supports the full screen display of the application clone on the tablet, which can be operated on the phone Other applications will not affect the flat panel display.
For example, when you are "brainstorming" with a small partner and need to share your own ideas, you can use "multi-screen collaboration" to put the documents in your phone on the MatePad Pro large screen, and use the advantages of the large screen to share more intuitively . At the same time, the mobile terminal can exit the sharing page, reply to private information, or query information to protect personal privacy.
In addition, Parallel Vision also brings a different new experience. In heavy editing scenarios such as document reading and mail writing, users can freely drag to choose full screen or split screen to improve browsing and input efficiency; in addition, the new live broadcast window lock function also makes shopping in the live room easier and more interesting.
Through the optimization and iteration of functions such as multi-screen collaboration, smart multi-window, and parallel vision, Huawei is continuously improving the efficiency and experience of horizontal screen use of tablets, and continues to lead the horizontal screen ecological construction of the tablet industry.
In order to establish a good ecosystem, in addition to the development and progress of its own platform, it also needs the help of more third-party apps to improve together, which is the "expansion" of the ecology. EMUI 11 opens the Pencil Engine to third-party developers, including the reporting algorithm and the stylus kit, so that third-party apps connected to the Pencil Engine have a better writing experience, smoother and smoother, and enrich these apps. There are also more and more global head note and drawing apps that have joined the Huawei tablet ecosystem. Together with the M-Pencil stylus, it will provide users with a better writing and drawing experience.
MatePad Pro with EMUI 11 can be said to be the best among Android tablets, basically explaining "what is a good Android tablet and ecology".
Ecology is the future of tablets
Huawei has been in the fields of mobile phones, tablets, PCs, and smart homes for a long time. EMUI optimized with hardware is no longer just a system, but has gradually become a communication bridge between different devices in the Huawei ecosystem. In the future, each device will not exist alone, but will become a super terminal with a huge ecosystem that supports seamless connection experience across devices.
Some people say that the tablet computer survives in the gap between mobile phones and PCs, and it is difficult to break out of these two categories of devices. However, the situation in early 2020 has changed people's work, life, and study methods. Home office, mobile office, and online education have gradually become the norm. The current tablet computer just makes up for this change in methods and needs.
Compared with mobile phones, tablet PCs have the advantage of large screens. Compared with PCs, tablet PCs have the advantage of multiple forms. It can be used as a light office "productivity" and "creativity" device, or as an entertainment home. Cooperating with other terminal devices in the same ecosystem, such as mobile phones and smart homes, will expand more possibilities.
In the past, the tablet market has been in decline and has been "swaying." With weak performance, a single ecology, and a less clear positioning, such a tablet has naturally not won the favor of consumers and the market.
With the continuous improvement of performance in recent years, the software ecosystem has become more and more abundant, just like Huawei's EMUI 11 continues to increase productivity and creativity, coupled with the big environment, so that tablet devices have a clearer development direction. The continuous improvement of the software ecosystem, as well as the re-mentioned cloud computing, cloud gaming, and cloud ecosystem construction under 5G, have brought new opportunities to tablets.
In the future, tablets may not replace any devices, but should become a three-in-one tool for thin and light productivity, creativity and entertainment devices.
#Welcome to follow Aifaner's official WeChat account: Aifaner (WeChat ID: ifanr), more exciting content will be provided to you as soon as possible.