The immediate response is a stiff No. No, I don’t need a waterproof tablet, because unlike your phone, it isn’t really susceptible to the same aquatic carnage. You don’t tote them around in your pocket. You don’t whip them out in the rain. Tablets are portable, but not pocketable, and that cuts your risk down a hell of a lot.
But is waterproofing just about risk? What about the wonderful wet world that might be out there for you and your tablet of choice, if only it could survive some squirting?
A tablet in the tub? We like to read in the bath, after all.
A tablet on a boat? Paired with a wireless hotspot, it’d be a killer maritime mapping device.
A tablet for camping? See above.
Getting some work emails fired off while floating in the pool sounds nice to me. I mean, I’d need a pool first, but you know.
What do you think? Is a waterproof tablet just as necessary as a hardened handset, or a frivolity? [Engadget]
Harry
Tuesday, August 30, 2011 at 9:34 AMA waterproof tablet would be great for the emergency service. I work for a fire agency and we have looked at tablets for us be fire fighters. They tend not to like getting wet, so a water proof one would be great.
TvZ
Tuesday, August 30, 2011 at 9:40 AMNot quite a necessity but a luxury that a lot of people will pay for. I wouldn’t need it as I don’t go camping in the rain that much, neither do I use maps on a boat. But for the select few, I think it would be a great add-on to tablets.
BillyBob
Tuesday, August 30, 2011 at 9:56 AMWaterproof for mobile POS, sounds perfect for the drink spill
luke
Tuesday, August 30, 2011 at 10:08 AMhmm,
I guess its a strange thing to read the news in the bath with an iPad?
Stuii
Tuesday, August 30, 2011 at 10:37 AMan obvious use is in the kitchen for recipes
get some crap on your tablet – then just wash it
jasonalex
Tuesday, August 30, 2011 at 12:39 PMIt’s not super necessary. But it certainly couldn’t hurt.
DarthDVD
Tuesday, August 30, 2011 at 2:58 PMwater proof tablets would be a excellent tool for the security industry. Alarms, maps, reporting, taking video/pics of stuff that happends at sites..
Cain
Tuesday, August 30, 2011 at 5:32 PMI think this is a fantastic idea. So many uses out in the open. In a pool. Hospitality poolside service.
I would love to read a book underwater. Ah the serenity.
Will
Tuesday, September 6, 2011 at 11:21 AM+1 with the security, Wish my iPhone was waterproof.. now thats an idea.
Crab
Thursday, October 13, 2011 at 2:27 PMWhen holidaying, it would make a great backup device for photos – especially those that like to holiday in the wet tropics.
How many times have you heard of people losing their photos because their backpack was saturated? OK, not many, but still… if one is looking for a device to take on holiday for the sole purpose of storing pics, then waterproofing seems much more sensible.
Morty
Wednesday, October 19, 2011 at 4:14 PMIt’s a must in a food processing plant and I’m sure there is many other industrial applications where it is required.