Award-winning peripheral manufacturer iLuv displayed a wide selection of tablet and smartphone accessories at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show.
Newest on iLuv’s list is its WorkStation Series, a lineup of combined docking stations seeking to fill the niche normally occupied by stationary desktop or netbook PCs. The iMM517 WorkStation Pro includes speakers and a mounting stand and is compatible with a Bluetooth keyboard, while the WorkStation iMM737 incorporates a built-in laptop-style keyboard. The Professional WorkStation Portfolio iCK826 combines a tablet case for the iPad and iPad 2 with an incorporated kickstand and a detachable Bluetooth keyboard. These models are compatible with a range of Apple products (including the iPad, iPhone, and iPod Nano), while the similar iSK912 and iSK914 are equivalents of the iCK826 for the Samsung GALAXY Tab 10.1 and 8.9 respectively. The iSM527 WorkStation Pro is compatible with both Samsung products as a parallel for the iMM517.
“People use tablets for much more than movies,” said Melissa Hoiston, Senior Account Executive representing iLuv. “They’re checking their e-mail, they’re going on websites, they’re doing more with it [tablets]. They’re using their iPad almost more than they’re using their normal notebooks, laptops, or desktop….We’re going to try and refine that.”
iLuv also showed off an array of existing products, including their ArtStation lineup of audio and speaker docks for tablets. More information about products currently for sale can be found at http://www.i-luv.com/product_main.asp?devicec=1
Trauben’s Impressions
I appreciate the ambition behind the iLuv WorkStation. Tablets are increasingly dominant as a go-to platform for basic web searches, applications, and e-mail, and it’s often speculated that tablets and other specialized devices will shortly render the desktop PC obsolete. It’s not hard to see in the iLuv a further expansion of a tablet’s capabilities.
On the other hand, however, the fact remains that an augmented tablet is still just a tablet, and trying to retrofit a tablet to fill the niche of a desktop seems an unusual strategy. For the price of a tablet and an iLuv WorkStation, one could acquire a basic-level PC or laptop computer with considerably more significant technical performance and far more practical ability to fill its niche. No matter how much one spruces up a tablet, the present generation of tablets are no substitute for a proper computer when it comes to complex applications.
This isn’t to say that the WorkStation isn’t an ambitious and interesting piece of technology or that it won’t have its uses. But I’m not quite convinced that it’ll replace a home computer just yet.
McGinley’s Impressions
I found myself a bit perplexed as to the niche the iLuv WorkStation Series was looking to fill. As a desktop computer user who supplements that primary machine with mobile devices, I have a hard time finding a place for a mobile/tablet device docked on my desktop. I could potentially see the growing number of people who are using their tablets primarily being able to expand that device of choice to fill the home computer role. The larger, physical keyboard will definitely help to that end.