Desktops, Laptops and Tablets…

File this under #NothingNewHere 🙂

Over the last couple of years we’ve been constantly bombarded with the “tablets are the future” message. Today I read this piece about Microsoft.

Being a techie, it’s hard for me to get in the “normal folk” frame of mind when thinking about technology, but it just so happens I had a conversation with a “normal person” last night. He’s a personal trainer at my gym. It turns out his opinion on the desktop/laptop/tablet debate is pretty similar to all the techies I’ve spoken with. He was asking me for some advice (which I’m not qualified to provide), but before I said a word he hit me with a few statements:

  • I need a new desktop for home. The one I’ve got is a bit slow when the kids are using it to play games.
  • I would like a new laptop. This one I’ve got (shows me his laptop) is a few years old and needs to be replaced.
  • I’ve got an iPad. It’s OK, but I really need the laptop if I’m doing any typing.

This is the same stuff us techies have been going on about since the launch of the iPad. I agree that tablet sales will probably increase over the coming years, but in the near future, they will be in addition to regular kit, not a replacement for it.

When I eventually have to replace my iPad (v1) I will probably pick the cheapest device available that has a functioning browser. Unless some amazing new use case comes along, I really won’t need more than that for a device with such limitations.

Enough of stating the obvious…

Cheers

Tim…