tablets: the next computer?

[boyo1991]

ok.. heres a good question for you all... do you think that tablets (android in specific) will end up replacing traditional pc's/computers/MAC(shouldnt need to specify..) in the near future? i LOVE the honecomb adroid 3.0 interface on tablets.. its soo nice i even got a theme for my phone (no longer in use however... lol) so lets get back to it... tablets replacing pcs? including its service connection.. replacing routers/ISPs even (just trying to give you some thought)..

idk.. my thought is this... it WILL happen... we will have our pcs as a tablet, that tablet will also be our phone... texting and calling, calling will turn into video calling, no more talking over a regular phone audio only.. not replace ISP's quite yet.. my tablet theory is for like... 10 years down the road... ISP's will go outa style in liike 30 years.. thats my thought at least... but eventually it will happen haha.. we'll all be carring around a notebook size pad or messanger bag or someone will invent something cool.. idk.. itll happen tho. just watch lol

 

[T120ted]

It'll be a wristband tablet that wraps around your wrist like those slap bracelets for kids. You'll just pull it off and straighhten it out when you want ful use of it,LOL.

 

[takeshi]

do you think that tablets (android in specific) will end up replacing traditional pc's/computers/MAC(shouldnt need to specify..) in the near future?

No, not across the board anyway. I suspect we'll see more appliance-like computing devices used. While many will find them to be sufficient there will still be people with a need/want for laptops or desktops.

idk.. my thought is this... it WILL happen... we will have our pcs as a tablet, that tablet will also be our phone...

I'm not using my iPad2 as a phone or as a replacement for my laptop or desktop. YMMV, of course. Maybe you have much bigger pockets and/or much lighter computing requirements.

calling will turn into video calling, no more talking over a regular phone audio only..

I doubt that. Video calling has been around for quite some time. Not everyone wants to see who they're talking to.

ISP's will go outa style in liike 30 years..

How? You have to be connected to the internet somehow. Whoever provides your connectivity is your ISP.

 

[brykins]

do you think that tablets (android in specific) will end up replacing traditional pc's/computers/MAC(shouldnt need to specify..) in the near future?

For quite a large proportion of the population (non-nerds, older people, those who just consume instead of create) then yes, tablets will dominate over *actual* computers within the near future. If every member of my extended family came to me tomorrow with a list of all that they do on computers and asked for a recommendation on what to buy, I could probably tell nine out of ten of them that an iPad (I have one - no experience of Android tablets yet) would be more suitable than a full-blown PC or notebook.

 

[PeteCress]

...If every member of my extended family came to me tomorrow with a list of all that they do on computers and asked for a recommendation on what to buy, I could probably tell nine out of ten of them that an iPad....

Last year, I blew $600+ on a really nice Vaio notebook for the wife - who had decided she needed a PC.

Beeeeeeg mistake, IMHO.

Having watched/assisted her for all these months, I have come to realize that for us hardcore users, using Windows is like tying a shoelace: it's just automatic, programmed into the lower brain stem almost.

But for a totally-innocent new user it's a nightmare: every little thing raises problems.... the concept of navigating a list, the idea that windows pop up and obscure the window you were just looking at.... it goes on-and-on.

For just email, the occasional Skype call, and watching TV, I'm 99% sure she would have been better off with an iPad.

 

[Bob Maxey]

A PC will likely always have a place. Some things cannot be done easily on a tablet. I do think tablets will take the place of laptops for many people, but not everyone. It really depends on what you need. I absolutely need an iPad and a laptop, but my laptop took the place of a desktop.

I have discovered that my phone's capabilities are not used much these days. Since I carry an iPad, it is easier to do the things I once did on my phone.

 

[Bob Maxey]

For quite a large proportion of the population (non-nerds, older people, those who just consume instead of create) then yes, tablets will dominate over *actual* computers within the near future. If every member of my extended family came to me tomorrow with a list of all that they do on computers and asked for a recommendation on what to buy, I could probably tell nine out of ten of them that an iPad (I have one - no experience of Android tablets yet) would be more suitable than a full-blown PC or notebook.

There are two types of users: those that use a PC/Laptop?Tablet "recreationally" for things like music, saving/viewing photos, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, etc., and those that need a computer for business.

The first group can weather a loss of data. Not saying it would not be sad and bad, but those in the second group can loose much more when a crash sans backup occurs. Like money and time.

Tablets make viewing images, surfing the web, playing games, and other activities easier and nicer than doing the same things on a small screen cell phone.

But some of us also need a PC for some kinds of work. I would hate to go back to the typewriter, ribbons, white out, and scotch tape for editing documents. But my Remington never crashed and my paper files were quite secure.

As much as I love my iPad, it is useless for extensive page layout and editing images. It is, however, ideal for generating first drafts and that is how I use my iPad.

If I did not need to worry about images, I could run my entire business from the iPad and a cheap cell phone without web access and email capabilities. Creation, to payment, to bank deposits, to spending/paying bills, all from a slim, cheap portable device. Life would be sweet(er)

I am thinking about a much thinner laptop computer, though. Something that will fit in my satchel or saddlebags.

For many people, a tablet is great and it can replace their laptop/desktop and in some cases, their Android phone.

So here is another question: will cell phones begin to take a back seat to tablets as tablets become more prevalent? I can get by with just a phone, as long as I have my iPad. One must consider that a tablet's large screen is better for the things people use their cell phones for, so perhaps we might see a time where people will simply buy a cheap phone and use their tablets for routine things.