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Laptop or Tablet?

Laptop or Tablet?

Laptop or tablet?  That is a question that we are hearing from customers more frequently as the tablet market matures. In fact, a recent study shows that tablets are the preferred device for folks to use at home.

Tablets Favored Device At Home

Simply comparing what we see in use on an airplane these days compared to five years ago shows that tablets have made significant inroads in the traditionally PC-oriented market space.  Tablets are seemingly everywhere. Another interesting study has shown that 96% of iPad users also own a laptop.

Microsoft’s wildest dream: Killing the laptop

This shows that the iPad, at least, has not been able to completely do away with the laptop.  There are some legitimate reasons for that, most notably the need for business applications that may not run on an iOS or Android platform.

Microsoft has just released the Surface Pro 3 which runs a full Windows 8.1 environment.  This device is larger (12-inch screen) and some models are actually less expensive than the Surface Pro 2.  Microsoft has gone out of its way to tout this as the device that finally replaces the laptop. So, is this the device that will finally make users commit solely to a tablet?  Perhaps…perhaps not.  The Surface Pro 3 is large for a tablet and slightly small for a laptop.  For those looking for smaller and more portable tablet devices, this is not the product for you.  Those who like a larger screen on their laptop will be equally disappointed. From a functionality standpoint, it could possibly replace your laptop depending on the applications you need and the ways you use them (frequently mobile, etc.).  The Surface Pro 3 runs a full version of Windows 8.1 and will run anything a desktop or laptop running Windows 8.1 will run.  The question that needs to be asked is “Do all my necessary applications run on Windows 8.1?”.  If you are unsure of the answer, you need to do more research before making your decision.

Beyond the Microsoft Surface, many third parties like Dell and Lenovo are now firmly in the mix.  The Dell Venue 11 Pro for example, offers the full Windows 8.1 experience like the Surface Pro 3 but with more options and form factors to choose from. Do not discount other manufacturers in your search as some of these devices may offer additional ports that you may want or need.  Also, do not discount tablets if they are a great fit just because the application you need requires Windows 7.  The use of virtual operating system instances can allow your application to function although not a seamlessly as a native Windows 8.1 application.

Are we at the point where tablet users can throw away that laptop?  Microsoft’s holy grail of marrying one operating system (Windows 8.1) to both the tablet and PC/laptop has arrived, so the answer for some is yes. For the others, the answer may still be no for now, but we are certainly a lot closer today than ever before.

Do you have a business need for tablets?  Regardless of which mobile platform or device you select – iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Windows RT, or Windows 8.1; smartphone, tablet, or hybrid – the key is identifying your business needs and determining which solution(s) best address those needs. There is an almost unending number of options to choose from. What is needed is someone who can guide you through those options and help you determine what combination of solutions will bring your business the functionality that it desires.  Someone like Colden Company, who has done exactly that for many of our customers helping them bring the power of mobile solutions to their business.  Contact Colden Company today and let us help you as we have helped many of our existing customers implement tablets efficiently into their business process.  Call us at (888) 600-4560, email us at info@coldencompany.com or see us on Facebook or Twitter (@coldenco).






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