Tablet Computing
Posted by Brian Clifton
Written November 14, 2011 at 23:37
Written November 14, 2011 at 23:37
The iPad (and it's competitors) at first seemed like a fad to me. Now I'm starting to think that they actually discovered a market that people didn't know existed and it's pretty clear now that tablets aren't going away anytime soon. There have been a lot of times recently where I've been at home and I secretly wish I had a tablet to get comfortable and read websites with.
The amount of content available on the internet has really opened up a market for these tablets. Content on Wikipedia is living; it's always being changed and updated. Then there's the concept of getting news which is really subjective. You might consider "News" logging into Facebook and seeing what happened in your personal circle of friends; or maybe it's checking CNN to see what's new in the world. Media streaming is something that isn't going away, whether it's internet radio, video streaming like YouTube, or watching full length movies using Netflix.
Content is changing all the time. It almost doesn't make sense to buy a hard copy of reference materials anymore when you can usually find a newer version online. Not only that, most of the online content is interactive to some degree; you read other people's feedback about an article and engage in a debate. You can create your own internet content in the form of a blog post or simply a message on Twitter. If you find content is written in a language you can't read, no problem; just run content through Google Translate.
I have no doubt that web sites are where the future will be. Right now, the web browsing experience is lacking, which is why Apple's model of "Apps" has really taken off. With today's technology, you simply can't give the user the exact experience you want them to have with a website. Of course, I think that will change with HTML5 and newer technologies. Eventually, most content that's being sold or marketed as an application could probably be done as a website.
Right now, tablets still are in that "Fad" phase. They're new and exciting for a lot of people, to the point where it's genuinely annoying. I get mad when I'm in a meeting and people are fiddling with their smart phone or their iPad. People seem to think that touch technology is the next big thing. It's been around forever in the point of sale industry (think about when you're at a restaurant). Touch screens are also pretty decent for self-checkout, like at the grocery store.
However, watching videos where people imagine everything in the future being touch screen driven is just ridiculous. I already have reservations about handling someone's smart phone when I know they break it out on the toilet to play Tetris. Then there's the fact that today's PCs really meet the needs of most people pretty well. I sit at a desk and program computers for eight hours a day. Today's keyboards work perfect; I'd feel like I'm taking a step backwards if I was forced to use a tablet and on-screen touch keyboard. Then there's the gestures you can do on tablets, like turning a page, pinching to zoom in or out. How will any of that help you when you're sitting down with TurboTax to file your taxes? If gaming is your thing, how exactly do you play a first person shooter on a tablet?
All that said, I still think that tablets are worthwhile. I'm not going to jump into this technology however until I can get a Microsoft Windows 8 tablet. Apple has done a great job of opening up the market, but I really think Microsoft will redefine it. I was an Apple user for years, but once I saw the support that Microsoft has for it's developers I dumped my PowerMac 7200/90 and built a PC. Microsoft is a software company and they make world class software. Apple (in my opinion) is a hardware company. Steve Jobs was an amazing public speaker and got people so excited that they didn't care that they're buying almost the same device over and over again. Sit down and think about how many hardware models Apple has put out there. The first generation iPod plays songs just as well as the newest iPod touch. There isn't anything revolutionary about the software they're making; it's all hardware.
Tablets can without a doubt replace most people's personal computer usage. For most business situations you're going to want to be sitting at a desk using a mouse and keyboard. The mouse and keyboard might not be as exciting as touch technology, but it's more efficient. I'm really looking forward to Windows 8 and being able to use a tablet for laying in bed and reading internet content or writing small blog posts. Tablets could replace personal computers if there are good enough docking stations out there so you could use a mouse and keyboard at a desk or pick it up and go. Whatever the case is, it'll be interesting to watch it all unfold.
The amount of content available on the internet has really opened up a market for these tablets. Content on Wikipedia is living; it's always being changed and updated. Then there's the concept of getting news which is really subjective. You might consider "News" logging into Facebook and seeing what happened in your personal circle of friends; or maybe it's checking CNN to see what's new in the world. Media streaming is something that isn't going away, whether it's internet radio, video streaming like YouTube, or watching full length movies using Netflix.
Content is changing all the time. It almost doesn't make sense to buy a hard copy of reference materials anymore when you can usually find a newer version online. Not only that, most of the online content is interactive to some degree; you read other people's feedback about an article and engage in a debate. You can create your own internet content in the form of a blog post or simply a message on Twitter. If you find content is written in a language you can't read, no problem; just run content through Google Translate.
I have no doubt that web sites are where the future will be. Right now, the web browsing experience is lacking, which is why Apple's model of "Apps" has really taken off. With today's technology, you simply can't give the user the exact experience you want them to have with a website. Of course, I think that will change with HTML5 and newer technologies. Eventually, most content that's being sold or marketed as an application could probably be done as a website.
Right now, tablets still are in that "Fad" phase. They're new and exciting for a lot of people, to the point where it's genuinely annoying. I get mad when I'm in a meeting and people are fiddling with their smart phone or their iPad. People seem to think that touch technology is the next big thing. It's been around forever in the point of sale industry (think about when you're at a restaurant). Touch screens are also pretty decent for self-checkout, like at the grocery store.
However, watching videos where people imagine everything in the future being touch screen driven is just ridiculous. I already have reservations about handling someone's smart phone when I know they break it out on the toilet to play Tetris. Then there's the fact that today's PCs really meet the needs of most people pretty well. I sit at a desk and program computers for eight hours a day. Today's keyboards work perfect; I'd feel like I'm taking a step backwards if I was forced to use a tablet and on-screen touch keyboard. Then there's the gestures you can do on tablets, like turning a page, pinching to zoom in or out. How will any of that help you when you're sitting down with TurboTax to file your taxes? If gaming is your thing, how exactly do you play a first person shooter on a tablet?
All that said, I still think that tablets are worthwhile. I'm not going to jump into this technology however until I can get a Microsoft Windows 8 tablet. Apple has done a great job of opening up the market, but I really think Microsoft will redefine it. I was an Apple user for years, but once I saw the support that Microsoft has for it's developers I dumped my PowerMac 7200/90 and built a PC. Microsoft is a software company and they make world class software. Apple (in my opinion) is a hardware company. Steve Jobs was an amazing public speaker and got people so excited that they didn't care that they're buying almost the same device over and over again. Sit down and think about how many hardware models Apple has put out there. The first generation iPod plays songs just as well as the newest iPod touch. There isn't anything revolutionary about the software they're making; it's all hardware.
Tablets can without a doubt replace most people's personal computer usage. For most business situations you're going to want to be sitting at a desk using a mouse and keyboard. The mouse and keyboard might not be as exciting as touch technology, but it's more efficient. I'm really looking forward to Windows 8 and being able to use a tablet for laying in bed and reading internet content or writing small blog posts. Tablets could replace personal computers if there are good enough docking stations out there so you could use a mouse and keyboard at a desk or pick it up and go. Whatever the case is, it'll be interesting to watch it all unfold.