Why Get a Tablet?

[Koh]

http://funnypicturesplus.com/wp-content/up...e-star-trek.jpg

True funny comics aside, I never saw the point of them in the first place. Here's the checklist:

-Tablets have the same general functions as laptops, except very watered down.
-Tablets can't do some things a regular laptop can, and need many things specifically designed for them.
-Tablets are bigger than pocket size, and thus require their own bag.

With all of these true facts, what's the point of getting a tablet over a laptop? I've never understood and I still don't. If you're going to lug around a piece of technology that requires its own bag (or a space in one you're already carrying), why on earth would you choose a tablet over a laptop? It's like choosing a bike over a car.

[Vipershark]

I guess tablets are okay for the masses who only use their computers as facebook machines but for anyone who wants any sort of productivity, they aren't worth it.

(Or if you're a digital artist and have a tablet that uses a stylus, that's cool too)

[Gors]

people choose bike over a car for reasons:

>affordability;
>lower running costs;
>no need for licenses;
>less bureaucracy involved;
>doesn't pollute atmosphere and it is healthy.

the same could be applied for a tablet, for example:

>very user-friendly;
>even more portable than a laptop;
>it is more suited to the casual people who uses the computer for simple tasks;
>also it's a 'new' thing so people are more likely to spend money on it.

I'd choose a laptop over a tablet, of course, but that just depends on what you plan to do with it. If you mainly use the computer for facebook, I see no reason to go for a laptop.

[OverlordNext]

Also they often have better battery time and you can leave them on standby like ALL DAY and turn them on reall quick when you need it and dont have to wait for slow windows to start...
also for some tasks they are more easy to use then a computer and if you do not need the other things then it may be a nice thing to have?

[DarkMalfunction]

This is why I am very intrigued by the surface pro. Best of both worlds?

Also, 7 inch tablets like the Nexus 7 or the iPad Mini are just about portable enough to not need a case, just wear cargo pants and put them in your pockets, or just shove it in a bag


Also, have you seen how fast windows 8 boots? Faster than an iPad 2 for sure, and the 2 is still on sale.

[Mag]

Tablets really are pointless if you have a high performance laptop. The only reasons you would get a Tablet are if you don't have a laptop.

I used to have one, bought the Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet since it had a digitizer stylus. At the moment, there isn't really decent painting software available for Android, and iOS isn't much better. There was also the major issue of lack of palm rejection with certain apps, like Autodesk Sketchbook. If you want a tablet to paint with on the go, I suggest just getting a Wacom Bamboo and a 15 in laptop, lay it on top of your laptop's keyboard, and you should be good to go. That's what I do whenever I'm not home. ;D

Tablets are good emulation devices and TV replacements though, but if you have a 4in+ phone, it's not much better, especially since odds are, it's going to get tiring holding the thing up, compared to holding up a phone. The biggest benefit however with tablets are the amount of indie development that's going on with them, but even then, it's nothing compared to an x86 computer.

The most interesting tablets I've seen however, is Razer's Project Fiona, along with Dell's new XPS screen rotating laptop. A tablet with a controller interface running Windows would basically be a big PSP, and that sounds awesome for gaming on the go.

[puggsoy]

From my point of view tablets look like the thing between a smartphone and a computer. They're not quite a phone, since they're bigger and have some common computer functions (I think they can run word processors?). But they're not quite a computer either.

So for someone that wants a big powerful phone, or a small simple computer, they can get a tablet. Personally whatever I want to do technology-wise almost always requires a PC though, so I don't see me getting a tablet (not to mention tablets, from what I've seen, are user-friendly to a horrific extent ).

[PatientZero]

I used to think tablets were useless myself, but after using one for a little while I've come to understand the advantages.

For the sake of argument I'm going to ignore the price, and other auxiliary technical aspects like battery life and storage space, those will vary based on hardware and it would be pointless to compare either a cheap tablet vs. a high end laptop, and equally pointless to compare an expensive tablet and a low end laptop.
So let's assume we're comparing standard hardware from the same "generation". (so a tablet and a laptop that were produced for the market at roughly the same time)
I'm also going to ignore tablet PC's, and other specialised equipment, that's not entirely fair and those are definitely options, but they're much more specific and the price is a clear divider.

Obviously a laptop has better hardware, and access to more software and a standard OS, these are both major benefits to be sure.
A tablet on the other hand is much more convenient in a number of situations, for example, if you just want to check your email it's as simple as turning it on, checking your inbox and turning it off again, with a laptop you have to wait for the OS to boot, run your email client and then shut it down.

But we can go further than that, so let's assume the laptop is entirely optimised, running a solid state drive, and anything else it would take to get rid of any delay on starting it and shutting it down.
In that case we'll look at another simple scenario, you're browsing the web and need to move to another room, you want to show something to someone, go make some food, or stare wistfully out of the window into a cruel and uncaring world, or any other common reason to leave the room.
You can take a laptop with you, of course, but with few exceptions a laptop will always be bulkier than a tablet, and can't be operated so easily with one hand, that's by design, they're a portable PC you can use on your lap or any other surface.
A tablet on the other hand is designed to be fully portable and is always operated by one hand, which means you can use it while standing, walking or kicking down a door to escape from a fire.

Not as important for most people, but a tablet is a more sociable object too, it's much easier to pass a tablet to someone than a laptop, and it's less of an issue for someone to use your tablet than to use your laptop.
(Would you really trust just anyone to have access to all your files?)

Where a laptop does have a clear advantage is in power, baring in mind we're talking equivalent generations a laptop will far exceed anything you'll get from a tablet, for gaming, word processing, image editing and other "work" activities a laptop is clearly superior.

But if you're going to be sitting down to work, or game, or anything that requires serious hardware, why not just get a desktop PC? They're cheaper, more powerful, more upgradable, easier to repair and can be adjusted and customised with whatever you need, multiple monitors, different keyboards and mice, soundcards, video cards, multiple drives, and so on.

So to twist the question, I suggest it's actually laptops that are more redundant, tablets are more portable and desktop PC's are more powerful.
Obviously I'm not saying Laptops are pointless or that there's no reason to have one, but as much as people claim a tablet is the middle ground between a phone and a laptop, it's equally true that a laptop is now the middle ground between a tablet and a desktop system.

And it's great, because there is no single superior choice, we can choose the one that fits our needs.

[DarkMalfunction]

What about when the Intel Atom tablets finally get released? It run windows 8, which has full tablet support. It runs old win32 programs on the desktop, which is pretty epic, bearing in mind windows RT won't, and that it has the same sort of battery life as an ARM tablet, which only runs Android or iOS or RT, and I don't care if anyoe argues otherwise, they're not proper OS's.

Also, the problem with laptop/tablet hybrids is that they are too heavy. So, if the rumoured surface 2 is made, or a tablet with a similar thin keyboard appears, and has an Atom processor.... me, the universes greatest hater of tablets, would buy one. Simple as that.