People disagree about the role tablets play today, and might play in the future, in the consumer computing device market. Some think the tablet can, and will, displace other PC devices as a "primary" device. Others think the tablet is an ancillary device primarily to be used for media consumption. Some think "consumption" will remain the primary usage mode, while some think "content creation" capabilities will grow, over time.
Up to this point, the center of gravity likely remains "consumption," however. Recent surveys suggest users play games, check and respond to email and surf the web and watch videos on their tablets. But that doesn't mean they can't be used, and are not used, in a "business" or "work" context. As in the past, where some business people when traveling relied solely on a smart phone, rather than carrying a notebook PC with them, so tablets seem to be used in settings, where the actual work activities mostly consist of checking email and surfing the web.
For sales personnel, the tablet likely represents a more-convenient way to make presentations, as well.
"Easier to use" seems the key, in that regard. As it turns out, for many users, most "PC" activities take the form of consuming content, with the exception of responding to email. The tablet then represents a more convenient way to use the apps that actually are important in many settings.
PCs still remain necessary for "content creation" and other work tasks. In that sense, tablets represent a new element in computing ubiquity and pervasiveness, rather than a direct replacement for "primary" PCs, much as smart phones do not generally replace PCs, but extend web and Internet access to a wider range of settings.
No comments:
Post a Comment