Are We Really In The Post PC era?
Well that all depends, we all use our technology a bit differently, whether that be for business, social networking, home use, school work or gaming. Some people can indeed get by with just a tablet device, while others need a laptop. So are we past using laptops, and is tablet technology the way forward? To help you decide which device is most suited to your needs, we’ve put together the best features of each.
Laptops
Okay, so much like desktop PCs, laptops most certainly have a built-in benefit over tablet technology, and that’s their power. Generally speaking laptops have more powerful processing hardware than tablets which allows for a wider range of uses, better multi-tasking and faster performance. Laptops can handle the common tablet uses, media streaming, social networking and web browsing, but laptops go beyond that, with more complex tasks like audio and video editing.
Serious gamers rely on fast processors, graphics processing at frame rates and resolutions that tablets just can’t handle, unfortunately when it comes to serious gaming tablets can’t match the raw performance that certain laptops boast.
Now we move on to storage, tablets may have anywhere from 8GB to 128GB of storage space, generally an average laptop offer 500GB at a minimum. Then by the time you’ve included your added extras such as card slots for memory cards, optical drives for DVD and Blu-ray discs and flash drives and there is a mountain of data at the users finger tips, that just can’t be accessed on a tablet.
When it comes to productivity, laptops have the benefit of having a keyboard and mouse ready built-in. Tablets don’t offer the same level of user control that a mouse and cursor do. A physical keyboard on a laptop is an absolute must for writing longer pieces of text quickly, and a mouse and cursor are far more effective than a touch screen. These tasks are day-to-day tasks in business, so using a laptop generally means an increase in productivity.
To conclude, if you need to carry out serious word processing tasks, need compatibility to a specific device or accessory, need to multi task or need a powerful processor, then the obvious choice is a laptop. Tablets can performance some of these tasks, but for better productivity, the laptop wins.
Tablets
On the other hand we have the tablet device, now in most circumstances tablet devices are more affordable coming in at under half the price of laptop making it them the most affordable option when it comes to games, surfing the web and media. The design of the modern tablet device is very intuitive, especially when matched with touch friendly operating systems. The icon heavy features make it easier for the technology new comer to work and the process of swiping and tapping make it much easier to manage.
Tablets are often seen as a distraction-free alternative to the multitasking laptops, because although you can have some level of multitasking with apps running in the background, the full screen means generally you can only see one app at a time.
The size of the tablet device is a massive bonus, while laptops might be portable tablets are the truly mobile device. The small portable screens make them well suited to those that like to watch media on the go and their long battery life is ideal for those who are constantly on the go.
Tablet devices are based around apps, which means the user experience is tailored around the touch screen and the capabilities of a mobile device such as touch sensors, GPS data, built-in cameras and motion sensors. Apps are less expensive than PC software, and a large selection of apps are available free of charge making them the ultimate choice.
Broadcasters, retailers and movie studios are constantly developing apps and services that can be accessed via mobile devices. Therefore if you need a device that you can use for browsing the internet, updating social media, light productivity and streaming services, then the tablet device should be your number one choice!
Although there are obvious reasons to favour one device over another, here at ITC Sales we think the laptop vs tablet is a false debate. In the digital world that we think laptops and tablets devices are best used together.