Tablets to out-sell notebooks this year, reckons tech prophet

but

Laptops were supposed to be dead and buried by now, according to the same kind of report this time last year.

Well the original ipad didn't catch on - all I remember was vast amounts of media hype even before its release about how everyone would be using one, but it turned out to be a bit of a wet blanket, with most people sticking with laptops at home, or (mainly Android) phones as their mobile device. It was only 2 or so years later that they became more mainstream, which wasn't the original ipad, and also along with Android tablets.

And actually yes, I'm sure people are still asking for what they're for, and I'm not sure those who have them can tell us. Just because something sells doesn't mean you can't criticise - you only have to look at the criticisms against Windows on here...

If tablets were so obviously the future, why didn't we get the media coverage from the first Android tablets, actually released around or before Apple's first release?

Will tablets follow the monitor and notebook trend and become closer to 'full screen' without the huge borders?

I hope not, I have a Nook Tablet and I really like the fact it has a nice grippable border around the screen because otherwise how would you hold it without touching the screen and accidentally triggering events?

I like my tablet because it's a fun toy for games, streaming video from shared PC folders and occasionally browsing the web - but it will never replace my main PC or my netbooks & laptop, especially as tablets are geared towards singletasking whilst PCs are good for multitasking.

Even if all I want to do is post to Facebook or watch videos, a small laptop (or any laptop) is better - I can type easier, and I can just leave it on my lap, rather than awkwardly having to hold it (and the keyboard/stand extensions only seem to work well on a flat surface). And I know I'm not the only one.

I can understand mobile phones being more popular than laptops because everyone has one (where as some laptops may be shared in a family), and people upgrade more often with contracts. I can see that tablets may become more popular when the price is much cheaper (which could be feasible due to fewer parts - no keyboard, etc.)

But I am genuinely confused at the idea that most people would be spending more money on a product that doesn't have advantages, and is often less suitable. I wonder how much is through choice, or people not realising there are alternatives - the media do nothing but harp on about ipads all the time, and in the last couple of months, I've lost track of the number of adverts trying to show people using ipads, even though most people would use laptops or a Android smartphone, both of which more convenient. Meanwhile we have hardly any marketing for low end laptops; and netbooks are being discontinued to make way for only tablets or more expensive ultra-portables.

Whilst I have no interest in ChromeOS, I note it's the only attempt these days to market a low end low cost laptop, so I wish Google good luck.

"I see PCs/laptops returning to the early to mid 90s phase of a device to do useful work on."

Yes, even if this does happen, it's not the death of the PC, as the media love to claim. The 2000s saw a massive growth in consumer PCs for casual use - even if that died down a bit, that doesn't mean no one will be using them.

I also think that tablets face the same risk that netbooks did - once a large growth area as people wanted low cost portable devices, but a few years later, everyone who wants one will have one, and there's no reason to upgrade. For manufacturers, there'll be little profit due to a price war and race to the bottom (already starting to see this), so eventually they'll all cut support, and switch to whatever the next thing with higher profit margins is.

Re: 7 inch tablet is the PC of the future

7 inches is definitely more portable but in reality I'd rather use my full size iPad than my wife's iPad Mini - for what I do. She has it to replace a Kindle so for her it's perfect.

Re: 7 inch tablet is the PC of the future

How well does the Nexus 7 work with the keyboard/touchpad on your lap?

What if you want a larger screens - I know wireless casting is coming which could be one solution, but I'm not sure there are options available yet. 7" is fine for casual browsing, but anything from playing games, watching videos to editing code all work so much better on my 17".

Not a criticism against the Nexus 7 - but whilst I think 7" is great for a tablet size, I don't think it's a replacement for laptops.

Re: Who'd've thunk it?

I still have a Touchpad from the fire sale.

For a while, HP was the number 1 non-Apple tablet seller!