If you want portable computing power, your options include laptops,
tablets, netbooks and ultrabooks. Since the iPad debuted in 2010, tablets have
sold so well that tech analysts speculate that they may eventually kill the
laptop market. Tablets offer users a lighter, smaller and more portable
platform than laptops, along with a bigger screen than a smartphone, but can't
yet do everything laptops can do.
1. Physical Features
o Laptop
computer screens ranging from 10.6 to 20 inches diagonally, whereas most
tablets have screens of either 9.7 or 7 inches. Netbooks are small, low-cost
laptops with 7- to 10-inch screens, and ultrabooks are expensive, upscale
laptops. Battery life -- including netbooks and ultrabooks -- ranges from seven
hours down to 90 minutes, depending on model, while tablets run for eight to 10
hours
before needing a recharge. Some tablets, such as the iPad 2, lack ports
for flash drives and other portable memory, which makes backing up data harder.
Tablets and laptops are Wi-Fi enabled, but many tablets can access the same
3G/4G networks as smartphones to connect to the Internet when there's no Wi-Fi.User Interface
o Laptops
have an interface that allows you to open multiple windows for single or
multiple programs, while the user interface on a tablet or smartphone fills the
screen with one app at a time, though designers are working to change that.
Instead of employing a keyboard, mouse or trackpad, you control a tablet
through a touchscreen interface, which 21 percent of tablet users say makes it
worth choosing over a laptop, according to the Nielsen Company. The touchscreen
keyboard is smaller than a laptop's keyboard, however, and touch-typists
typically find their speed drops when using it.
Tablet Uses
o A
2010 survey by NPD Group reported that the top uses for the iPad were Web
surfing, email and playing games. Early adopters -- tech enthusiasts who bought
iPads shortly after their debut -- made heavier use of online video than later
adopters. A 2011 Nielsen survey found that 40 percent of tablet owners use them
while watching TV, primarily to check email. Tablets also are popular as
e-readers: In another 2011 survey, 27 percent of individuals who owned both
devices said they used their e-readers less or not at all since buying a
tablet.
Comparisons
o If
you read e-books, tablets provide a better reading experience than laptops.
When you work on a large image or a lengthy document, a laptop screen gives you
more workspace, and a mouse or trackpad allows more precise manipulation of
what's on your screen. Tablets also can't multitask as effectively as laptops,
and their software isn't as powerful or as effective. You can use a tablet,
however, in many places where you can't find a surface on which to rest a
laptop.
Considerations and Costs
o Tablets
sell for as little as $100, but visual quality is poor and many require a
stylus for the touchscreen. Prices for quality brands vary depending on the
vendor, but as of December 2011, CNet found the best tablets cost between $600
and $700, and Microsoft announced that its Windows 8 tablets will sell for $600
to $900. Laptop prices range from about $300 for a netbook to $1,600 for a
MacBook Air with a 16-inch screen. If you want 3G/4G service, you'll need to
sign up for a data plan, typically with a two-year contract, which also commits
you to a single service provider. If you use more than one platform -- a
laptop, a smartphone and a tablet, for instance -- you also need a method to
synchronize your calendar contact lists and other data so that it's the same on
all devices. Google's Gmail, for example, syncs contact lists automatically for
Android.
