Ever since the emergence of the iPad, which effectively cemented the tablet as a major technology product, tablets continue to close the gap in ability as they compete with laptops to win the attention of both casual and hardcore technology enthusiasts. But even as tablets become more advanced and adaptive, computers continue to provide unmatched power, speed, and performance. So although the tablet may be able to perform many of the same functions, the days of the laptop are not numbered.
Laptops, like the desktop PCs before them, have a built-in benefit over tablets – power. As a rule, laptops have more powerful processing hardware, allowing for a wider range of uses, faster performance and better multitasking. Laptops can easily handle common tablet uses, like Web browsing and media streaming, and then go significantly further, with uses ranging from simple data entry to complex tasks like photo and video editing. Laptops also get an edge in entertainment, while games are significant part of any app store, serious PC gaming is worlds apart from what is traditionally offered by the tablet experience.
Storage is the other major advantage over tablets. Where tablets typically boast anywhere from 16GB to 128GB of storage space, the average laptop boasts 500GB. Add in features like optical drives for DVD or Blu-ray disks, card slots for SD cards, and ports for USB connected drives, then the expansive storage capability of laptops becomes nearly unbeatable. Laptops also have the benefit of a built in keyboard and mouse, both of which are a must for serious work and multitasking. Both laptops and tablets have an ecosystem of accessories and devices around them, but laptops, with their broadly compatible USB ports, HDMI outputs, and other features, work with a universe of accessories that don’t need to be tailored to a specific device, but will work with almost any properly equipped PC.
On the other hand, considering that most laptops start at $500 and go up from there, tablets are, with few exceptions, more affordable. The only real exception to this pricing is the Windows tablet, which attempts to merge the PC operating system with the form-factor and touch screen of a tablet, where tablets running on Android and iOS can be had for less than $300, the latest Windows 8 tablets start at $400. The design of the modern tablet is also extremely intuitive, especially when paired with touch-friendly operating systems, whether it’s Windows 8, Android, or iOS.
The small size of tablets also makes them more mobile. While laptops maybe be portable, easily packed along in a laptop bag, tablets are truly mobile, tailored for use while in motion instead of sitting stationary. The smaller factor also makes the tablet as more casual device, better suited for personal media, and its small size contributes to better battery life – smaller, less powerful mobile processors are also more battery efficient. Where laptop PCs deal in software, tablets are all about apps, providing a user experience tailored to the use of a touch-screen. Apps are also generally less expensive than PC software, as there is a large selection of apps completely free.
If your daily computer use revolves around the internet and social media, streaming services like Spotify and Netflix, and only light productivity, then you may be able to make do with a tablet alone.
With all the laptop-versus-tablet debate, it’s worth noting that companies are hard at work to bring you the best of both worlds. Intel has spent a considerable amount of time and money promoting an array of two-in-one devices, with small laptops with detachable tablets, like the HP Envy X2 or the Lenovo ThinkPad Helix, and convertible designs that flip and fold between the two like the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga or the Dell XPS. These laptop/tablet hybrids are made to close the gap between laptop capabilities and tablet convenience, and the new hybrid category will only get better over time as technologies improve and designs are refined.
Overall, the decision between tablet and laptop is a decision between form and functionality. While the technological gap between the two is closing, style and intended purpose remain deciding factors in purchasing either of the two. In a generation of fervent media consumption, current trends point towards the tablet as the all-encompassing media access device in a world where convenience and integration form the basis of product popularity. However, the laptop remains a modern necessity for practical and work related endeavors. So it may be the hybrid of the two, that in the coming years conquers the market and settles debates.
