The tablet personal computer (tablet pc) actually began as a concept by Microsoft in 2000. It was basically a portable personal computer running a modified version of the Windows operating system and having a touchscreen as its primary input device. The Microsoft concept failed to catch on because of many issues including size and weight, battery-life, lack of efficient input devices such as physical keyboards and mice, and a very limited market.
All of that changed in April of 2010 when Apple Computers introduced the iPad tablet, thus beginning the Tablet Revolution. Spurred by a wide-spread acceptance among both consumers and enterprises, the tablet, and particularly the iPad, is enjoying unheard-of success. Tablet adoption is occurring at a historically faster pace than devices such as cell-phones/smartphones, mp3 players, game consoles, and DVD players. Much of this has been driven by the demands of today’s mobile society. People are no longer satisfied with having their computer world locked to a specific physical location such as an office or home. Instead, they are demanding real-time access to content, the Internet, media tools, and other resources from virtually anywhere.
Why has the tablet been so universally accepted? Because of ongoing technological advances, users can now use tablets to do many of the same things that only a PC could do in the past. Today’s tablet comes with an elegant user interface, uses quality components, has longer battery lives, enjoys extensive functionality, has a very reasonable price point, and adds the mobility component that has become a part of the daily lives of so many users.
In a very short period of time, the tablet market has skyrocketed. Growth in this market is expected to increase much faster than other computing segments. According to Infinite Research estimates, tablet computer shipments will increase from 16.1 million units in 2010 to 147.2 million units in 2015. This represents a compound annual growth rate of 56%.
With the advanced technology now available in the tablet, and a more mobile workforce, tablets look like a good bet to capture a significant part of the mobile technology market going forward. What is your money on?
