Tablet computing - still on

It's always the way, one minute the future is clear - the next it's not.  The predictions don't come true. The hype evaporates.

So it has been with tablet computing.  When the iPad launched, it was one of the most successful consumer electronics launches in history.  Sales were rapid. The late Steve Jobs declared they were ushering in the era of Post-PC computing.  IDC and Gartner both predicted that by 2015/16, we'd see tablet sales overtake PC sales.

Still further, we saw the 'consumerisation of IT'.  Droves of users were desperate to get their tablets onto the corporate network.  'Bring Your Own Device' was looking like it would simply have to be all the rage (whether the IT department wanted it or not).  Android tablets rose up, Microsoft scrambled for a strategy (and some would argue failed with Windows 8).

How times have changed.  Tablet sales have slowed - fallen even.  The poster child of the tablet revolution -the iPad- has now suffered under six straight quarters of falling sales -not slowing growth- but falling sales.

On the corporate network, we don't see the BYOD revolution taking place. At least not universally.  Some businesses have of course embraced tablets - but most have remained cautious.

Traditional PC sales haven't dropped off.  They haven't grown either (we've seen things pretty flat lately).  What we have seen is the steady rise of the hybrid laptops.  Once shunned as a poor mash up - neither tablet nor laptop, they are now seen as the products that offer more choice.  Windows is back - and Microsoft looks like they'll be in the right place at the right time when Windows 10 arrives next month.

Tablets just don't offer the power of a full PC, so we've seen many -particularly in business- look towards these hybrid devices to offer them an easier step into the world of touch.  A device that can still given us full Windows, but also maybe offer a bit of tablet goodness if we want to try it.  That's not a bad thing, that's the right compromise.

Even Apple seem to recognise this.  One could argue that the new MacBook throws the best of tablets into a laptop package.  Super thin and light, fast to wake up and work (thanks to flash storage), a single connector for charging and peripherals.  OK there's no touch - but Apple just don't do that on their Mac systems. Nevertheless - it's clearly a laptop for those who want a tablet that runs 'full software'.

Is this the new normal though?  Does this mean it's over for tablets? Or are we simply arriving at a position that -really- was pretty obvious if you think about it.  We were never going to all ditch PCs and rush to tablets overnight, their adoption was always going to be a surge start with a slow burn over the long term.

For home users, they can be a great first computing device for those who've never had a PC before (although it still takes a lot to convince those people that they need this sort of technology at all). For everyone else - figuring out where a tablet fits in as a companion device is harder.

Figuring it out though - is essential.

Caution is fine - but there is such a thing as being too cautious.  You ignore the productivity benefits of tablet technology at your own peril.  It's not right for everyone - but that's kind of the point. We've now got more choices than ever before about how we ensure people can get stuff done - tablets should be part of the choice matrix when evaluating who needs what.

These choices might very well boil down to some pretty superficial elements.  Where is it being used? Is the device easy to handle? Is it better than balancing a laptop on your knees?

That may sound silly - but the point is we get to make people happier in the manner that they achieve their goals, and hopefully, help them become more productive.  This productivity requires a few other requirements to be satisfied, and questions about what work a person is doing, what software they need, and whether that software is pervasively available (for example, in the cloud) are bound to arise.

Through careful evaluation, we can determine the best technology across the whole business, and we can finally tailor the equipment used in more ways than ever before.  It's not a case of justifying tablets for the sake of it - it's simply that tablets are now subject to the same justification as any other device you may select. Just be sure they are on the shortlist, otherwise you may still be missing out.