Neeraj Dubey
In today’s world, due to the advancement in technology and change in human’s lifestyle the craze of PC-Tablets among people especially among youths is increasing tremendously day by day. Before 2010, we were not really clear about the concept of the PC Tablet. Every computer manufacturer and software company in the world has their own definition of the ‘Tablet’ which lead to the many different types of Tablets engineered and produced by these companies. But none of them really sums up the general concept of the tablet, until the release of Apple’s iPad. The iPad was so successful that most IT companies were driven to create products that are similar to it in order to openly compete in the tablet market, finally solidifying the concept that embodies the ‘tablet’. Now, the tablet essentially allows a user to access information instantly, interact and share data from almost anywhere, onto the Web. There seem to be aggressive competition among the tablet-makers since Apple’s release of the iPad in 2010. In the same year, we saw the advent of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab. Both Apple and Samsung have since then released the successors – the iPad-2 and Galaxy Tab 10.1. This was in the midst of the entry of the Motorola Xoom, Blackberry Playbook and Toshiba tablet. The entire IT industry seems to be shifting its main focus from developing PCs to the Tablet. It seems to me that tablets have become a new category itself, just as how we distinguish Smartphones from Laptops and Desktops. If you want to position tablets into this group, it probably falls between smartphones and laptops. With the portability of a smartphone but the functionality of a laptop, tablets seem to serve users with top-notch on-the-go entertainment. The tablet screen is large enough to enjoy a movie on, yet the tablets are light enough for you to carry around. So, why the sudden craze? As more and more things become available 24/7, our lifestyles are also evolving along with it. We want entertainment here and now. What’s more, with our increasingly hectic and erratic working hours, it’s no wonder that we will try to squeeze the most out of the remaining time we have left while we’re travelling, or waiting for something. There’s always time for a quick game or show to perk us up. Entertainment aside, one benefit of the tablet is the option for a good sketching, either with a good stylus pen or just with your fingers. In other words, it can afford the user more artistic freedom than the standard laptops can. Smart phones are pretty limiting due to its screen size, which fundamentally rules out the possibility of drafting and other similar activities. Tablets are also great tools to jot down any ad hoc detail or idea, and they allow the user to share almost anything instantly without reproducing the text, photo or picture, making it a very convenient tool for designers.
In terms of organizational capabilities, tablets make it easier for you to manage your life: your finances, schedules, reviews, etc. Again, Smartphone’s are absolutely restricting in that sense due to its screen size, although they are great in providing useful reminders for your daily chores. There’s a right tool for every task, and tablets are definitely something great to fiddle around with while on the move. Yet, this technology lives and dies according to public demand, which in turn, is determined by lifestyle trends. They are here to stay, simply because. Smartphone’s did fulfill that purpose by allowing us to connect and access information everywhere we go, but they lack interactivity.
The tablets are made popular due to their interactivity and portability to cater to a generation of on-the-move users. Who knows what new technology would emerge as our lifestyle continues changing with the times?
(The author is Sr. Asstt. Professor GCET-Jammu (J&K)
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