I previously posted that I was going to compare the relative merits of four types of mobile PCs. It is my opinion that the distinct types of devices are evaporating as the spaces between the types are populated. Instead of distinct types we now have broad and overlapping categories populating points along a continuum of mobile device.
In this post I am going to compare the relative merits of the traditional laptop and the convertible tablet. Before I begin let me start by stating the obvious. I am speaking in general terms in this post. If I make a sweeping, general statements like “Laptops are physically bigger than convertible tablets” I fully accept that it does not apply in every case. For example there are some ultra-portable laptops. That’s fine – as I said we are dealing with broad and overlapping categories. The exceptions to sweeping statements are the overlaps.
The Laptop
Lets start looking at the traditional laptop. The laptop has been around for 20 + years and has come a whole heck of a long way. So what’s the good and bad?
Pros
The main advantages of the traditional laptop as I see them are:
· Cheaper – This is the big one. If you look at two machines that are of similar specifications and one is laptop and one is a tablet then the laptop will likely be cheaper. There are good reasons for that – well look at those later.
· Larger screen sizes available – where tablets models are pretty thin on the ground at 14” and above. By contrast laptops abound at 15” and above. If a large physical screen size is important to you then dropping back to 12-14” may be unacceptable.
· Lighter - for similar physical size and battery life a laptop will usually be lighter than a convertible. This is largely due to the engineering of the hinges – I’ll explain this later, too.
Cons
Where does the laptop fall down?
· Not as flexible – I use my tablet on a daily basis in situations where it would not be possible or practical to try and use a laptop. Flicking a convertible into slate mode simply gives you another option that you lack on a laptop. An example situation where this is handy is sitting on a train (on my train the seats are too close together to use a 15” notebook comfortably because you can’t open the screen all the way.)
· Takes up more physical room – the downside of 15”+ screens is that they make the device physically bigger. This extra size can be a limitation if you often work in situations where space is at a premium.
· The barrier effect – few people use laptops in meetings. Why? If you sit down facing someone then open a notebook you have an instant barrier between you and them. For meetings with clients this is rarely acceptable. For internal meetings it depends on the culture of the organisation. If you have to check your laptop at the door you will be reduced to capturing data on paper then at best you will double enter that data or any actions. At worst you will lose it.
The Convertible Tablet
Convertible Tablets embody device comprimise. They may not be quite as sleek and light as a their slate cousins but they also lack some of their limitations. Be sure to check back for my next post in this series pitting convertibles against slates).
Pros
Advantages of a convertible:
· Added hardware fleibility – as I aluded to earlier convertible tablets have an edge over the traditional laptop. Simply put the fact that the screen can be rotated 180 degrees and closed with the screen out gives the users another option.
· Increased software flexiblity – as the hardware offers increased flexibiltiy the tablet gives developers more options. These options include adding ink markup, inserting drawings or sketches and capturing gestures. Properly implemented these features add real power to applications.
· Additional input methods – there are additional input methods available to the tablet user. These include direct ink input, handwriting recognition and speech input.
Cons
On the down side of the convertible tablet:
· Weight – the additional engineering that goes into the swivel hinge adds a considerable amount of weight and probably a bit of cost as well.
· Cost – tablets have something that laptops don’t. A digitizer. This adds additional cost in manufacture and this cost is passed on to the consumer. All else being equal a tablet will cost more than a laptop.
When to Pay the Extra
Some use cases that will benefit from the additional flexibility include:
· Replacing analog forms with digital versions
· Users that spend lots of times in meetings. Especially if using a laptop in meetings does not gel well with the culture of the organisation.
Next up – I’ll compare the merits of Convertible Tablets and Slates.