The question for many people isn't which tablet they should buy, but whether to buy a tablet or a laptop. Tablets are capable of many tasks that were previously only possible with a laptop or PC. But that doesn’t necessarily mean laptops are obsolete. There are still limitations to what you can do with a tablet.
We explain the pros and cons of both
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The obvious difference is that all laptops have a physical keyboard. Typing long documents is easier and more comfortable on real keys, rather than tapping away at a screen for extended periods. However, it's possible to buy keyboards for tablets, too. You can use a Bluetooth keyboard with the iPad (Scosche, for example, produces the KeyPad P2 shown below), and some Android tablets such as the Asus Transformer have an optional keyboard with a second battery built in.
Tablets can't compete with laptops on storage, though. Most laptops have hard disks with capacities around ten times larger than a tablet's memory. With a tablet, you'll have to be choosy about which photos, videos, music and documents you store locally. The rest has to be stored online, or on a PC or laptop.
Sometimes, tablets can be tripped up by small things such as drop-down boxes or other controls on web pages which are fiddly to use with a touch-sensitive display. In general, some websites work better on a laptop, such as personal banking and online shopping, since these sites make heavy use of Javascript. If a website uses Flash, a laptop’s browser won’t have any problem displaying the content, but you’ll run into issues with an iPad (see below). You may be fortunate and find an app which takes care of your banking or shopping, but on other occasions the only way to get something done is to resort to a laptop.
Printing documents is easier on a laptop too, as it’s closely tied to the operating system and works with a wider range of software. Printing is still possible from a tablet, but it isn’t as easy or versatile.
Of course, few laptops can match the portability and long battery life that most tablets offer. While a laptop might be too bulky to take on holiday, a tablet adds little weight to your hand luggage, and is ideal when the in-flight entertainment isn’t very good.
Ultimately, laptops and tablets are complementary devices: it's not a case of one or the other. Each has its strengths and weaknesses and is suitable for different tasks. Manufacturers are certain to come up with new ways to make data even more device independent than it currently is, with elaborate docking stations for keyboards and additional storage, and online services that mean you never have to consider which device you’ll need to carry with you. It’s still early days for tablets, and while they haven’t yet made laptops redundant, this might not remain true forever.
See also: Which is the best tablet: iPad, Android or BlackBerry?
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Comments
Matt Egan said: Thats what youre doing right now Tonycaan
Tonycaan said: i learn more from real people commentaries than the magazine professionals they should give more portion to common people advising thankks public
IT MAN said: Laptop gt Tablet Laptops are way better than tablets For EVERYTHING Storage gaming typing working applications surfing the web Tablets are just a fad Tablets are just a weak limited laptop with a touchscreen
Vidfletch2001 said: Tablets are awful Limited to surfing the net and playing games Anything else is compromised Apps are way over hyped An App is just a program the same as they have been for PCs and laptops for years No one ever waxed lyrical about them The lack of peripherals and connectivity on tablets is a major shortcoming Very few people travel about with their devices as personal security and theft is such an issue They use them at home so they might as well use a laptop or a PC Android and iOs etc are far more suited to mobiles as they are far more portable smaller and less likely to be damaged
Matt Egan said: If youre PC Advisor its all of them We have multiple sites for different devices and more mobile and tablet apps than I can name off the top of my head and we are planning more In a diverse world our focus has to be on creating content people need then publishing it wherever the audience is
Mike said: I believe the point is well made that contrary to the impression given by the title of the article the two types of devices are generally more complementary than alternatives to each other A combo device as illustrated is a nice idea but is likely to fail to be very good at being either a laptop or tablet Following on from the discussion in the article I think a lot of website designers are going to have to decide if their principal audience is desktoplaptop or tabletsmartphone
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