Should I Buy a Tablet?

One of the questions I've been hearing a lot of lately is "should I buy a tablet?" And that is a good question.  With all the marketing and hype that has been occurring as of late you would almost think that you need to buy a tablet.  Welcome to the beauty that is capitalism.  But before you run off to your local Best Buy and drop five to six hundred dollars on one of these puppies, let's entertain some caution first shall we?

In case you've been in a coma or trapped in cave for last year or so let's quickly talk about what a tablet is.  Basically a tablet refers to a computing device that is a single panel screen with no keyboard, much like what you seen in the picture to the left.  It's not quite a PC, most of these tablets run on similar operating systems that newer smart phones use such as Android or iOS (Apple).  These operating systems are usually beefed up a bit so that they're optimized for the tablet interface.  There are tablet looking PC's that run Windows 7, but these are really classified as a "tablet PC" , and are usually larger and thicker than your regular tablet.

As I see it there are two possible scenarios when you're looking at buying a tablet.  One, you already have a computer, and two, you don't.  With the former the question becomes "what does a tablet offer that my computer doesn't?"  And with the later the question is"Can I buy a tablet instead of a computer?"

For those of us with PC's already the question is, "what am I going to use a tablet for?"  Well tablets do offer some interesting portability options.  They're generally smaller and easier to carry around with you than a laptop.  They offer excellent media play back options for watching videos while on the bus, or in a plane.  They can really be excellent for presentations such as showing off photos, or business presentations.  They provide great Internet browsing capability as well thanks to their larger screen. And lastly, since they are based on the same operating systems that smart phones are based on, you can download your favorite smart phone apps for use on them.

Here's my opinion for people who own a PC already.  If you have a desktop PC but lack a laptop or netbook, and all you're looking for is something that can browse the Internet, check your e-mail, and watch a video or two, a tablet is a great option.  You can meet your portable media needs, and if you do need to do some more computer oriented type tasks (like burning a DVD or using a piece of accounting software for example) you have your desktop to use.  However, if you already have a laptop it's a harder sell.  Aside from running smart phone apps, a laptop can do everything a tablet can, and some of the smaller form laptops available today are very portable. In this case a tablet isn't really worth it unless you need it for a very specific purpose like business presentations, or because your current laptop is too bulky for the bus. I would ask yourself if there is really a situation where your new tablet could do something your laptop couldn't.  

If you don't own a PC already, is it possible for a laptop to function as a computer replacement?  That depends.  Tablets operating systems like Android and iOS lack full fledged application support.  So really unless you're a very light computer user who really is only concerned about Internet browsing and media playback, a tablet will leave you feeling frustrated when you need it to do something it can't.  File sharing and printing is much harder on a tablet than a PC for example.  And if you're thinking about replacing your business laptop with a tablet, it just won't have the networking capabilities you will need.

I'm not knocking tablets, but honestly they aren't PC replacements.  And if you're looking for a logical, useful reason to buy one at the moment it just might not be in the cards, especially if you already have a good portable laptop you can use.  But then again, we don't always buy things because it can fill a practical role in our lives.  Tablets look sexy, and are fun to play with.  And many a consumer won't buy one because it's practical, they'll buy it because it's freaking cool.  I call this "Raccoon Syndrome", if it's shiny and new they want it.

But for those practical people out there sitting on the fence as Christmas approaches, I hope this blog will help you decide.  Happy holidays!