When Moses came down from the mountain, he supposedly carried two stone tablets inscribed with the Ten Commandments. If you had waited a few thousand years, you could have had the entire Holy Bible, the Quran, the Tripitaka, the Hindu Vedas and Tantras, and the Torah, all on a mobile tablet!
Although we don't turn writing to stone these days, the miracle of the tablet computer is still undeniable. The latest results are available; Home and business users are increasingly adopting the devices as their primary mobile computing platform. So let's take a look at the evolution of the tablet computer, the various options available, and what we should expect.
In fact, I remember going to the movies in 1969 with my mom to see Stanley Kubrick's classic “2001: A Space Odyssey” and marveling at the cool gadgets like the NewsPad. This device, now more than four decades old, was an early conceptual piece that actually resembled the devices we use today. The first iteration of this early device was a tablet-style PC created by Microsoft in the early 2000s, although the real tablet explosion didn't occur until 2010.
The first tablet arrived on the market with a reasonable price and the Apple name behind it.
Thus, the iPad invaded the retail beaches and began to appear in homes around the world. The device has become the go-to choice for consumers and business users for over a year. Then, in late 2011, a phenomenon swept the consumer market when the Amazon Kindle Fire was released at an even better price and perfectly positioned for the 2011 holiday season. With consumer interest peaking, it was easy to see that the business users wouldn't be far behind.
2012 brought the expectation that companies of all shapes and sizes would incorporate tablets into everyday work environments, and some movement in that direction followed as tablet computing made sense for companies that had field employees who needed a secure and simple to enter data and perform routine tasks. However, deploying a host of Apple devices on a Windows-centric network was not an ideal solution for SMB organizations with limited IT staff, experience, or knowledge. The competition really started when Google entered the fray with the Nexus tablet aimed specifically at business.
In the second half of 2012, industry giant Microsoft made a move that changed everything. The rumor became reality in July at the Worldwide Partner Conference in Toronto when CEO Steve Ballmer announced the imminent release of the new Windows 8 operating system. This was a big change as this new operating system was driven by a touch-enabled component. .
It was obvious that Microsoft was taking a stab at the tablet market in search of a slice of an ever-growing pie, but no one expected how serious Microsoft was about getting more than a foothold. At that same event, Ballmer presented the Microsoft Surface tablet with Windows 8 and was sure to shake up the market. As Microsoft delivered a device without the traditional partnership with an OEM manufacturer, there seemed to be a sense of urgency to compete and win.
Although it took several months for the Surface to be ready for mass-market purchases, the anticipation and curiosity among Microsoft fans and detractors was palpable. When reviews started coming in, there was a wide range of opinions about the Surface's operability, ease of integration, and “cool factor.” With the Surface Pro expected to launch in early 2013, Microsoft looked ready to finally battle the iPad and Nexus for SMB supremacy.
This brings us to the inevitable question: which tablet option is best?
Well, it's not really about which tablet is the best, but rather which tablet is best suited for your needs. There are definitely some things to consider and important questions to ask when deciding on a tablet solution for your organization. Although the Apple iPad has had a head start in terms of market penetration, does that mean it's the right choice? The Google Nexus and its Android-powered siblings have the advantage of a cheap price, but do they have all the bells and whistles or the reliability to count on in commercial applications? Does Microsoft's Surface work well enough and seamlessly with business networks to justify the higher cost? Obviously, there are pros and cons to each device,
Looking first at the incumbent, Apple has created a pretty tough competitor in the iPad. Now in its fourth generation, the iPad has been embraced by children using learning apps and business users using unlimited business apps. One of the hallmarks of Apple's mindset has always been focused on ease of use, and users often report that this is one of the main reasons they are so pleased with it.
The current iPad has a retina display that consists of a 9.7-inch LED backlit multi-touch display that is almost double the size of the previous version.
A slim device at just about a third of an inch thick, the latest version also offers plenty of connectivity options. Storage size significantly affects price, from the 16GB option with Wi-Fi to the beefy 128GB option with Wi-Fi and cellular data connectivity. The iPad has an ARM-based dual core processor with quad core graphics that actually lights up the Retina display much better than the previous ASX chip. Other notable features include a fast A6X processor, improved boot time from 27 seconds to 16 seconds, and a robust selection of apps in Apple's iTunes store. It's a little heavy compared to the competition, but not dense enough to make it undesirable.
It has a nice camera complete with the preloaded FaceTime app for video calling. Currently, the iPad is the unquestionable leader in the field. and the robust selection of apps in Apple's iTunes store. It's a little heavy compared to the competition, but not dense enough to make it undesirable. It has a nice camera complete with the preloaded FaceTime app for video calling.
Currently, the iPad is the unquestionable leader in the field. and the robust selection of apps in Apple's iTunes store. It's a little heavy compared to the competition, but not dense enough to make it undesirable. It has a nice camera complete with the preloaded FaceTime app for video calling. Currently, the iPad is the unquestionable leader in the field.
The second device in the lineup is the Google Nexus 10. This device is the most popular and is widely accepted by both consumers and business users and is manufactured by leading smartphone manufacturer Samsung. The Nexus 10 gives Google a big move in the tablet space. One of the main advantages of the newest Nexus model is an economical option starting at a retail price of just $ 399.
Running the Android 4.2 “Jelly Bean” operating system and sporting a 10-inch HD Gorilla Glass display, it looks good and performs well.
Storage space ranges from 16GB to 32GB and is much smaller than the high-end iPad. The Nexus 10 takes multi-user capabilities with personalized screens and user accounts for each person and improved WiFi to great advantage. The ARM-based processor is quite fast with 2MB of RAM and the machine is thin and light. Of course, it's designed for use with Google's myriad of adjuncts with lots of downloads available from the Google Play store (not as many as the iTune store, but growing), video chats with Google Hangouts, the lean and mean Google Chrome Internet browser. and seamless integration with cloud-based Google applications. It's not yet clear whether Nexus 10 is a low-touch integration with Google Apps for Business, but it likely requires some effort to get there.
The third competitor, Microsoft Surface, entered the fray in late 2012. Surface tablets were shown off by CEO Steve Ballmer at the Toronto Partner Conference and elicited more than a few “oohs” and “aahs” at the demo.
Although the Surface was designed to take advantage of the new touch-enabled Windows 8 operating system, the initial version used the Windows RT operating system for tablets. It didn't really generate much excitement among reviewers or potential buyers, but it did give the market a taste of what was to come. In early 2013, Microsoft released the long-awaited Surface Pro with Windows 8.
While significantly more expensive than its predecessor (around US$$899 at Best Buy), the performance and features are on par with Apple's iPad. Are you curious about performance? The Surface has a 3rd generation Intel Core i5 processor, twice the RAM of the Nexus 10 at 4GB, and an Intel HD Graphics 4000 GPU. You almost feel like you're on a laptop instead of a tablet. The Surface Pro also has the largest 10.6-inch screen, but it's still very thin and light, measuring just half an inch thick and weighing just 903 grams.
Like the competition, the Surface has front and rear cameras, but it stands out with a feature called Type Cover, which protects the device and works like a keyboard for more traditional typing. Although not standard with the device, the Type Cover is an extra that will cost another US $ 130. The Surface also comes with a stylus device called the Surface Pen, which is superior in experience to both rivals.
Storage memory is also a big jump, with 64GB or 128GB available for around US$$100 more.
One downside to the 64GB model is that there's only about 23GB available for data. Another big negative point is the battery life. If you're the type of user who has multiple apps and videos running at once, you might only get about four hours of battery life. Hopefully this will be resolved in future iterations.
Another big negative point is the battery life. If you're the type of user who has multiple apps and videos running at once, you might only get about four hours of battery life. Hopefully this will be resolved in future iterations. Another big negative point is the battery life. If you're the type of user who has multiple apps and videos running at once, you might only get about four hours of battery life. Hopefully this will be resolved in future iterations.
As you can see, the competition is fierce, and frankly, I'm not going to defend any device over another, as each has its strengths and weaknesses. Your choice of tablet will depend on your budget, the apps you want to use, and how easy it is to integrate into your network environment. While I believe consumers will continue to gravitate towards the cheaper devices like the iPad and Nexus 7, there will be more than a few companies that will love the Surface for extending the Windows network for a seamless experience across all devices.
Not to mention, the ease of integration with existing applications and superior performance will also be a huge bonus. Check them all out as there are variations in user experience across different operating systems, but rest assured one thing is for sure, the tablet is not a fad. Even though we barely got a second look when the attractive female farmers delivered a prop similar to Captain Kirk in the original “Star Trek,” we now know it's a viable device and one that will only grow in popularity across all segments of the market.