Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Rebooting the PC industry: Tablets force a shift

Tablet PCs are forcing a major re-thinking in the computer industry. People already own more than one PC, and they are increasingly likely to buy a tablet, often an iPad, rather than a regular PC. Goldman Sachs calls tablets "one of the most disruptive forces in computing in nearly three decades. It predicts that as many as 21 million people will buy tablets instead of laptops this year, jumping to 26.5 million next year." Disruptive? Only if you are stuck in your ways. I believe we need more innovation, not less. For example, I wonder why solid state drives don't occupy a larger market share than they do. For me portability is a key. Even most laptops are too heavy. Try traveling with a 7 or 8 pound laptop and see how your shoulder feels. Recently I gave away an older laptop (or boat anchor) and purchased a light-weight Toshiba Portege.

I also like the idea of touch-screens. Let's move away from traditional keyboards. What about voice recognition? Everything ought to be wireless. Get rid of all these damn wires.

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