The idea behind this article was simple: get feedback and opinions from CIO staff on new tablet vs. traditional tablets.
It was clear with the first few responses that there was some confusion about what constituted a 'new' tablet and a 'legacy' tablet.This confusion turned into out right madness and the emails started flying.
We were finally able to come up with the below definitions which helped clarify the purpose of this informal survey.
New Tablets: Apple iPad, Motorola Xoom, Asus Transformer, etc.
Traditional Tablets: Fujitsu Lifebook, HP Touchsmart, Lenovo Thinkpad, etc.
Here is what some of our staff had to say:
Nick Picon: I am still having trouble finding a good reason to own a tablet regardless of the manufacturer. My smart phone can do everything the IPAD can do. I am in no hurry to own any tablet at this time.
Chase Christian: Maybe one day, thousands of years into the future, after our grandchildren's grandchildren are long-forgotten, after the Sun is extinguished and the Earth descends into the second Ice Age, Windows tablets could be worth buying over an iPad. Maybe.
Eric Engmyr: If you only want to play games, watch movies and download apps you should buy an iPad (new tablet).If you want to actually get some work done and do everything the silly iPad can do plus more, buy a traditional tablet.
Here are some of the reasons a traditional tablet is a better device especially if you actually need to get some work done:
- Traditional tablets have a real built-in keyboard and a mouse/pen input
- The screen on a traditional tablet is usually about 12" or more. The iPad's screen is only 9.7".
- Traditional tablets allow you to run all the applications that you are use to directly on the computer and most importantly, interact with those applications like you have for years.
- Traditional tablets have batteries that are User accessible and replacable.
- Printing from traditional tablets is easy, not like on an iPad. Maybe they have an app for that.
Sean Gill: New tablets are not meant for work. New tablets are good for surfing the internet, answering email, watching videos and the like. That's what they do. They are instant-on devices that give you quick access to Internet or Apps. If you really need to do work - break out the laptop.
Jeff Ford: Basically all new tablets (touch screen tablets) are nothing more than physically larger smart phones without the phone functionality.
I have yet to see a traditional tablet which stands up to the test of time. They never last longer than 18 months and they cost significantly more when it comes to performance per dollar spent. In short, unless you NEED a tablet.... don't buy one.
Michael Biancone: I used a friend's iPad once ... it was cool. I wouldn't mind having one.
Mike Shinn: I have yet to see anyone use their iPad for business purposes other than proving "see, it can be done!" Mostly I have seen people show me how cool it is and play Angry Birds. It's a cool device, that is for sure, but I've yet to see it used regularly by anyone for business purposes.
David Ashamalla: None of us are in a position to see users actually using a Tablet (traditional or new) for day to day work. Airlines are now giving iPads to Pilots with their complete documentation pre-loaded. This replaces a briefcase full of papers, and, has the added benefit of being searchable. New tablets are great "single purpose" devices like this.
Ryan Popke: The new ASUS Transformer is one of the early steps in the evolution of the tablet.
With improved Windows 8 support we may see a shift to business-style tablets in the near future. The traditional tablet market will have to evolve to keep up.
In recent history the word Datacenter has become as prevalent as the word Cloud and to some, it creates similar confusion. An accepted definition of a datacenter is the following: a datacenter is a facility used to house computer systems and associated components, such as telecommunications and storage systems. It generally includes redundant or backup power supplies, redundant data communications connections, environmental controls (e.g., air conditioning, fire suppression) and security devices (from Wikipedia).
