Will Tablets replace Laptops and Desktops?

People keep questioning the value of a Tablet or an iPad. It keeps getting called a "consumption" device that is not adequate for actual work. I beg to differ.

During the unveiling of the new iPad, Apple took great pains to showcase the kind of creation one can do with the device. Its processing power is quite impressive and much more than what the PCs of even a few years ago had. The only thing lacking in my opinion are the Apps. And that will come in time.

Most people use the PCs at work to type out emails, word documents, create spreadsheets and presentations. While typing on the iPad is not the same as on a keyboard, it is doable. With stuff like Swype it becomes much faster. But with a Siri-like dictation App that the iPad is going to have, it becomes a non-issue. You simply touch the screen to indicate where you want to type and dictate. It will become much more easier to create documents and spreadsheets and presentations because the interface will be so much more natural.

Plus with predictive text input advancing rapidly, even typing software code that programmers must do as part of their daily jobs will become much more efficient. Everyone can talk faster than they can type. It is simply a matter of having a system that can understand and react to that speech without too many errors. And I think we are getting there.

For people that perform very fine creative work with their computers where the precision of the mouse pointer is key, the finger touch input is definitely going to be lacking. But again, for those applications, we can have custom touch enabled "pens". This will definitely be a much smaller market so these pens need not be standard equipment. Since the surface you are "writing" or "drawing" on can be readily zoomed in or out, you do not need pens of different thicknesses. Need a much finer input for greater precision? Just zoom in and do the work. Want to simply doodle on a blank page ... zoom out and have fun.

All the PC and laptop manufacturers continue to claim that the iPad or tablets are not a competition. Maybe they are just being an ostrich and avoid the writing on the wall. These devices will take over the everyday workplace. It is simply a matter of the applications being ready to handle the new platforms. Sure there will be specialized applications where a desktop will be necessary just like there are places where mainframes and huge rack mounted servers are used today. But for the everyday user, their tablet will suffice.