Which Device Is More Important?

Jeniffer writes in regards to our article What’s The Difference Between Laptops, Tablets & iPads: 

So if  laptops and Ipads are the same,  which one is more important? iPads, desktops or laptops?

In the article you mention, I discuss  the differences between tablets, desktops and PCs.  But which is more important? Important is a relative term. All of these devices are computers and all of these devices are important in their own way.

Desktops are still very important to businesses and to home users that need a whole lot of computing power for heavy duty video and graphics tasks. You can pack as much power as you need into a desktop tower and also have the option of larger monitors or even two large monitors if you need them.   And you do need a fully-fledged PC to run many important productivity programs.

Laptops are important to many home and business users. They can pack a lot of computing power, are fairly portable and many people want the convenience of a large keyboard if they need to do some typing. I own both a laptop and a tablet and have found that even on programs where there is both a PC program and a tablet version of the app, there are some functions that I can only perform on the PC.  Another advantage of Laptops and PCs is that there is still a fair amount of work you can do on them without being connected to the Internet.

The booming popularity of tablets has changed the face of personal computing in the past few years. Now everyone from little kids to grandparents can carry around a personal computer that’s small enough to carry in one hand. To a growing number of home users, especially younger ones, tablets are very important. Schools issue them to students for homework and because they can hold an unlimited number of eBooks. They use them for communicating via social media and playing games, so to tablet users those devices are extremely important. Tablets have been slower to catch on in the workplace, but companies are making efforts to come up with apps to serve businesses. You’ll notice restaurants using tablets to take orders and medical offices using them to take notes.

iPads are very important, because they kicked off the tablet revolution. If it wasn’t for the popularity of that expensive iPad, you wouldn’t see $50 Android tablets for sale. I would also like to include Smartphones among tablets, because they really are just small tablets that can connect via 4G and have an app that makes phone calls.  I use my smartphone for phone calls, texts, Facebook, surfing the Internet, taking and editing photographs and even writing. They are incredibly important to home and business users.

The importance of the device depends on the user. I’m likely to have a panic attack if I’m separated from my phone, but there are some tasks I can’t accomplish without my PC. In the future, you’ll see more and more functions merging into portable devices, so the distinction between them will blur.

One of Microsoft’s goals with Windows 10 is to have the same operating system on phones, tablets and PCs, so users can move seamlessly between the devices. Computing is moving towards a time when your information and programs are stored in a cloud environment that you access via a desktop terminal, laptop device, tablet or phone depending on which is more convenient.

All of these devices are important. Which device is more important to you depends on your needs.

~ Cynthia