Importance of Tablets in Mobile Computing

Revolutionize Your Business With Generative AI

From product design and software development to virtual agents, content creation, and reporting, GenAI is transforming business. Our AI experts help you unlock GenAI’s full potential and drive growth.

Let’s Get Started

A new mobile developer survey has come out and pundits everywhere are trying to decipher and give their insight into who is up and who is down in the mobile development space. What caught my eye was one of the bullet points that focused on tablets:
While 71% of developers are very interested in Android as a tablet OS, only 52% are very interested in one of the leading Android tablet devices today, the Samsung Galaxy Tab. Further down the list, only 44% are very interested in the Motorola Xoom and 31% in the upcoming HTC Flyer. Smaller players (Acer, Archos, etc.) register minimal interest. In short, the promise of an Android tablet is appealing, but the reality of currently, or soon-to-be, shipping devices is disappointing to developers.
If I am an independent developer, I am looking for the widest possible market for the applications I create and that would include both the smartphone and tablet markets. With Apple releasing their iPad2, they have created a powerful secondary market for a developer’s iOS applications that at this point Android cannot provide with Android-based tablets playing catch-up at best.
This highlights a critical point which is that the importance of tablets in mobile computing cannot be underestimated. As a matter of fact, Gartner has cut 2011 PC sales forecast by 5% due to the rise of tablet sales.  In addition, the article stated: “Even in business PC markets—which Gartner expects to continue to see double-digit growth—some users are considering tablets instead of PCs”. A lack of focus on tablets has cost at least one CEO his position (AMD’s Dirk Meyer) and rumors constantly swirl that Microsoft’s dismal showing in this area could ultimately cost Steve Ballmer his position. As a leading information technology management consulting firm that prides itself as “experts in designing, building and delivering business-driven technology solutions”, it would behoove us to increase our focus on a platform that is forecasted to be a primary device for enterprise users within three to five years (IBM).