Laptops or Tablets?

[animaguy]

I have always liked using laptops. I have never owned a tablet or ipad.

I wanted to know from those of you who have experience with both, waht are the differences? What are the pros and cons of both? Does anyone own and use both? Are there ways to hook up a traditional qwerty and mouse to a tablet? Can tablets connect to the internet anywhere like a smartphone can? What things can you do with a tablet that you can't do with a laptop? What things can you do with a laptop that you can't do with a tablet?

 

[dagamer34]

Windows 8 makes this line so blurry that it'll be hard to distinguish between the two. I mean, take a look at the HP Envy x2 recently announced at IFA. You'd think it was an ultrabook when you first looked at it, but when someone detached the screen, you'd swear there was some voodoo magic going on. That hybrid has such perfect synergy between tablet and laptop that I am thoroughly convinced that all laptops between 10-12" in size will have detachable screens in the next 2 years (and Intel's next CPU generation helps immensely in this area).

Sit back and wait. Prepare to be amazed. The computer market will not be the same.

HP Envy x2:
1) http://www.theverge.com/2012/8/30/3278326/hp-envy-x2-hands-on
2) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q73dm81DNKY

 

[Dominato3r]

I think there's a quote from an MS blog saying that they expect most laptop (maybe all PCs even) shipments in 2013 to support 10 point touch. So yea, the line is definitely going to be blurred.

And I hadn't even seen that HP model, damn that thing looks nice.

 

[mammador]

Both are for different market segments. One is not better than the other.

Despite it being almost two years since the iPad came out, I've never really felt the need for one.

 

[xSauronx]

Both are for different market segments. One is not better than the other.

Despite it being almost two years since the iPad came out, I've never really felt the need for one.

I work in IT and in recent months have found a tablet tremendously convenient for work, and fairly convenient and fun for home.

I'm at a point where if someone asks me what laptop to get, I ask if they need it to work or just goof around and check email. If you dont need to work seriously....get a tablet. They are way easier to carry around and use quickly than any laptop. ill do short emails, minor document editing, tech document reading and such and love having a tablet for work. It's convenient at home just for mobility, games, blah blah, and instead of a portable dvd player for the kids...i just throw movies on the tablet.

 

[psych2]

I agree different uses, I usually have my laptop more stationary at work because of it's bulk, weight and battery capacity. I carry my Transformer Infinity everywhere, gets the job done and the battery life with dock blows everything else out of the water.

 

[mammador]

I work in IT and in recent months have found a tablet tremendously convenient for work, and fairly convenient and fun for home.

I'm at a point where if someone asks me what laptop to get, I ask if they need it to work or just goof around and check email. If you dont need to work seriously....get a tablet. They are way easier to carry around and use quickly than any laptop. ill do short emails, minor document editing, tech document reading and such and love having a tablet for work. It's convenient at home just for mobility, games, blah blah, and instead of a portable dvd player for the kids...i just throw movies on the tablet.

So? do you want a medal?

 

[xSauronx]

So? do you want a medal?

yeah, or a beej. you offering?

 

[Eug]

For me:

9-10" tablet: Too big.
7" tablet: Perfect.

10" laptop: Too small.
13" laptop: Perfect.

Ironically, my 7" tablet (Nexus 7) and 13" laptop (MacBook Pro) both have the exact same 1280x800 resolution.

They're used differently. I hate holding up a 10" iPad on the couch, but a 7" at just over half the weight is much more enjoyable on the couch. The 10" iPad is not great for productivity apps, but the 13" laptop is. Also, the lack of a keyboard on a tablet makes some usage painful, and you can't put a proper keyboard in a 10" laptop.

 

[mammador]

yeah, or a beej. you offering?

Your point had no relevance to mine, hence my "so?" i don't know you, nor care about your personal life.

 

[smartpatrol]

After getting an iPad, I've found I have no real need for a laptop PC. After that, I never took my laptop with me anywhere. It just stayed in one place on my desk at home. I ended up replacing my laptop with a desktop (iMac) and haven't missed it one bit.

If portability is very important to you, and if you mostly just do basic tasks like web surfing, Netflix, Youtube, gaming, checking email, Yelp, Skype, Google Maps, etc. I'd highly recommend a tablet. You can even use a bluetooth keyboard with pretty much any tablet out there. You'll have to pay more for 3G/4G internet, but you can get free wifi at any hotel in the world, as well as at many coffee shops/restaurants/airports etc.

 

[Eug]

After getting an iPad, I found I have no need for an iPad. I believe some of the AnandTech writers (including The Boss) were in the same boat.

However, that changed with the 7" size. I have much more use for a 7" tablet than a 10" one.

As for the laptop, I often have to do work in Office and stuff like that while on the road. There really is no true tablet equivalent, and the lack of a keyboard is a deal-killer.

YMMV.

 

[cronos]

Your point had no relevance to mine, hence my "so?" i don't know you, nor care about your personal life.

wth. he was only telling everyone his opinion and personal experience just like what everyone else does in this thread (including yourself). yet somehow you are singling him and calling him out.

what am i missing here?

 

[Charles Kozierok]

I'm at a point where if someone asks me what laptop to get, I ask if they need it to work or just goof around and check email. If you dont need to work seriously....get a tablet. They are way easier to carry around and use quickly than any laptop. ill do short emails, minor document editing, tech document reading and such and love having a tablet for work. It's convenient at home just for mobility, games, blah blah, and instead of a portable dvd player for the kids...i just throw movies on the tablet.

I think this makes a lot of sense.

I don't own a tablet yet but am considering getting one. I think the most important thing when considering a tablet PC is to remember its limitations.

 

[Eug]

Yeah, if you go in expecting a tablet to replace your laptop, you may end up being very disappointed. However, if you go in thinking you could use a tablet for much of your laptop use, you might be pleasantly surprised, in that it could fill more of a laptop use than you expected.

However, the other key thing is not all tablets are the same. Size and platform really do matter for some people. I find the 10" size limiting because it's bigger than I find comfortable. I also find the iPad limiting when dealing with MKV files. 7" Android tablets are a better fit for me. Yet, I still in general prefer iOS phones, because I've realized I dislike watching videos on cell phones, so the MKV issue is not as relevant there.

 

[animaguy]

Thanks for all of the great input.

For clarification, the reason why I asked is that I was having a tech conversation where it was suggested somthing to the effect of " wouldnt it be cool if tablets could be docked as an external monitor for a monitor less laptop. you could use the tablet as a portable device and carry the laptop seperately and if you have the opportunity to do laptop related work you could dock the tablet to the monitor-less laptop and use the tablet simply as a monitor.

I do not know how reasonable that idea is to implement but because I do not have any extensive experience using a tablet I thought it would be fun to ask members of this forum what they thought.