Tablet notebooks to take the market by storm

Tablet notebooks are poised to take the market by storm and will change the way the user views computing – and the way he uses the traditional desktop PC and notebook.

This is according to Christopher Riley, MD of The Notebook Company (www.notebook.co.za), who said that while he thought tablet PCs would make their mark seven years ago, this prediction proved to be incorrect. But now is the time, he believes.

Riley said that he had noted that he thought it was the time for the Tablet PC seven years ago. “I was a bit out in my prediction. But it is certainly the time now. Until recently users have been scared to move over from one operating system to another. But the influx of phones, smart phones and similar products has made users more at ease to use different operating systems. Most of the latest and different kinds of operating systems have also learnt to be more intuitive, so that the user does not have a huge learning curve to go through.

“This is definitely the start of a new generation of Tablet PCs, I-Pads, We Pads, They Pads, Us Tablets and We All Pads.”

Commenting further, Riley said Tablet/PC sales have increased exponentially at The Notebook Company from a very low base in 2010. Up to 30% of sales now consist of Tablet PCs.

“Users should also take note that a Tablet PC is not a replacement for a laptop – it is a completely different device.

“For example, my laptop has replaced my desktop. It is basically stationary on my desk and will only move to a specific meeting – in my case – once in every three months or so.

‘My Tablet/Pad travels through my house – either I am browsing the news, searching for something with my kids, playing a game, watching Google Earth (even street view), reading in the bedroom, or taking it away on weekends.

“My Tablet/Pad essentially travels with me – and with on-line applications such as Google docs and Gmail, it also enables me to effortlessly do work on the run.”

Pretoria-based The Notebook Company (www.notebook.co.za) became the sole reseller of the Acer 102 tablet notebook back in 2003.

On the 10th, 11th and 12th of February 2003 Microsoft staged the annual Microsoft Architect’s Forum in Johannesburg. Riley said that, during this event, 150  Microsoft partners tested the new Acer 102 tablet notebook “to determine in which ways they can implement this amazing technology into their respective companies”.

“Tablet notebooks offer users the unique ability to write text on the LCD panel. This is good news for those who still haven’t mastered typing – and the handwriting recognition software is mind-blowingly accurate,” he said.

The Acer tablet notebook’s screen can be swivelled around to 180 degrees and placed flat on the casing to simplify writing.

“It’s perfect for those who attend meetings due to the fact that writing does not create any distractions – such as  typing onto a notebook – or big LCD panels which are placed in theupright position.”