Usually the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January ends up having a "theme." It isn't a theme given to the show by the organizers, but instead some product category that seems to be pervasive throughout the show. Last year it was 3D television. This year it was tablet computers.
While tablet computers have been around for almost 20 years, they have been primarily premium upgrades from standard notebook computers. In the past, tablet computers were targeted at business users. Medicine was going to be revolutionized by tablet wielding doctors and nurses.
Then last year Apple introduced the iPad. Priced in the consumer price range, for practical purposes it was a supersized iPhone. It ran the same operating system. It ran many of the same apps. But it did it on a screen that was large enough to make web pages readable and with an on-screen keyboard almost big enough to touch type. And it became very popular. So far over 15 million have been sold.
Just as the most popular alternative to iPhone are the various Android phones, it's not surprising that most alternatives to iPad are Android tablet computers. As early as last summer we started seeing inexpensive Android tablet computers appear. But, with the exception of the Samsung Galaxy tablet, none have really taken off. (Although from what the hackers have been accomplishing with the Barnes and Noble Color Nook, it has the potential to become a very popular tablet if B&N decides to "show" its underlying Android operating system, which has been rumored).
There were a number of Windows 7 tablets introduced at CES, but the system requirements for Windows versus the size and weight constraints of a tablet make battery life a problem. And Windows 7 really doesn't have a user interface optimized for use solely via a touch screen.
RIM, the Blackberry people, showed a tablet using their own operating sytem, And HP should have introduced a WebOS tablet by the time this article appears. But RIM and WebOS are unlikely to draw enough apps developers to be real contenders.
Bottom line, the battle will be iPad versus the universe of Android tablets.
Is it time to get a tablet (if you don't already have an iPad)? Probably not. Again, the next few months are going to be a real time of transition.
It will be summer before the various Andoid tablets are actually shipping. And for most Android tablets you will want to try one before you actually buy it, for reasons I’ll explain in my next article.
Even if you decide iPad is the option, I'm not even sure now is the time to buy an iPad. It's expected Apple will introduce a second generation iPad sometime between now and summer. At least one, and very likely two, cameras are expected, making it possible to do video calling. It also won't be surprising if it gets a screen resolution bump. I expect to see the new iPad, or the existing iPad, have a lower entry level price point (if not expect to see a lot of used iPads for sale on eBay as people upgrade to the latest version).
Tablet computers offer exciting prospects for home and business use. 2011 is clearly going to see an explosion of tablet options, both hardware and software/apps. But even if you wait to let the dust settle, you need to start thinking about creative ways tablet computers can impact your business. That might include getting a tablet to experiment with.