Laptop or Tablet?

Two of the main contenders in the computer market are the tablet and the laptop. Which of these should you buy? In short, it depends on what you need the computer for. 

The Laptop

The design of laptops has improved dramatically in recent years, and they have become lighter and of far higher performance. There are many different kinds of laptops including the full-size laptop, the netbook, the rugged laptop, the sub-notebook, the desktop replacement laptop, and so on. For ease of understanding, here we will talk about the most popular kind, which is the full size laptop. This is defined as a portable personal computer that is large enough to possess a full, traditional QWERTY keyboard.  

The Tablet

A tablet computer is a mobile computer that is larger than a mobile phone or personal digital assistant, but is significantly smaller and lighter than a laptop computer. Tablet computers use touchscreen displays, and inputs are performed by tapping on this,  rather than through a physical keyboard or mouse.

Tablets have only become popular relatively recently. There are two distinct types of tablets. The traditional tablet PCs that run on desktop-based operating systems, such as Windows and the post-PC tablets that use operating systems that are derived from those originally written for mobile devices. 

Pros and Cons 

While laptops may not be the latest gadget, they do have several advantages over tablets. Laptops are still the best choice if the buyer is purchasing a computer for work or business purposes, as they can handle a larger amount of processing without compromising performance.

Laptops far outperform tablets when the user needs to multitask. It’s so much easier to use different applications at once on a laptop than it is on a tablet. Laptops are more suited for heavy internet use than tablets. The majority of sites run much more quickly and sometimes offer enhanced functionality. 

Other advantages include:

  • Laptops offer far more data storage capability than a tablet.
  • Laptops have a larger display than tablets, making viewing much more comfortable and enjoyable.
  • Touch input can get troublesome especially when the user needs to key in a lot of data. 
  • Laptops are more durable. There is no sensitive touch display to damage and the overall build is tougher.

Laptops also have several disadvantages when compared to tablets, including:

  • Laptops are bigger and heavier than tablets, making them quite difficult to carry around for long periods of time.
  • Tablets offer greater battery life
  • Certain software works better with a tablet’s touch input

Deciding Whether to Buy a Laptop or Tablet

Essentially, it depends what you want to do with your device. If you are likely to use it for spreadsheets, writing large documents or sending 300 emails in a day, then a laptop is likely to suit you best. However, if you want to simply play games, answer the odd email and surf the internet while on the move, then a tablet is probably the best option. There are also hybrid devices available which combine the best of both worlds.

To help you decide Visit your local independent computer store for advice and try out a couple of different devices.