Every 5 or so years it happens. Your trusty laptop is on the fritz. Maybe it’s getting slow, or it doesn’t come on all the time, the display is messed up or is missing the “o” key. Could be a thousand things – but you need a new one.
Or maybe you don’t. Today, tablets are often filling the business role that historically needed a laptop. Moreover, tablets can be MUCH less expensive than laptops. An iPad can be had for as low as about $300, and a Samsung Galaxy tab for under $200 (unfortunately, Microsoft has discontinued the very competitively priced Surface Go line). With a smaller footprint, these can be easier and lighter to pack when you’re on the move.
The key thing to work through is if it could be an effective laptop substitute. To start with, tablets are usually most effective as read and review devices. If you just need to look at documents, whether they are PDFs, word docs or excel spreadsheets, tablets can be almost as effective as a laptop in the field, and a lot easier to work with. However, if you are creating documents, a laptop will generally edge out a tablet (of course, the best setup for producing documents is typically a laptop + Docking Station or desktop/tower connected to large hi-res monitors, but that’s a different topic).
The next thing to consider is if the application you are using to access the documents functions well on a tablet. Microsoft Office and Adobe Acrobat reader work ok on tablets, as do google apps, but many other more specialized apps don’t. Even if the app officially supports the tablet, you will want to try it out before committing to a tablet. Often, the tablet version will be more limited than the full laptop version.
Once you decide a tablet will work well for you, you next need to decide on a model. The entry models will have limited screen size, memory, and processing power. As you increase those, you will also increase your price. In fact, top-end tablets rival laptop pricing. But most likely you can do your work with something well below the high-end pricing (and if you can’t, then maybe you do need a laptop).
As with pretty much all things technology, it is always changing. So, it is always good to periodically reconsider what you use to accomplish a task and how you use it. Towers, desktops, laptops and tablets are certainly in this category as well. See if you can save some $$$ next time you think you need a laptop by using a tablet instead.
Need help deciding? SpotLink can help qualify if a tablet will meet your needs and, if needed, put together an implementation plan.