Let’s talk about last two decades in terms of evolution of personal computing.
1991-2000: Some major hardware developments occurred, which made the dream of personal computing come true. Software giants like Microsoft, Apple, Google, etc evolved and took over the IBM-dominant market. Desktops started making their way into offices and eventually, homes.
2001-2010: The starting of decade was taken over by Microsoft operating system, Windows XP. It spread like a fire, used in most offices, homes, business etc. Apple developed some products like iMac, MacBook, which had its different customer base, not as vast as Microsoft. But the end brought increment in the number of Mac users.
On the hardware end, a vast change could be seen throughout. Huge, bulky desktops started shrinking and soon laptops became the first choice of home users. Apple, always known for its innovations, took the world by surprise on its launch of MacBook air. It was the thinnest laptop on the planet and was ultra portable. By the end, apple again came with the one of the biggest innovations of the decade, which might change computing forever. It was its tablet PC, iPad. Soon, many companies started launching their own android tablets, but still the iPad dominates the tablet market, mainly because it’s smooth, fluid interface and its large iOS app base. Microsoft, revealed its plans and preview of Windows 8, which was optimized both for tablet use and desktop/laptop use.What’s next?
Generally, an iPad or any good android tablet can do pretty much anything a normal PC does.
With the rise of cloud computing, most of our work starts from a web browser. A tablet provides an excellent browsing experience, mainly because of its touch interface. Text editor apps, pdf readers, music players, video players, there is an app for almost everything.
Gaming is on a boom on iOS. Startling graphics and physics are enabling more complex gaming possible on iPad. Although, it may not match the level of gaming on consoles like PlayStation and Xbox. Still, nothing can be said about the future.
So, at this point, we can say that Tablets are the future of personal computing and they’ve already started replacing laptops.
They are portable. They are cheap. They are easy to use. They look and feel good in hands. They could be coupled with other devices to stream data. Most importantly, they look futuristic.
Tablets could open doors to numerous possibilities in the near future.
On the software front, we are already experiencing the uprising of cloud computing. We can expect lightweight hardware and more intense cloud interaction, and cloud accelerated services.
Amazon Silk browser as an example:
In an interview of Steve Jobs and Bill Gates with Walt Mossberg in 2007 at D5, Gates stated his opinion about the future computing devices and it’s surprising how his vision came true.
They also speak about the cloud computing future,
The iPad 3 is rumored to be launched in Feb 2012. Many new superior quality android tabs and lots of other gadgets are scheduled to be launched too. Let’s see what’s more in store for us!
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