At the end of last year the Acer boss Jim Wong predicted that touch-screen laptops will dominate the market and will beat the tablets. His words were backed by an internal test in the company that showed good results. Some time ago the Apple guru Steve Jobs said exactly the opposite. And again based of "tons of user testing". I think Wong is right.
In last days I was thinking on this question due to a concrete need of buying either a small and not heavy as a weight laptop, or a tablet. And this analysis confirmed my previous thoughts that the tablet is a toy. It is not a machine for doing serious work. It is just an entertainment device.
For doing a serious job, you need a keyboard and a mouse. And you need Windows. Linux based MacOS and Android are good platforms. But they are not Windows. To work seriously you need Win. And this is exactly the reason that will make Windows based ultra books with a touch screen the winner.
In fact I think that at the moment even Windows 8 is not the best choice for a pragmatic ultrabook. Windows 7 is much better. There are even tablets with it. It is the perfect decision - full compatibility and integration with the global infrastructure of Windows based desktops and laptops. Due to the same reason Windows RT is also not a choice.
In fact even now the border between the ultrabook and the tablet is disappearing. Much tablets are offered with a keyboard and a case to work in a desk. And much ultrabooks are offered with an option to detach the keyboard and use it like a tablet.
So the way we call it doesn't matter. It will be a semi tablet and semi ultrabook. But another question is more important - what will be the OS on it. And what will be the processor. I think the Wintel duopoly will win. Attempts to compete Win with Linux are happening for a long time with no success. Mac OS and Android has made a success, but only until the tablets were separated from laptops. With becoming one and the same, I think Win 8 will prevail. This may help also to mobile phones like Lumia, based on Windows Phone. The border between tablets and smartphones is also disappearing and this is a highway for the Microsoft invasion.
But with ultrabooks vs. tablets, it is obvious what is better. And the touch screen is just a temporary and not so important advantage. The important thing is what you can do with your device - out of surfing, playing games and entertaining. The business user will determine the winner...
Dobri
Jan 24th 2013