Why Tablet Computing Matters
Here's something to try: type "I don't use my iPad" into Google.
The results would lead you to believe that there's just hordes of bored iPad customers who no longer see the need for the device. I disagree. I don't think it is a perfect device, but it does show us where everyday computing is going.
The Laptop is Dead
The laptop isn't going anyway, too many of us depend on the traditional portable computer to get our jobs done. What is dead is the idea that we all need a heavy, overpowered device with a keyboard to accomplish 90% of our daily activities.
Take a look at what the Pew Research Center says most people spend their time doing on the internet.
While there are a large number of activities listed, you'll see several action words repeated over and over again for the top activities: look, view, read, get, buy.
Now let's look at the repeated actions at the bottom of the list: create, take, sell.
Regardless of what we're doing on the web, only 15% of us on average are doing anything that requires an easy way to actively give input rather than to passively receive someone else's output.
The tablet gives us a direct interface to efficiently be a consumer of the web, and a very poor interface to be a producer. Video and audio editing may be the exception here, but I certainly haven't warmed up to using my iPad as the device to write more than 100 words on. The keyboard, mouse, and monitor are still a powerful way to create and publish. But when I want to show somebody something? It's so easy to just hand them a tablet.
The Future of Tablet Computing?
I still think the iPad demonstrates that we are experiencing the infancy of tablet computing. Apple seems to have succeeded in form factor, but iOS and App Store ecosystem is not much more than a first attempt at making us shift away from the desktop operating system. (It's a very good first attempt, and better than most companies will ever achieve.)
If I had to make a few guesses about where we're going with tablet computing, it'd be these:
The Disposable App
If you're a major brand on the web, yes, unfortunately you need a presence in the many app stores out there, even if your mobile website is just peachy. Getting apps built and into an app store sucks. I think PhoneGap is getting close with their new Build service.
Zero Click Installs
Websites bring instant gratification, apps do not. I have to wait for apps to download and install, and then I still have to launch them to get to what I wanted in the first place.
I'd also settle for my iPad to automatically show me funny cat videos while I'm waiting.
Death to the Virtual Keyboard
Having the QWERTY keyboard on tablets is a safety blanket for users, and nothing else. It still sucks to type on, especially when you are attempting to actually hold the tablet at the same time. We'll see if the split keyboard in iOS 5 makes a difference here, but I imagine the ideal input method for a tablet is something wildly different.
Moving Forward
I'm pretty excited for this new era of truly portable computers. I still smile every time I want to show my wife something and I can just hand the damn thing over instead of doing the awkward laptop handoff (where I imagine my Mac in a million pieces on the floor for a few seconds). Add on the all day battery life and it being the ultimate travel device, it's safe to say tablets aren't going anywhere, and laptops are going to be going the way of desktops: niche devices.