Among the critics who wrote in response to last week’s piece (“Windows 8 beats the iPad. Really.” Keep the Joint Running, 5/27/2013), some confused “I disagree” with “you’re wrong and your motivation is suspect too.”
There was also some confusion as to what tablets are for.
On the I-disagree side was correspondence suggesting the only possible reason for my favoring Windows 8 tablets over iPads, or for saying anything favorable about them at all for that matter, is my shiny new affiliation with Dell. Thanks for the vote of confidence.
On the what-tablets-are-for side, in response to my points about why Windows 8 tablets are superior to the iPad when it comes to doing real work I got several versions of, as the source of this week’s ManagementSpeak put it, “A tablet is not a PC, and a PC is not a tablet. People do not buy a tablet to do PC work.”
Which means that in addition to my lack of integrity, I’m also not a “people.”
Here’s a thought: There’s no such thing as “PC work.” There’s just work, and the tools that help us do it. (Speaking of tools, last week I omitted one of the most important that’s available in Windows 8 and also Android, but not the iPad: A file manager. Don’t get me started.)
Another thought: If “people” don’t buy tablets to do PC work, someone better clue in the folks at Google who bought QuickOffice, not to mention all the companies that sell add-on iPad keyboards.
And to the assertion that tablets aren’t PCs and PCs aren’t tablets, there’s a growing assortment of “laplets” on the market — convertible devices that can be used as either laptops or tablets, depending on the circumstance and what you want to do.
To cut through a lot of this, let’s look at what makes tablets interesting in the first place. The view from here:
Untethering: To use a PC you need a desk. To use a laptop you need a desk or (brilliant insight alert!) a lap. Most laptops also require an AC outlet if you’re going to use them for an extended period, for example, a day.
From this perspective, tablets have more in common with books and notepads than with PCs and laptops. They untether you. You can sit on a couch or easy chair, or use them while standing. This is intensely liberating.
Apps: Even inexpensive PC applications are expensive enough to get your attention. Most tablet apps range from free to under ten bucks. This encourages experimentation, which is a good thing.
Form Factor: In round numbers a tablet is about the same size as a notepad and smaller than a day planner. Businesspeople don’t think twice about carrying things this size around. The screen has enough real-estate to give app designers a lot more flexibility than a smartphone.
Also (rapidly-approaching-fogeyhood alert!), business meetings where everyone has a laptop open in front of them feel like everyone is hiding behind a small, personal fence, working on their own business while they just happen to be in the same room.
Because of tablets’ notepad-ness, tablet-ized business meetings feel more collaborative.
Control: Out of self-defense, most IT organizations long-ago locked down everyone’s PC. It’s a bad idea … until they were locked down, PCs drove an enormous amount of innovation … but what’s best for the whole business isn’t what happens in most businesses.
See, IT didn’t get credit for the innovation. But it did and does get the blame when something bad happens, like, for example, any form of intrusion.
Which is why PCs aren’t personal anymore. Tablets still are, and to the extent they come in through the BYOD phenomenon, IT’s ability to restrict them will continue to be limited.
(And, IT will continue to get the blame if something bad happens as a result. Prepare accordingly.)
Packability: To the extent a tablet can support “real” work along with browsing, email, and various entertainment uses, they let business travelers pack just one compact computing device. This is a big deal.
And in conclusion, ladies and gentlemen …
If you’re buying a tablet for entertainment, browsing, and email, with a smattering of other work activities thrown in, either the iPad or one of the many Android tablets is probably your best bet.
But nothing about tablets make them natively uninteresting for doing actual work. So if you want a tablet’s differentiators and plan to use it for work purposes, Windows 8 tablets deserve a serious look, even though, if you buy one, you too will no longer be a people.
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(Posted using my Windows 8 tablet in a hotel room, far more easily than when I tried to post these things with my iPad.)
Bob, I think you are “people” and I won’t malign your motives, but there are a couple of points where you have not begun to convince me.
I don’t see a file system as a tool to get work done. A file system may be a tool to fine tune the computer (of any format) itself, but I don’t find it helps me get any “real” work done. There have been occasions when I missed a file system on my iPad or iPhone, but they are becoming so rare that I can’t remember the last one.
I am also curious about your final comment. What made posting your message so much easier on a Windows 8 Pad than an iPad? Not having used a Windows 8 Pad, I am interested in learning what it has to offer.
Interesting discussion. I didn’t react last week simply because I use neither Windows 8 nor a tablet, but this week I’m going to be an apologist for some of the folks who appear to have made comments that weren’t even germane to the article. This issue, as I see it, arises simply because not all your readers are upper management types and don’t always read the articles in that context.
The problem with the tablets is simply that, as you say, they’re great for email, Office applications, and the like, and then only if you’re willing to willing to work in the Cloud (and I still don’t like that term). I make the same argument that they’re not adequate for “real PC work,” but when I use that term I’m talking about heavier-duty applications such as CAD (or, for home use, some old games that haven’t been updated forever but are better than anything that’s been created since).
My own reasons for not using a tablet are simply that (a) I’m not familiar with how to connect to the Internet without having to pay for yet another account somewhere — I don’t have a smartphone, since I don’t spend much time on the phone and have no personal need to be connected 24/7; (b) the applications I use don’t exist for tablets or on the web; and (c) I’m not convinced of the security of Cloud-based applications or storage. I started reading this blog back when I actually worked in the IT world, but now I’m a tax preparer and don’t want to expose my clients’ data any more than it is during secure transmission. I’m coming around slowly, but I’m not there, yet.
That said, you can count me in the “agree to disagree” camp. It’s impossible to have an opinion that’s “wrong” (by definition of an opinion).
I agree with the form factor point 100%. Sitting in a meeting watching people take notes on a laptop is disconcerting. One doesn’t know if they are paying attention, or checking their email. There is something about having that wall of a screen up in between you that is off-putting. Having a tablet on your lap or flat on the table is no different from writing on a pad of paper.
Hi Bob,
Can I ask for a clarification in this discussion? Are we talking strictly Windows 8 Pro, or is RT part of the conversation?
Thanks,
Derek
I’m talking about Windows 8, not Windows RT (as I understand it, the RT vs Pro branding is attached to the Microsoft Surface, not to the underlying OS).
Okay. I asked because I’m told by the Windows infrastructure folks here that RT would be a complete one-off. Win8 has some compatibility advantages, but still not enough to justify support in our environment… at least not yet.
Derek