What’s Better, a Tablet or a Laptop?

This is going to be a ‘damned if you do, damned if you don’t’ type thing. The debate you’re dragging me into here, is actually a long and storied one (with both sides making good points along the way). So here goes…

Basically, it all depends on what you need the device in question to do.

The tablet PC has not supplanted the laptop (not yet anyway) and, in fact, the average tablet cannot hope to contain the amount of information that can be stored in a laptop. Also, unless you are an ‘Angry Birds’ fanatic, never, ever think of a tablet as a gaming device.

However, tablets boot up quickly and are net ready in seconds. They are easy to use when out and about and far more portable than laptops.

So, if you’re looking to check your emails whilst on a train, or play a few rounds of ‘Angry Birds’ whilst on the toilet (hey, I’m not judging – its what I do), or if access to the Internet is the key factor for you, then you’ll find a tablet not only cheaper, but probably far better suited to your needs.

However, if you want to go out and take your desktop with you, then you’ll need a laptop, no question about it. A laptop can handle better and more complex software, running every bit as efficiently as your desktop. If you’re editing video footage, writing a novel or doing anything else that takes up time and memory, then a laptop is definitely the way to go, no question about it.

Think of a tablet as being a bigger, better version of your smartphone. It’s a great entertainment tool, a personal organizer and a generally useful lifestyle accessory. So, whilst it is technically a portable computer, you really shouldn’t relate to it in the same way you relate to your desktop PC or MAC.

Likewise, do not think of your laptop as a quick, easy way to check your Facebook in a crowded cafe, there are boot-up times, updates and lots more to consider. What you need to do now is have a really good think about what it is you specifically want from the device.

In that respect, I’d advise you not to look at it as an ‘either/or’ thing, both technologies are suited to different uses, so its a bit like comparing pencils and pens in that respect – they can both perform the same tasks, but they are also individually better suited to others. 

What’s Better, a Tablet or a Laptop?