I'll admit it. I do not own a tablet. Nor do I see myself purchasing one anytime soon. I also don't own an e-reader. Perhaps for the same reason. I just don't see the need. Sure, they are cool, interesting devices. But, for me, why would I want to lug around yet another device that does some (most?) of the same things I can do on my laptop? And I actually still like to read books and magazines. Sad, but true I suppose.
If I need to it to be more mobile - read 'not have to boot up the laptop' to check email - then I use my smartphone to do that. Right? Kind of like not carrying around a GPS when I have that capability in my smartphone too?
So, it was with interest that I read this article on whether the success of the iPad (or actually tablets in general) will demand a change to an IT organization's thinking. I see the point here. With the advent of Cloud Computing and the proliferation of high speed access to the cloud, why not just carry around a tablet and access whatever you need from you person preference of device, regardless of where you are... the "bring your own device" methodology IT has for so long avoided. (We must have a standard platform and a standard application interface so everyone can be supported equally. Sounds like old-school thinking doesn't it?)
The most telling observation of how far things have come is this statement:
IT must adjust its thinking about the most vital interface is for internal applications. For more than a decade, it has been the PC with perhaps an Internet interface. Going forward, it needs to be an Internet interface, possibly with a smartphone and iPad app. Client-based, corporate PC interfaces will be one of the casualties of this shift from PCs, with the exception of dedicated production applications, such as the general ledger for the finance team or a call center support application.
(Bold and italic emphasis are mine.)
And according to the auther, government agencies are leading the charge here, not corporate entities. Wow! Really? I'd like to see more stats on that... but still.
I've always been fascinated by how the pendulum swings back and forth over the years. Is this the latest interation of computing shifts... from data center to desktops to latops to Service Oriented Architecture to Cloud Computing, tablets and smartphones? Could be. I may just have to ask for a tablet for my birthday.
What's your thought here? Have you made the jump to tablets with cloud computing behind it, and given up your laptop? If so, why? Curious minds want to know.
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