The modern world is run by computers on both a personal and corporate level. As technology continues to expand as a sector, we are seeing more changes with each new product release than ever before. Every year that passes is leading us further into a digital era with technology designed to help us interact with our digital space in new and exciting ways for both work and our hobbies. While it has been years since the first laptop was introduced to the market, tablets still feel like devices that walked out of science fiction and into our living room.
The ability to carry around a slender device that can be used to watch movies, search the web, or even keep a digital notebook with the new wave of writing utensils designed specifically for touchscreens with stunning accuracy has given birth to a worldwide love for these mobile devices. Given the popularity of these machines, it comes as no surprise that the laptop market is largely steering towards 2-in-1 devices that provide the processing power of a laptop with the creativity of the tablet.
2-in-1 devices
Image by andreas160578 from Pixabay
The most notable 2-in-1 device line on the market right now is Microsoft’s Surface collection. Most recently they moved forward with a smaller mobile version called the Surface Go, but they don’t seem to be showing any trend of exclusively sticking with lightweight machines. Their other models like the Surface Pro pack notable specs that allow users to seamlessly enjoy the device as either laptop or tablet by merely connecting to or disconnecting from the keyboard. While these devices do run Windows 10, they are also standalone tablets that can be used in the easy ways that a tablet user would expect thanks to the user experience brought on by the use of live tiles with Windows 10.
More hybrids
As we move forward, we can continue to see the list of 2-in-1 devices grow. Currently HP and Google are already leading the charge into these functional yet mobile designs that give people the option to choose both a laptop and a tablet for a fraction of the price of buying both. While Apple hasn’t shown any distinctive evidence of committing to the 2-in-1 trend, the power of the iPad Pro can be interpreted as a step towards the hybrid market. Particularly with the upcoming release of certain MacOS functionality rumored to be pulled into the new iOS for iPad being dropped this upcoming Fall. This might be a stepping stone for them as they move towards a more Mac-like experience comparable to how other 2-in-1 devices currently work.
Summary
The exact nature of future changes to the laptop and personal computing industry is impossible to guess, but for the time being a combination of laptop functionality and power alongside an easily accessible tablet experience seems to be a trend that plans to stick around for the foreseeable future. Given the push towards virtual and augmented reality, we can expect to see more benefits from devices that are easily physically manipulated and can accommodate some of the unique features that we are starting to see passed onto mobile devices. By combining the ease of tablet use with the power of the laptop, we can all look forward to more functional and creative devices over time.
