If laptops replaced desktops, will tablets replace laptops?

How about smartphones?

While desktop computers have widely been replaced by portable laptops, for most of our daily use, and smartphones are paving the way of the future, laptops continue to reduce in size as Smartphones increase, making tablets, or so called “phablets” (aka phonelet, tabphone or fablet) good candidates to replace laptops.

Gartner predicts the tipping point in favor of tablets will happen in 2015, when there will be nearly 321 million tablets shipped, versus close to 317 million PCs.

Smartphones are very much becoming the norm rather than the rising trend. They will account for 66 percent of all mobile sales in 2014, and Gartner projects that number to be 88 percent in 2018.

Yet, other devices may soon take over smartphones in numbers.

If smartphones will replace tablets what will replace smartphones?

Considering smartphones were on the market before tablets, we’ve got a bug in the system, but an interesting scenario to explore.

So what does the future hold?

Let’s first analyze the state of computing devices and why they rule the world as we are in 2014.

Desktops

If you are an intense gamer, super multi-tasker or graphics professional, converting high resolution videos or render 3D high fidelity animation, desktops are mostly the way to go. However, cloud based applications are growing in popularity and your powerful desktop may soon become redundant.

Desktops are all about power!

Laptops

You’re mobile, but need to work on detailed documents, create pixel perfect graphic designs for your clients or write code. At the same time, nothing beats the comfort of your trusted and well used keyboard and mouse (yet).

Laptops are all about power and productivity!

Tablets

You are a salesperson, you travel a lot, even a laptop feels heavy. You go through security in a breeze, watch that movie you started at home while on the plane and all you need it a tablet at yoru customer’s meeting to show your slides, take notes or capture the whiteboard.

The biggest tablets are thinner and lighter than the smallest laptops.

Tablets all about productivity and portability!

Smartphones

Smartphones are portable and support your network wireless provider. They are for everyone, anytime and anywhere. They are also connected (most of the time) and as long your battery survives your daily activities and running your favorite apps, your are gold.

Smartphones are all about portability and connectivity!

Internet of Things (IoT) Devices

We are getting more demanding with our devices. Web browsing, Bluetooth, and power-hungry apps suck the life out of our Smartphones, tablets and laptops. Processing power is growing exponentially, while battery power is only growing linearly.

The battery life of the smallest device, while more dumb than smart, beats them all!

The Internet of Things is all about connectivity and longer battery life!

Microprocessors: the one thing all devices have in common.

Microprocessors are gaining in power, reducing in size, and making desktop computers obsolete for many in the tech world. When we travel for business, we want light and flexible. All you need is the data on the cloud and carry your connected device. We will see more available, industry standard “less smart”, companion devices, aka Internet of Things (IoT), to gather data, collaborate and get work done. Why carry a laptop, a tablet, or even a smartphone if you can have everything at your fingertips?

Most of the meeting rooms at work are already well equipped, they are just not as smart yet. Imagine every meeting room becoming a smart room. Connected and equipped with cameras, monitors, sensors, such as iBeacons (low energy bluetooth 4.x Apple is standardizing and supporting in all their devices). As you enter the room, the smart room knows about the meeting, the sensors recognize you, securely authorizes access, and then the video conference starts automatically. No more time wasted asking people to login, type the meeting ID to initiate the call. The keyboard, mouse, device or gesture sensor device are already connected and ready to be used with your authorized mobile device. Additionally, a document is automatically created and shared among all attendees to collaborate. Since space is not cheap and rooms can be hard to find, metrics can be collected about their usage. If the room is booked but left vacant, it could become available for others immediately. At the end of the meeting a quick feedback and follow up reminder is sent to the attendees as they walk out the meeting. Next time do not reserve that room if you are working from home anyway. ;-)

Conclusion:

All devices rule! And, we can expect to see even more variety. Desktops, mainframes and super computers will still be used in many industries. Neither the tablets nor smartphones will disappear, but there will be more choices that cater to your personal needs.

As an UX Engineer, I could not be more excited to be a part of the current technical evolution. When I started my career as a front-end developer, I was building GUIs, without truly focusing as much on UX. With the advent of more powerful browsers and machines, capable to run more complex applications, UX has become something developers must practice. Today, with the advent of mobile phones, tablets and more connected devices, new UX challenges and opportunities are arising than ever.

Usability design will not longer limited to the screen, or be confined to digital. UX engineers, researchers and designers, in addition to building multi-screen and cross platform applications experiences, will need to think about context. Physical interaction will become a more critical component when thinking of user experience.

Time to literally think outside of the box!

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