How likely are tablets to replace laptops in 2011's IT market?

Our last article makes the case for 2011 being 'the year of the tablet', with Apple's iPad set to continue as the gold standard. 

But as our IT support Bristol clients will have already noted, other manufacturers are scrambling to enter the fray.  What's more, surprisingly it is businesses as well as consumers that are driving the demand.

Can tablets be a direct replacement for laptops in your business? Here's how ChangeWave Research, a company that gathers information on IT trends, maps the shift in IT user behaviour.

Using iPad and other tablets for laptop replacement

The most popular uses of tablets by workers are, of course, accessing the Internet and checking e-mail.

But the biggest percentage jump in ChangeWave's recent research among corporate IT buyers is in the number of businesses who report they are using the iPad for laptop replacement. Industry analysts have picked up on several cases of enterprises aggressively swapping laptops for tablets.

Meanwhile Apple, the current market leader, is itself a little surprised at the speed of uptake amongst businesses. Tim Cook, Apple's chief operating officer, claimed that 65% of Fortune 100 firms were already deploying the iPad or piloting projects, and told Wall Street analysts in October: "I've never seen an adoption like this in my life […] Enterprise is historically much slower moving on adoption."

Satisfaction rating

One reason why companies are picking the iPad: ChangeWave found that the overall satisfaction rating (those answering either "very satisfied" or "somewhat satisfied") with using their tablet computer in business was an area Apple is currently winning hands down. The overall satisfaction rating for the iPad was a remarkable 97%. 

Meanwhile, Dell and HP users were not as happy with their tablets, with Dell gaining 74% satisfaction compared to HP's 69%. Those figures may be enough in some contexts but not when you're up against such a high scroe from the market leader.

Why outsourced network support is better than inserting candyfloss into your ear

If you have found this article useful and would like to know more, our Bristol IT support section has further information on all the above.