Tablet PCs: Why We Need These Unnecessary Devices

Gadget Lab: Tablet PCs – Why We Need These Unnecessary Devices

Do you really need a tablet PC for your small business? Probably not, says Brian X. Chen, but people are buying them anyway. Chen speculates on what the appeal is.

“Apple’s iPad is just one year old, and more than 15 million customers have voted with their wallets. The tablet is officially mainstream.

But just what is a tablet good for? It’s not a complete replacement of a PC and it’s not a necessity for anyone who carries around a notebook or a smartphone. At best, it’s a “tweener” device.

For a product category that didn’t exist (except in niche form) a year ago, it’s surprising how well the tablet is doing. It’s as if a mainstream product appeared out of nowhere. Indeed, most tech experts underestimated how many iPads would sell in year one.”