From: https://www.pcworld.com/article/2024463/why-tablets-are-a-threat-to-laptops-and-yet-not-a-threat.html by Tony Bradley

Tony makes the point that the data on sales volume is skewed by low-end, small tablets.

For $200, that same consumer can get a tablet with a sharper display and higher pixel density. The processor and RAM may seem similar on paper, but the ARM architecture, and a mobile OS like Android or iOS will deliver blazing performance instead of lagging and frustration. The $200 tablet is lighter, thinner, and can run all day on a single charge.

Granted, it’s not entirely an apples-to-apples comparison. The netbook probably has a larger storage capacity, and it’s capable of running standard Windows software. But, the tablet can do email, instant messaging, Web, social networking, and play games—which sums up about 90-plus percent of what most people need to do from a mobile device.

It’s easy to see why (cheap) tablets will beat netbooks.

 

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There is some cannibalization of laptop sales. The simple reality is that many of the things people need to do can be done just as well or better from a tablet. And, even if we’re talking about the 9 and 10 inch tablets that average in the $500 and $600 range, it’s a more versatile, less expensive alternative to $1,000-plus notebooks.

 

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tablets in general may chip away at overall notebook sales, but businesses still need powerful, capable laptops.

Tony makes the point that a tablet is just a different style of PC, and so old-style PCs and new-style tablets will eventually merge and we’ll just call them all “the PC market.”