Tablets may never again be the consumer sensation they once were, but they are finding new life among professionals.
Apple took aim at that market in announcing a second iPad Pro model this week. Samsung started selling the Windows-based Galaxy TabPro S last week, while Microsoft doubled down on its Surface tablet business last fall with Surface Book, a laptop whose keyboard pops off to leave behind a tablet. Google has the Android Pixel C.
Unlike early models, these tablets are meant to be used with a physical keyboard and a stylus. That makes them appealing to people looking to get stuff done, whether that’s typing a report or drawing on a graphics app.
“It’s no secret the tablet business has slowed down overall except in places where there’s productivity,” says Gary Riding, a senior vice president for mobile computing marketing at Samsung. (“Productivity,” in this case, being jargon for work as opposed to play.)
These new devices also have higher price tags. Many sell for almost $1,000, or even more with accessories. Companies market them as PC replacements rather than devices for watching video, reading books and playing games — things you can already do with your phone.
The Surface Pro 3 is “much thinner than a laptop, and when you have the case with the keyboard, it’s essentially a laptop,” says Ryan Hastman, who now leaves his Mac laptop behind while travelling to raise money for the University of Alberta in Canada.
Tablet shipments fell 10 per cent to 207 million worldwide last year and are projected to fall another 6 per cent this year, according to IDC. But one subset tablets with detachable keyboards more than doubled to 17 million last year. It’s projected to grow to 64 million in 2020 and represent 30 per cent of the overall tablet market, rather than 8 percent now.
“It’s not all doom and gloom,” IDC analyst Jitesh Ubrani says. “Microsoft’s done a very good job at marketing detachables. Everyone’s now jumping on that bandwagon.”
Now, Apple is giving customers additional choice a 9.7-inch iPad Pro that starts at $599, $200 cheaper than the 12.9-inch original (add about $250 for the keyboard and stylus). Just as Microsoft and Samsung have done, Apple is targeting the hundreds of millions of people whose Windows machines are at least five years old. Apple says most iPad Pro customers are coming from Windows.
Bryan O’Neil Hughes, head of outreach and collaboration for Adobe, says a faster processor and better graphics make the Pro something people choose rather than settle for when replacing PCs. Many professionals in creative industries, he says, prefer tablets over laptops for presentations, sketching and design. —AP
