Posted on 12/06/2011 7:02:49 AM PST by SeekAndFind
The latest comScore (NASDAQ: SCOR) data gives us another reason to believe that one day laptops will be obsolete.
It's not that we don't love our laptops. Sometimes they can be downright beautiful. But people really, really love the simplicity of those screen-swiping, finger-flicking devices known as tablets and smartphones. And according to comScore, an increasing number of consumers are using their mobile devices to shop online.
Based on data from comScore's own Mobile Retail Advisor report, the company says that 38% of smartphone owners have used their phone to make a purchase at least once in the course of their device ownership.
“The most popular products purchased on smartphones during the month of September included digital goods, clothing/accessories, tickets and daily deals,” comScore detailed in a company release. Those and other findings will be presented live during a webinar on Wednesday, December 7.
“Fueled by smartphone adoption, mobile is becoming a central part in the shopping funnel for many consumers,” Mark Donovan, comScore's Senior VP for mobile, said in today's company release. “In September we saw two-thirds of all smartphone owners perform shopping activities on their phones, including comparing products and prices, searching for coupons, taking product pictures or locating a retail store. Considering there are currently 90 million smartphone owners in the U.S., retailers without a well-developed mobile strategy are not only missing a tremendous opportunity with these customers but also risk becoming obsolete in the minds of these digital omnivores.”
Here are the full details:
And a few more:
How, you might wonder, does this mean the end for laptops? That's simple: every time consumers shift their everyday habits from one device to the next, the losing device gets closer and closer to the end of its lifespan. As recent as 15 years ago, most consumers performed their day-to-day online tasks with a clunky desktop PC. In the last five to 10 years, that trend has shifted toward laptops, thanks entirely to falling prices, increasing power, and the simple fact that laptops are portable and desktops are not.
Now that people are throwing smartphones into their pockets and tablets into their bags, it's becoming all the more difficult (if not all the more pointless) to carry a laptop. Consumers can bank online, shop online, and perform a zillion other laptop tasks using any one of the Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) or Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) devices available. Going forward, their capabilities are only expected to get stronger.
Long-term, I suspect that Apple or some other clever manufacturer will combine the best of both worlds and release the ultimate touch screen laptop. Until then, expect to see the tablet and smartphone usage data to go up, while desktop PC and laptop usage could continue to deteriorate.
maybe for people who like to swipe around the web and play angry birds.. anyone creating big documents or software is going to want a keyboard
Which is why no one in my household has one.
—maybe for people who like to swipe around the web and play angry birds.. anyone creating big documents or software is going to want a keyboard—
Exactly.
I hate touch screens mainly because I keep touching things I don’t mean to. I have a samsung galaxy s phone. Half the time, when someone calls, I accidentally hang up on them when I pull my phone out of my pocket.
And a friend, who is an Apple junkie, was given the Apple tablet by his employer. He said it is not portable enough to be “more portable” than his laptop. And for him that means they are equally portable. And the laptop gives him a full keyboard. He sees the tablet as pretty useless.
Personally, I’d like to see a laptop with a touch screen.
I hate touchscreens. Love my laptop.
I program for a living, so I won’t be giving up my Mac Book Pro anytime soon.
I would have believed it if this was a story about the desktop PC.
Just try to swipe and copy a few words of text on a tablet.
How would I used Photoshop, Illustrator or Premiere on a tablet? Where is the large amount of storage for an hour of video.
The only way those platforms will take off (besides the novelty of it) if it’s integrated into a larger primary computer system ala the pads used in Star Trek.
I use my iPad for everything except Photoshop. I’m a photographer, so I need Photoshop (and Lightroom). I have a wireless keyboard to use with my iPad, so I can type long emails without wanting to scream. I hate typing on a flat surface! I make spreadsheets with my iPad. I shop with my iPad. Like I said, I only need my PC for photo editing and for storing my photos.
Ditto. Touch screens get dirty, and have no reasonable input device.
Does anyone know how to cut and paste on a Android Galaxy? Just wondering.
I can tell my kids “I can remember a time when computers hadn’t been invented yet”. They’ll be able to tell their kids “I can remember a time when most computers sat on desks. My great grandchildren may never actually see a physical computer.
If you think about it, engineering is really magic in ultra slow motion.
I should probably add to my post above by saying that I’ve been going back and forth about buying a laptop because I’d like to be able to edit photos when I’m not home. But, that would be the only reason I’d buy one. So, this article really captured my interest. I just don’t know if I want to shell out big bucks just to be able to edit away from home. I only do my photography part time.
Tryy making a Visio Network Diagram with an Ipad. try reading a CAD plan on an Ipad........
NOT.
Sorry but this needs editing for truth.
Why Smartphone manufacturers want Laptops are an to become an Endangered Species.
Two words: Proprietary Content
My husband is always talking about those kind of keyboards. I would never be able to use one effectively. I need feedback when I hit a key. I love my iPad, but hate typing on it. I use a bluetooth keyboard and I love it.
The past few days have seen me creating some Jazz DVD’s with video I collected off of YouTube. I also update websites, maintain a newsletter, create and revise documents and presentations, much of the stuff computers were developed to do. Tablets (and especially smart phones) are a far cry from this type of need. Surfing the net, watching a movie, listening to music, reading a book, sure. But hard core computing, no. Sure, there are keyboards you can plug in to a tablet, but who want’s to carry another device just so you can use the main device.
Perhaps someday some other device will replace laptops, or maybe laptops will become smaller (the notebooks are now but don’t have the processing power). But until then, laptops are for me and will be in the future.
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