Posted on 07/07/2016 12:50:13 PM PDT by dennisw
Don't be fooled by fans of iPads and Android tablets -- it's much easier to get real work done on a Windows-powered 2-in-1 PC than it is on Android or iOS-powered hardware.
Over the years I've used countless different form-factors of computing devices, and I still believe that there are no better devices for getting work done on than the desktop and laptop. But if it's a tablet you want, 2-in-1 systems powered by Windows 10 leave iPads and Android slates eating their dust.
I've been through my phase of working on the iPad and a selection of Android tablets, and yes, contrary to what some people claim, you can get work done on them. I know because I've done a lot of work on them. But the dirty secret that fans of the iPad and Android tablets won't tell you is that you have to work a lot harder because you're fighting a number of limitations.
Here's the problem. What I've typed so far for this article, I could have easily done on any tablet. It's mostly been a stream of consciousness, and all that requires is a keyboard, a word processing app, and a display. It's easier if I have a high-quality keyboard, but at a pinch I could use an on-screen keyboard.
The problems start when I want to do research, or fact-check something, or pull a link or a quote from somewhere, such as this link to data showing how iPad sales have declined. That's when things start getting messy on an iPad or some Android-powered beast. Switching apps is a pain. Switching tabs in a browser is a pain. Entering data into a spreadsheet requires painstaking concentration, and the scope for messing things up is high. And if I have to access information from a video or audio clip, then the whole thing falls apart rapidly because some apps -- YouTube, I'm looking at you -- are rubbish at keeping their place in media files.
Split-screen support on newer tablets makes this better, as long as you can restrict yourself to two apps. Beyond that, it's just a Band-Aid over a really nasty, festering wound.
Multitasking is where 2-in-1 Windows systems really shine, and it's got less to do with the hardware and more to do with the fact that Windows is the operating system that's powering them. Despite almost a decade of continual improvement, iOS and Android still can't come close to Windows in terms of raw usability (I suppose the same could be said of Linux or MacOS, but we don't have 2-in-1 systems powered by these operating systems). Not only do you get the ability to run full applications, but you can run several of them side-by-side, and switch between them effortlessly.
iOS and Android just weren't designed to do this, and the more Apple and Google try to shoehorn these features into their platforms, the more their platforms move away from their core values of simplicity, and the more the platforms start to feel like a mishmash of paradigms. If you don't believe me, consider how simple the iOS settings app was back when the platform was called PhoneOS, and now look at what a labyrinthian quest finding anything has become. There's only so far that you can bolt new features onto a simple menu system before it becomes clumsy and awkward to use.
And the bottom line is that I no longer have any faith in Apple to be able to scale simple paradigms to account for increased complexity. The iOS Settings App or System Preferences in MacOS is no easier, no better, and no more logical than Control Panel in Windows.
On top of that, the newer 2-in-1 systems switch so well from tablet mode to keyboard mode that it actually feels like you're running two different systems, and get the flexibility of having a tablet without compromising the versatility of a small notebook system.
I understand why buyers, both consumer and enterprise, flocked to the iPad and Android tablets a few years back. It's because there really wasn't anything to compare with them that ran Windows. But now that we have Windows 10 powered 2-in-1 PCs that come in at a cheaper price point than the iPad, it makes sense why they're selling so well. It's because people are going back to what they know works.
When I want to do actual work it’s something with a keyboard that can more than 80 words a minute.
Thanks to Swordmaker for the ping!!
I don't see the big deal. I like my Windows desktop, and I like my Windows laptop, and I like my iPhone & iPad -- each has its place and things it's good at.
A 2-in-1 doesn't seem to do any of those things quite as well...
Precisely.
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha....
The author is hallucinating.
I use my tablet about 15 times more frequently than my Desktop. The desktop is for long sessions and serious work, but the tablet has been invaluable. I will not go anywhere without it. I use it for 20 different purposes at least.
Thank goodness for the convenient portable tablet. Most useful single tool I have purchased in 25 years.
I am older than your teen, and use the laptop 99% as a laptop. I use the touch interface is only during customer demos.
I suspect that your teen will have a much different usage model than I do, as a digital native.
Switching back and forth is easy and takes little time. The touch screen is always active, and causes me to watch the back of my arm while typing. My family has use the tablet mode to watch Netflix while traveling.
If you go this way, pay more and get a 2-in-1 with a SSD drive and a good video chip set. Well worth the extra money.
Or, if they won't use the touch screen much, just do like I did and buy your student the best Mac that you can afford. I spent over $3000 on a Macbook but it will last for years - and still be usable. -Zero- headaches from spyware, which means my student will not have their personal and financial information sold all over eastern Europe.
You don't need to spend as much as I did but my daughter was heading into chemical engineering. I also bought a friend's kid a powerful Macbook for about $1400 from Adorama.
Kids pick up OSX very fast.
I agree except for the fact that I really can’t find much use for a tablet. It depends on the type of computing you do. I do like convertible laptops, they do the tablet thing just fine when needed except for weight and portability. Thing is I already have the laptop with me, so weight and portability are actually worse if I carry a tablet as well.
This is pretty much self evident. I have 3 tablets. I use my iPad for games and the two Android tablets are used to control TV’s (I’m a cord cutter and use Chromecasts)
I don’t think I’d have much use for a 2 in 1 though.
RCA Cambio 11.6” 2-in-1 Tablet 32GB Intel Quad Core Windows 10
http://www.walmart.com/ip/RCA-Cambio-11.6-2-in-1-Tablet-32GB-Intel-Quad-Core-Windows-10/45804383
149.00
Original Post
Michiganders ( 210 Michiganders has a spectacular aura about ) Jul. 11, 2016 at 5:46pm
http://outlet.us.dell.com/ARBOnli...119&~ck=mn
Coupon Code for 35% off: wo35Cb113120
Great deals for the 4GB ram models. Get the 4 GB Memory model if you plan on multi-tasking at all with the chromebook; 2 GB is not enough. There are refurbished models with 4GB ram for just $136 compared to $253 on Amazon right now.
http://slickdeals.net/f/8917059-dell-chromebook-11-3120-11-6-laptop-refurb-scratch-dent-from-129-free-shipping
__________________________________________
I would get an 11” Dell Chromebook for $122 with the code. 4GB memory.
“it’s much easier to get real work done on a Windows-powered 2-in-1 PC than it is on Android or iOS-powered hardware.”
And have it stolen by Microsoft using Windows 10 in the name of “customer service”.
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