BEARING in mind that it's shiny, new, versatile and easier to carry, it's not difficult to make a case for using the tablet for any number of things.
Research firm IDC thinks tablets and smartphones will pass the PC for internet use by 2015, and we’re already see- ing everyone from executives to artists pulling out the portable device.
David McPherson, the managing director of Newcastle technical consultancy firm Aegis IT, sees ever more business apps being developed to work on tablets in the future. But that’s not all.
He said: “Businesses tend to re-develop their software every seven years, but many will have their apps tablet-enabled very soon.
“We’re also talking to people like Leeds Metropolitan University about giving tablets to students as a differentiator as tuition fees set in. It’s like when banks would give you gifts for having an account. Students would get a tablet with all the relevant educational apps installed on it.”
Aegis is holding a series of workshops to showcase the potential of technologies such as the Huawei S7 tablet and VMware’s virtual desktop product for tablets called VMView.
The event, next Tuesday, September 20 will be open to all sectors, while the Thursday, September 22 event will be focused on the education sector, and public sector workers will be able to attend a session on September 27. More information is available on 0191 300 2155.
Aegis says it is working with high-profile educational institutions on how they might develop apps that can enable information such as their research to be downloaded from all over the world.
Apple currently has a 73% market share in the UK tablet market, according to research by Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, but that could well fall as 28% of those planning to buy a tablet waver on which brand to buy.
The idea of tablets for education is gaining weight around the world. Thai prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra has announced a wish to give every grade 1 student a device, and universities such as Seton Hall in New Jersey have handed them out as part of a pilot project.
McPherson said: “We’re looking at the vision of a student being given a tablet at maybe seven years old, and going through the educational experience using that sort of device to learn. The thing about iPads is they’re quite pricey. Android tablets are coming in at less than half the price so they might be adopted much more readily. It’s also much easier to put something on the market on Android that meets your specifications, as the Apple App Store is more heavily structured.”
Aegis is also talking to large companies about the prospect of their staff using tablets, opening up the potential for home and remote working. McPherson, however, concedes there’s a culture hurdle to overcome first. He said: “We’ve talked about that utopia quite a lot, but big corporates still like having factory farms of people in big rooms. The technology is there but there’s still a reluctance.
“People like Hays Travel have a massive home worker base, and younger companies aren’t phased by this shift. But there’s a lot of senior managers that just want all their staff in the same place.”
