@Jacob, this is my thoughts too that Dell will certainly need to intensify efforts on tablet sector, if it's going to retain a viable market position in the PC market war.
Good point. There are many portable apps like SalesForce.com and Sage Act with many versions under "Productivity" in the Apps Directory for both SmartPhones and tablets. People in sales probably have the biggest incentive to go mobile as they spend much of their time in airports and on the road.
I recently sat next to a passenger on a plane that was using an e-reader. It tuns out she has the same user profile as me: home office worker, doesn't travel frequently, and prefers reading to working when possible. She loves her e-reader and finds she doesn't have the same issues on the road as smartphones and PCs. (Checking it in, turning it off, etc.) I'm beginning to plan my purchase of my next device...still wavering on tablet vs e-reader but I hope to test drive them all this weekend.
Speaking for myself, I'm convinced one of the reason for PC sales' falling down is about different level of investments for PC and smartphone in advertising. We are assisting to ads flood for smartphones, but what about PCs or notebook? My feeling is that the picture is really different.
I tend to read a little before sleeping and sometimes I have online articles that I would reserve for the end of the day reading.Tablets are perfect for this and for catching up with the news as you noted. Right now, if I don't have to write as much as I do today, I would probably go for a tablet. They've become the new take-on-the-road device!
Cryptoman, For some functions most people are still going to go with a notebook computer and that augurs well for companies like Dell that are still dominant in PCs. Even Apple is focusing on the PC market and has gained market share in recent years.
Companies that have not been able to crack into the tablet and smartphone markets are still suffering, though. There are today many occupations which don't require as much intensive work as a design engineer might need to do, including sales people, for instance. This is where tablets are hurting PC sales. When it's time to replace the hardware needs of these people, it will come down to either the tablet or a large-screen smartphone.
Bolaji, Speaking for myself, I still have my iPad one and I use it more than my laptop which is doubling as my desktop when connected to a 27" monitor. I have all the office applications and various tools to support my business expense tracking, contacts, productivity, and reference needs. I have a bluetooth keyboard for the iPad but I really don't use it much. Before I get out of bed in the morning, I have already checked my email, read EBN blogs, and Skyped with a few business partners and friends. My iPad is the main source of my chronic case of "Mophobia"... a CNET term for fear of leaving the house without all my mobile devices fully charged and ready for the day's demands. If I was a doctor, I would recommend taking one tablet daily and smart phoning me in the morning.
I think there is still a good market for notebooks in most technical areas of work. I agree that smartphones and nice looking slim tablets can replace the notebook of a CEO, salesman or a project manager, however, a notebook is still a very much needed tool for engineers who develop the smartphones and the tablets. Anyone who is involved in software and hardware development will also agree with me.
I can see that the desktop computers are likely to become obsolete due to their chunky size and unportable nature. This inevitable trand is further accelerated by the growing power and portability of the netbook computers. Nowadays having a powerful notebook much more preferrable than having a brick wall shaped desktop on the side of a desk t work and at home.
Although Dell's notebook sales may have taken a hit, I don't think this will be a growing trend. As long as corporations and individuals need notebooks, Dell will be able to sell powerful, reliable and good looking machines as it always have been.
I don't think that tablets and notebooks are alternatives for one another. I believe they are complementary technologies in many ways and most people (like myself) prefer to have a notebook as well as a tablet to cater for all the computing needs.
Prabhakar, HP hasn't done that much better. It has announced the company will be cutting more than 27,000 jobs and it isn't back in the tablets market yet. It is going to be the subject of my next blog.
In this context , I am interested to know how HP has fared in the last 6 months - its PC business and the Tablets . Hp tried to enetr tablet market much earlier than Dell .
EBN Dialogue enables and encourages you to participate in live chats with notable leaders and luminaries. Not only editors and journalists, but the entire EBN community is able to comment and ask questions. Listed below are upcoming and archived chats.
Archived Dialogues
Thailand Stages a Comeback Join EBN contributor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday August 23, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. EST for a live chat on how electronic manufacturers in Thailand have shored up their supply chain to reduce the impact of future natural disasters.
Euro-Crisis: What It Means for High-Tech Firms Join EBN Editor in Chief Bolaji Ojo and Contributing Editor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday, July 12, at 10:00 a.m. EDT for a Live Chat on high-tech and Europe's economic difficulties.
Microsoft Surface: Potential Winners & Losers What are the implications for the electronics industry supply chain of Microsoft Corp.'s decision to launch its own tablet PC? Join industry veteran and EE Times' systems and OEM expert Rick Merritt on Tuesday, July 3, at 12:00 pm EDT for a Live Chat on this subject.
Join EBN contributor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday August 23, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. EST for a live chat on how electronic manufacturers in Thailand have shored up their supply chain to reduce the impact of future natural disasters.
Peter Drucker famously said "Trying to predict the future is like trying to drive down a country road at night with no lights while looking out the back window." Yet in the razor's-edge world of electronics—with a lean supply chain and just-in-time demands—the need to know the future is vital.
You've heard the saying "the No. 1 supply chain risk is your people." That hasn't always been the case. But today's complex global supply chain requires a new type of multitalented employee. It's one who understands, finance, marketing, economics, is savvy with technology, graceful with relationships and can think analytically.
Where are these people? Are universities properly preparing the next generation supply chain professionals? How do train your existing workforce for these new, demanding positions?
Brian Fuller, editor-in-chief of EBN, will lead a 60-minute Avnet Velocity panel discussion that will ask and answer these and other questions swirling around today's supply-chain talent challenges.
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