They Make Consumers More Mobile

If there is anything that tablets are good for, its being mobile. With the continued expansion of 3G and 4G networks, more consumers will want to be mobile. Tablets make that simple and easy, which is why theyre becoming more and more popular. Mobility is everything in todays marketplace and tablets have helped ensure that it stays that way.

To some extent, enterprise users still lug around heftier laptops from the office to a clients office, but tablets have made that trek much easier. Tablets are lightweight and thin, which makes them perfect for a bag or purse, and they can still be loaded with enterprise-focused applications. For the enterprise, tablets have dramatically changed how mobile employees do business.

One of the reasons tablets are so important in todays marketplace is their ability to offer productivity. Yes, people can get caught up playing Angry Birds on the iPad, but they can also type out documents, view spreadsheets and answer email. Tablets also accommodate applications developed in-house by companies. In many ways, tablets vastly improve productivity.

So, why do tablets matter? One word: money. Tablets are big business. According to a recent survey released by research firm IDC, 53.5 million tablets will ship this year, up from the companys initial forecast of 50.4 million units. Considering tablets retail for several hundred dollars, the devices have already carved out a multibillion-dollar industry, especially when you add on the value of accessories and application sales. That much money makes vendors and retailers take notice.

Although there are still quite a few folks out there that take issue with Apple and its business practices, any market that it enters immediately matters. The company has a knack for delivering products that validate new markets and make people want to get involved with those new markets and industries that inevitably grow up around them. The iPad has been no different. The device has single-handedly put tablets in the forefront of consumers and enterprise users minds.

If Apple is a reason tablets matter, Google cant be left out. The company has built a major stake in the tablet market with the steady updates of its Android mobile operating system. Now Google has such a presence in the tablet market that Microsoft is working day and night to find ways to trump the search giant. This competition has fueled intense product and application development in the tablet market.

For a long time, people would opt for lightweight notebooks to be productive while they were away from home. But in little more than a year, tablets have cut deeply into the sales of netbooks and are now working on hurting sales of lightweight notebooks. The future of small, compact notebooks is in doubt because of tablets, and if that doesnt show why slates matter, what does?

If there is any market that will continue to see a host of device launches, its the tablet space. Over the next several months, a host of tablets will be hitting store shelves, and they will be followed up by a whole new generation of devices next year. The next several years will be jam-packed with tablet releases, which means customers will have no choice but to care about the devices.

Although touch-screen technology is typically associated with tablets and smartphones, the reality is, touch-screens are everywhere nowadays. For a long time, the technology wasnt growing as quickly as it should have. But with tablets gaining popularity, and more and more people using (and liking) the touch-screens on those devices, the touch-display technology is starting to move into nontraditional markets, such as notebooks and laptops. Both inside and outside the tablet space, consumers can expect far better touch displays in the coming years.

Surprisingly, Microsoft has little to no presence in the tablet market right now. As recent analyst reports have shown, tablets are cannibalizing some PC sales. In other words, Microsofts lack of a presence in the tablet space is hurting the company and could further marginalize its importance in the industry. If that continues, Microsoft could find itself in trouble. If that doesnt show why tablets matter in todays technology industry, what does?