The ultimate guide to tablets
Apple's iPad reintroduced us to the tablet computer, a device that Microsoft attempted to popularize in the early 2000s with little success (while such tablet PC products are still around, we won't be including these devices in our new definition of tablets). With a touch-centric mobile OS at heart, the iPad became a huge success. With the equally impressive iPad 2, Apple has cemented its status as the market leader in tablets. More importantly, the iPad proved that there is demand for such devices.
Apple reportedly has 68 percent of this market, while tablets from other manufacturers make up the rest. Most of these alternatives use Google's Android OS, with the tablet-centric Honeycomb 3.x version preferred. However, not all tablets have been successful--HP discontinued its webOS-powered tablet. It also means that there are just three tablet platforms currently--iOS, Android and the BlackBerry Tablet OS.
You can expect to see more upheavals in the tablet segment. Amazon has launched a US$199 Kindle Fire slate that could lead to more affordable tablets. Vendors continue to increase the capabilities of these devices, with the introduction of quad-core-powered tablets such as the Asus Transformer Prime. The latest Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich OS is also likely to start appearing in new tablets. Then, there's Windows 8, which aims to be a single unified OS for all computing devices, including tablets. Whether Microsoft will succeed this time round is anyone's guess.
To keep abreast of the latest developments in this exciting segment, we have prepared this tablet guide with buying advice and other helpful tips.
