Since it launched in 2008 , Apple ’ s App Store has amassed an incredible 3.6 million apps to download . TECH CONNECTION by ANDY PENFOLD
Tablets just keep getting better — they ’ re more powerful and more portable than ever . They have incredibly high-resolution HDR displays , offer the ability to edit photography and video , and can be used to enjoy high-quality , complex gaming . But what would happen if you binned your laptop and replaced it with a tablet ?
Plenty of power
The line between laptops and tablets has blurred considerably in the past few years . For example , you ’ ll find hybrid laptops with detachable touch screens , which means you can use them as a tablet . You ’ ll also find iPad models that have the same processor as the latest Mac computers , so the choice isn ’ t about raw computing power .
It ’ s all in the OS
The key distinction between laptops and tablets is the operating system . PC-style tablets usually run Windows , which makes them the same as PCs but with additional touch-screen features . Apple ’ s iPads run iPadOS , an operating system designed specifically for the tablet experience . This means that it has its own App Store and its own way of doing things such as multitasking . Tablets outside the Mac / PC universe tend to run Android , the mobile operating system that powers more than two-thirds of the world ’ s smartphones .
Practical drawbacks
All of this means there are compromises . While it ’ s great for digital artists to draw directly on a screen , they ’ ll probably need a computer as well for
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the times when they need a big screen : tablets don ’ t tend to work well with an external monitor . Writers might find a keyboard they like for their tablet of choice , but research isn ’ t as straightforward with tablet multitasking , and the copy and paste function can be clunky without a mouse .
The right tool for the right job
These limitations are important when a tablet is your only device . All tech decisions come down to your needs , and in some specific cases a tablet might be enough for you . If you spend your computing time writing emails , browsing the internet and watching media , you might be very happy with a tablet-only experience . There ’ s usually a way to do just about anything on a tablet . But for work , you usually need the quickest way — and that invariably means reaching for a laptop .
Tablet or laptop
Can you replace your laptop with a tablet ?
HUGH BURDEN
Andy Penfold is a Bristol-based freelance technology writer whose work has appeared in Macworld , The Big Issue and many other national publications .
COSTCO CONNECTION
You ’ ll find tablet , laptop and desktop computers in Costco warehouses and at Costco . co . uk .
The secret sauce
Tablets are amazing devices , and their real magic is the software . Apps are where it ’ s at with tablets , and there are plenty of powerful options . For example , Adobe makes iPad versions of Photoshop , Illustrator and Pixelmator Photo for painters and photo retouchers . Writers should check out Bear ( free ), designed to make writing focused and simple . You can also get tablet versions of Microsoft Office apps if you want that conventional experience .— AP
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