Relative merits of Laptops and Convertible Tablets

Craig Pringle, fellow Tablet PC MVP, is beginning a series on comparing the relative merits of laptops and convertible tablets. Well worth reading and following. Subscribe to his blog if you don’t already.

It is my opinion that the distinct types of devices are evaporating as the spaces between the types are populated.  Instead of distinct types we now have broad and overlapping categories populating points along a continuum of mobile device.

In this post I am going to compare the relative merits of the traditional laptop and the convertible tablet.  Before I begin let me start by stating the obvious.  I am speaking in general terms in this post.  If I make a sweeping, general statements like “Laptops are physically bigger than convertible tablets” I fully accept that it does not apply in every case.  For example there are some ultra-portable laptops.   That’s fine – as I said we are dealing with broad and overlapping categories.  The exceptions to sweeping statements are the overlaps.