The defining fourth quarter is here. Research firm IDC predicts tablet computer shipments will overtake personal computers, reaching 84.1 million units, compared to 83.1 million for desktops and notebooks. For the entire year, worldwide tablet shipments is pegged at 227.4 million units.
These devices are being produced in a range of shapes and sizes. Hesham Tantawi, Vice-President, ASBIS, leading distributor of Information Technology products, in the Middle East, Turkey and Africa, believes that once users have tried out a tablet and realised its benefits, they will inevitably discover ways to use it in other spheres of their lives before, eventually, settling on the form factor that works best for them. But excess choice is often followed by a shakeout, where only a few options live on to see the future. Tantawi says, "Like in every industry, which is being flooded with such a variety, one’s natural will is to find a universal solution that has all the benefits in one device. Thus, it is likely that some of the form factors would become more popular and displace the others." He believes that consumers will gravitate towards smaller sizes, but is quick to point out that the market for large tablets will not vanish.
Full-size tablets
Overview: It is the original iPad that made this form factor mainstream and brought it to homes everywhere.
Size: Eight inches and more. Most popular is the 9.7-inch iPad and the 10.1-inch Galaxy Tab from Samsung. At the fringe, you have the 13.3-inch Toshiba Excite 13 AT335. And to stretch the category further, you could drag in the Panasonic 4K Toughbook, which sports a 20-inch screen.
Pros and cons: There is enough screen estate to surf and watch movies in style or view complex PDFs files and comics without zooming. However, full-size tablets tend to be heavy and impossible to hold in one hand for any extended duration.
Specs: The large size allows manufacturers to cram in a bigger battery, more radios and better ventilation. They may include a SIM card slot for 3G, but usually lack a phone dialler. The large screen size also means that pixel density is low and content does not look so sharp — unless a 1080p resolution or above panel has been used.
Cool factor: Paired with a wireless keyboard, they can double up as decent laptop replacements.
Standout tablets: iPad 4, Sony Xperia Z, Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, Google Nexus 10.
Watch out for: Google Nexus 11, Kindle Fire HD
8.9-inch, and of course, the iPad 5.
Phablets
Overview: Samsung launched the Galaxy Note and created an entirely new category. And it was so successful that other phone makers had no choice but to jump into the phablet ring. The only big holdout is Apple, which if rumours are to be believed, might launch its version next year.
Size: Five to seven inches. It is that grey area between a phone and a mini-tablet.
Pros and cons: They are great for media consumption, browsing and reading Bwooks. They can act as both phones and tablets. The cons, however, are similar to that of mini tablets, but more emphasised — large format content is painful to consume on the smaller screen. And its too large for a pocket.
Specs: This is the hottest category currently, and is getting the most attention. Expect cutting-edge specs to start off here and then trickle to larger tablets such as the Snapdragon 800 and Tegra 4 processors, upgrades to pen input tech and new software features.
Cool factor: They are what iPhones used to be a few years ago — the in thing.
Standout phablets: Sony Xperia Z Ultra, Samsung Galaxy Note 2, Galaxy Mega, Asus Fonepad Note, Huawei Ascend Mate, LG Optimus G Pro
Watch out for: Samsung Galaxy Note 3, Nokia 1520, HTC One Max, LG G2 and Sony Xperia Z1.
Hybrids
Overview: Microsoft’s Windows 8 may currently be struggling to earn the consumer’s undying love, but the touch-friendly OS has certainly triggered an avalanche of innovative and offbeat forms. Hybrids come with screens and keyboards that can be separated at the hinges or folded back, twisted around, swivelled out of sight, slid up or down. In some cases, the cover doubles up as a keyboard.
Size: These were typically in the ten-inch and above range. But a new wave of Windows 8.1 tablets will be available in the eight-inch segment.
Pros and cons: Hybrids tend to be far more powerful than regular tablets, since they run on a fullblown OS. You get access to Microsoft Office and it is a viable laptop replacement. On the downside, battery life is nowhere close to that of an ARM based tablet. They also tend to be clunky and heavy.
Specs: Typically run off Intel processors. The introduction of the new battery-sipping Haswell processors is expected to give this category a big boost. If you are in the market for a hybrid, get one that has a fourth generation Intel processor.
Cool factor: These are made for coffee shop use — count on getting more than a few stares as your device morphs from a tablet to a laptop and back.
Standout hybrids: Microsoft Surface Pro, Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga, Asus VivoTab Smart, HP Envy X2, Dell XPS 12, Acer Iconia Tab W500.
Watch out for: Asus Transformer Book Trio, Samsung Ativ Q, Lenovo Miix 8, Microsoft Surface 2, Sony Vaio Duo 13.
Mini-tablets
Overview: The need for smaller tablets was answered, most famously, by Samsung with the Galaxy Tab. Today, mini-tablets is the fastest growing category. So much so, that even Apple had to move downhill with the 7.9-inch iPad Mini — a wildly popular but under-specced tablet.
Size: Seven to eight inches. You will find a zillion tablets at the seven-inch mark, most from Chinese brands. Pros and cons: Tablets in this form tend to be light and portable. The screen size, as you would expect, leads to a few trade-offs. It is perfect for reading ebooks, but PDFs, drawings or any graphic content needs to be scrolled/zoomed into often.
Specs: The shrunken size means that only a smaller battery can be crammed in. This is usually balanced by a lower power draw from the screen. But when paired with a high resolution display panel, the increased pixel density leads to stunning visuals.
Cool factor: You can slip them into a large pocket or purse, hold them in one hand, and even use some as oversized phones.
Standout tablets - iPad Mini, Google Nexus FHD,Asus MeMO Pad HD, Galaxy Note 8.
Watch out for: Samsung Galaxy Tab 3, Kindle Fire HD 7, Nvidia Tegra Tab, Dell Venue.
