Are Tablets Really Replacing Laptops?

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   Jacqueline4390posted 10 years ago

   
   I am excited about all the latest technology that has become apparent in the 21st century. This is especially true about tablets! From the introduction of the Ipad in 2010 the evolution of tablets has become more and more like laptops that I begin to wonder who really needs one. Tablets are convenient, attractive and you can take them anywhere without the bulk. Even the 10.8” tablets are just fabulous! I can’t wait to get mine for Christmas!
   
   So—are laptops becoming obsolete? Are they becoming the new dinosaurs?

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      Jacqueline4390posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      It really seems like developers are manufacturers and putting more emphasis on tablets than laptops. I really like how I can do so much more on my tablet than before. I think if the sizes of the storage keeps growing; I may not be buying either a desktop or laptop in the future. (Although, I do have my eyes on a certain Dell All-in-one.)

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         Jacqueline4390posted 10 years agoin reply to this

         Yes, so do I. I really am enjoying the advantage of having a less cluttered desk and being able to take my work with me wherever I go. I think the All-in-One is a great investment for anyone and it definitely gives you room. However, as you say ... if they increase a tablet's storage or for that matter ... if you are able to add more peripherals such as 3 USB 3.0 SSD drives and an SD card that holds 500 GB!

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      bBereanposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      If your using a new Microsoft Surface, the tablet already has replaced the PC.  It is a full desktop PC equivalent running all the needed MS software.  Combined with network access and cloud computing there is no need for another PC.  I still have a docking station with a high resolution monitor and wireless keyboard so when in my office it can feel like a good old fashioned desktop. 
      
      Check the specs on the new Surface and tell me what your laptop or desktop does that it doesn't.  If you do have anything, tell me if configured as I described above, it still wouldn't do everything you want.  It even probably supports a higher resolution monitor then your current PC.

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         Jacqueline4390posted 10 years agoin reply to this

         I was on the Microsoft website and I saw that the Surface Pro even offers 512 GB HD. Now if THAT is not impressive ... I don't know what is. However, I don't have that type of account with Microsoft so I can't possible afford the Surface Pro :-(
         
         However, I can afford a Dell Venue Pro 11 and I am able to do the same things. And, with the advent of a USB 3.0 slot; I will be able to carry extra space and work. My Ipad can't do that.

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      gposchmanposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Since I use one and have no intentions of giving it up, I guess I am a dinosaur also. I do not own a smart phone, I may one day supplement my laptop for a tablet, but when I am writing I like to use a keyboard with real keys. A membrane pad just doesn't do it for me.
      
      I just saw a picture of a bunch of teenagers in a museum in front of a Rembrandt, everyone of them was on their smart phones testing, not one was aware of the art they were sitting in front of.
      
      Take the warning.............
      
      

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         Jacqueline4390posted 10 years agoin reply to this

         I hear you! "T-Rex" and I admire your willingness to keep doing whatever makes you comfortable. Nothing wrong with that! I love my tablets. In fact I am using one of them now. I am sure that there will always be some who think as you do! Just don't become extinct!

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            gposchmanposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            Here is irony for you, My career for the last 40 plus years has been in computer technology. I started working at Safeway with men who had worked at NASA developing HASP and Darpa (the precursor to the internet). They were hired by Safeway to centralize their computer systems so they could then set them up for distributed processing. Does the concept sound familiar to you?
            
            I have spent the last Twenty years consulting on developing education on the internet, and helping small brick and mortar businesses gain an internet presence.
            
            Now that I am retired I am following my first love, writing and I am working on my second novel in a mystery series circa 1930's-1940's. I have walked away from computer/software development to explore the noir detective story.
            
            Gene Poschman
            
            PS.  My middle name is Rex.

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               Jacqueline4390posted 10 years agoin reply to this

               That is irony! Especially, the middle name being Rex! I have toyed with mystery myself and I wrote a short for one of my hubs. As a youngster, I used to subscribe to "Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine." I just loved reading his stories and that of Agatha Christie. My dad had a lot of her books and others lying around the house and instead of being outside getting into mischief; I was reading my butt off. You have lived an very dynamic and interesting life! I love writing too ... every since I was 9 years when I wrote my first story. But computers ... especially the tablets are my second passion!

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                  gposchmanposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                  I like the British mystery writers, from Conan Doyle , Dorothy L. Sayers, Dame Agatha through Dick Francis, but my favorites are Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, Rex Stout, and Mickey Spillane. Oddly enough I am a big SF and F reader too.  I was a lousy reader as a kid, and I was always outside getting into mischief, it wasn't till my early twenties that I really started reading for pleasure and now I have a library of several thousand books I share with my wife. She was always a voracious reader.

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                     Jacqueline4390posted 10 years agoin reply to this

                     Just the opposite. I read constantly as a kid. When I because an adult and got involved into serious writing; I do more reading on the Internet than with traditional books. They take up a lot of space. (I have a collection of college textbooks that is ridiculous!)

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      Dreamworkerposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I don't see that this will ever happen totally because although laptops are smaller, they are also more inconvenient in many ways, especially for those who wear glasses or have trouble holding them due to health problems such as arthritis.
      
      I certainly would never want to try to write hubs on a tablet, that's for sure.

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         Jacqueline4390posted 10 years agoin reply to this

         They are making the keyboards better and some will allow you to dock and add full size monitors.  I do my hubs in MS Word and then do a copy and paste anyway. That helps me with grammar and spelling. I can understand your point.
         
         People use laptops, chrome books, ultra books and tablets to keep from being chained to the desk. With the tablet you just take it to any part of the room, you can even take it comfortably to bed with you on a cold night. You can read complete novels on them with no problem turning pages. My daughter used hers to take college notes. Some schools give them to the students to work with.
         
         I've finally got my Dell Venue Pro 11 and it has a large 10.8" viewing screen and windows 8.1.

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            Dreamworkerposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            Oh yes, I know they are handy and have many uses...but for some people they will never work.

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               Jacqueline4390posted 10 years agoin reply to this

               Truly you are right! For those folks they will have to continue with the traditional computer setup. I can't help but think how unfortunate that is. I am probably bias because I used to bang away on those old manual typewriters and when I was able to get ahold of an electric one, it was so grand.
               
               So, even though I have a lot of problems with both my hands and eyes; I keep trying new technology stopping when by tendinitis and Glaucoma act up.

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      Jacqueline4390posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I have really been enjoying my new Windows 8.1 tablet. It does everything that I need in the way of portability although I must confess that it will NOT take the place of my laptop which will NOT take the place of my desktop. However, when it comes to being convenient; having a tablet in bed late nights is much better than having a laptop.
      
      If you decide to get a Windows 8.1 tablet. please be sure to get at least a 64 GB one. Windows 8.1 takes up a lot of space and having anything less is just not wise. I also bought a SSD USB 3.0 "thumb drive" It has 120 GB of space which really adds to storage. Tablets are great and I believe that better ones are on the horizon which will have hard drives that rivals laptops!

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      Jacqueline4390posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I just received the Mobile Docking Tablet for my Dell Venue Pro 11 and I am starting to believe that just maybe tablets are getting an edge on the laptops. It looks like laptops are trying to be more like tablets (the convertible 2-in-1) and tablets are becoming more like laptops.
      
      Does this leave the good old Desktop in the dust or maybe the attic? Are there still those who prefer to be "chained" to their desk? Should the question be "Are Desktops Going the Way of the Dinosaur?"

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         bBereanposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         Powerful tablet + docking station = who needs a desktop?

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            Jacqueline4390posted 10 years agoin reply to this

            Exactly!

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   easylearningwebposted 10 years ago

   To be honest, I can't see this happening especially in the business world, but I can see it trending in the household a bit more. I have an iPad and although I love it, I can't use it for certain things, and when using certain websites, there's limitations with functionality. Example: I use a neat program called Lumosity which is a brain trainer game software program, and if I use my iPad (or any mobile device or tablet), there are limitations on the available games. The only way I can have full access to all functionality is if I use my laptop computer. That's just one small example, but I have come across others.
   
   I also have a family member that opted to purchase a new, supposedly fully loaded new Windows based tablet but ended up returning it because certain programs and apps were not available and not functioning properly. I think it all depends on what you need to accomplish on your mobile device, laptop or desktop computer.
   
   In the business world, where robust development software is needed, along with a larger monitor, I still vote for the laptop with a wide screen. Gotta have my wide screen! ;-)
   
   I think stores, media and manufacturers are pushing tablets because at the moment, but from a computer lover and geek, I can honestly say that I love my laptop!

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      Jacqueline4390posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I am positive that what you are saying at the present time seeems true. However, what about the hybrids such as Dell Venue Pro 11 which have Windows 8.1. There are programs that can be used on desktops and laptops that can also be used on this tablet.
      
      I also have an Ipad and although it is super for games; it doesn't do exact what I need in the way of my home-office business. This is where the tablets that have Windows 8.1 can indeed give an advantage. I even went on the Microsoft website and saw that their Surface tablet will offer up to 512 GB on storage space.
      
      I can download the full product of Microsoft Office 2013 on my upcoming Dell Venue Pro 11 which will give me so much more mobility. I will not be stuck at my desk. Also it has a 3.0 USB port that you can't find on my Ipad. You must admit ... this is very impressive!

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         easylearningwebposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         This is impressive, thanks for this info.  But it will take more to convince me. Right now I use a newer Dell laptop for online instructional design and development and the programs are huge and I need a power house computer to do this.
         
         Then I have an older laptop that I have tuned up a couple times and I use that for my writing and Internet research so as not to clog up my new laptop.
         
         I love to use the iPad when I sit on the couch and watch TV and I could browse, shop, and pay bills etc.
         
         I miss my iPhone and opted for an Android earlier this year because of the big screen but now I wish I had waited for the iPhone larger screen model.
         
         Toys, toys, toys, we gotta have them.
         
         I will definitely be on the lookout for newer powerhouse tablets in the near future and I'm sure I will get one but I will still have my laptops too. :-)

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            Jacqueline4390posted 10 years agoin reply to this

            I hear you. I have an entire home office filled with gadgets. And, I must agree that the tablets are definitely not able to handle the load now. However, when I was away from home and wanted my client to see the status of a graphic design project ... I pulled out my trusty Ipad and since it was saved as a jpeg, I was able to produce the results.
            
            Just suppose though that I had one with Windows 8.1 and I happened to have my USB drive. I would have been able to do improvement right then. MS Word now has the ability to edit PDF files which I have to save some of my clients' projects in. But I had to wait until I got home after jotting down the notes that I needed to incorporate the change.
            
            Right now, it may not be feasible but in the future, who knows. Its at best a wait and see proposition. In the meantime, I am looking forward to my new "toy" so that I can load my Office 2013 on it. I admit that I should have opt for a larger storage than I did; but Dell told me that I could send it back and upgrade.

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         gposchmanposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         I spent some time at Amdahl putting notebooks into the hands of salesmen (Talk about Dinosaurs), part of my job was to evaluate notebooks/laptops. I had to train and convince a large field sales force that they would be an excellent tool for them. Many didn't want to open the box. We chose a laptop from Panasonic at the time because you could drop kick them through a goal post and they still worked. Our biggest obstetrical at the time was coffee in the keyboard.   If a manufacturer can reproduce the stability of that Panasonic with the membrane keyboard, provide the processing power and the storage then I agree with Jacqueline business will embrace the template, especially if the price is low.
         
         My one concern about computing today is there is too much emphasis in the cloud, security there sucks and it is too easy to hack. I stay out of it.
         
         Oh, six months after the salesmen(Even the worst of the Dinosaurs) got their machines, you couldn't take them away from them without a fight.
         
         Gene Poschman

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            Jacqueline4390posted 10 years agoin reply to this

            That "cloud" concept has my head spinning. I think there is enough "junk" in space without my documents floating around there (smile.) I prefer flash drives and DVD which I have so many you could build a doll house! I label them and put them into notebooks and on the wall shelves and under the table shelves and in storage boxes. Now that's technology ... the old shoe box storage bin!

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   mdgardnerposted 10 years ago

   I don't see it in the near future. Maybe 10 years from now. I do see more of the flexible items like the laptops that can either be folded into a tablet or the tablets with a detachable keyboard taking over. At my job we are replacing all desktops with laptops. I think the desktops are pretty much gone except for libraries and computer labs.

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      Jacqueline4390posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I really think it will be sooner than 10 years! Just think about it was only 4 years ago (2010) that Steve Jobs introduced the Ipad. After that nearly everybody and their grandmother wanted one. My son bought me one about 3 months after they came out. My daughter had one the next month that her husband bought her and rushed over to show me! I was so impressed that I ordered me a clone on one of the websites. It came DOA so I sent it back. A month later, my son who was overseas in the Air Force, bought me one online and it was shipped to me.
      
      Within 10 years, yes there will still be some of us who will be banging away at our all-in-one computers; but there will be a lot of us with the hybrids. The tablets with detachable keyboard and docking stations that can plug up to full screen monitors!
      
      As the old saying is "The future is NOW!"

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   Dressage Husbandposted 10 years ago

   Tablets and smart phones are the wave of the future, hooked up by Wifi or bluetooth to printers and hard drives, even keyboards that do not have to be attached to them. Touch screens are the new wave.

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      Jacqueline4390posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Please, say that again and again :-)

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         bBereanposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         My wife and I just upgraded our phones.  Two different brands and styles, but both have UltraHD, (4 times the resolution of HD tv), and more processing power and even storage than several old computers still living in the basement.  I'd say they are moving along quickly.

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            Jacqueline4390posted 10 years agoin reply to this

            Now that is impressive. Of course our computers of "yesterday" didn't have the power. At the time, we thought it was great but now ... no comparison. I remember my first desktop had 120 MB HD and 4 MB RAM. That's MB not GB!

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               bBereanposted 10 years agoin reply to this

               My first experience was on an Eagle my mom had.  The hard drive was a floppy, (and it really was floppy).
               
               

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                  Jacqueline4390posted 10 years agoin reply to this

                  Oh my ... the big floppies? Yes ... I do remember those. Isn't technology amazing? From those big old monitors that I could barely move to something so small I can hold in my hand! Got to love it!

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                     bBereanposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                     I remember designing something in an early version of DesignCad, on those 5" floppies, into a 486 PC, then sending it to a dot matrix printer which took an hour to figure out how to produce a horrible rendering.  It was fascinating!

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                        Jacqueline4390posted 10 years agoin reply to this

                        OMG dot matrix printers! You are a true techie! I remember all of that. It looks like I have spent my entire life in technology. The old "hard floppies" WordPerfect installs before CDs and Corel took over. Now, we only need to download everything from the 'Net. I remember when Prodigy was my first provider! Those slow old Modems with dial-up!

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                           bBereanposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                           Confessions..I miss the modem sound, the lightening or running man as it loaded, and tearing off the tracks from the paper.  I remember entering data and getting 30 screens ahead and just sitting back and watching as the computer caught up. 
                           
                           I first realized how big this would be when chatting with someone on CompuServe, (pre-internet).  They asked where I was.  I said I was in the North West.  I asked where he was and he said "Back East".  Never occurred to me he wasn't in the US.  I asked were exactly and he said, "East Germany".  That's what happens when your a techie insomniac.  You get to talk to East Germans. 

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                              Jacqueline4390posted 10 years agoin reply to this

                              WOW ... CompuServe was "outsourcing" way back then! Well hit me with a bologna sandwich and call me shorty! There is definitely nothing new! I had CompuServe as well. I remember those old Packard Bell computers! I was so very glad when PCs were made available at a decent price! Now look at times! My Dell Dimension 3000 with Windows XP is already extinct. Not to mention my Compaq with Windows 98. How I loved Windows 98. Heck ... I remember MS DOS!

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                                 bBereanposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                                 Was it DOS 6.0 or 3.0 that had the first "shell"?  Instead of black and white or monochrome, we had pictures of little folders making up trees.  Again, fascinating.

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                                    Jacqueline4390posted 10 years agoin reply to this

                                    Anything before DOS 6.0 I do not remember; I don't think! But I do know that It was so tedious having to remember all those commands. That was back when you really had to know your computer. Even WordPerfect was in MS DOS 6.0 and when Windows 3.1 came out we let out a cheer. When Windows 95 came out we let out a yell. And when Windows 98 came out; we let out a ROAR!

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                                       bBereanposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                                       Now that our toasters have more processing power, we are speechless. 
                                       
                                       

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                                          Jacqueline4390posted 10 years agoin reply to this

                                          I always heard that bread talks ... or is that money!

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   Sed-meposted 10 years ago

   Ive always found the tablets much harder to swallow.

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      Jacqueline4390posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      WOW ... really?! It was love at first sight for me. Now, it was the Smartphones that gave me a little bit of a jolt! Once I got pass that; the tablet is just a larger version of the phone to me.

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         bBereanposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         She means as opposed to the capsules or soft gels.

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   Sed-meposted 10 years ago

   Jacqueline, if it weren't for kind ppl like bBerean, no one would ever know what I was talking about.
   I don't know why I go to such lengths to make a joke, they aren't especially funny. I think it keeps me from having to do anything that's actually productive.

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      bBereanposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I just happen to be afflicted with the same sense of humor.   
      
      Hey!  I thought you didn't like puns!

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         Sed-meposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         It's a pun mixed with a sight gag... It's gotta be worth a little something.

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      Jacqueline4390posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      OMG ... you were joking! I guess I really take things far too literally! I am watching Home Alone 3, trying to get some work done, getting ready to play a video game and doing this! Talk about multi-tasking!

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         Sed-meposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         How cute are you? You sound like a teenager.
         Yeah, literal ppl don't get me at all! Usually they dislike me immensely.
         Anything that is over-the-top-ridiculous, makes me laugh.
         I try to keep it together, but the less sleep I get the more obnoxious I am.
         You're ex-IRS though... Im gonna play it cool with you. I can't handle an audit.

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            bBereanposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            I know I posted this in another thread, but must repeat...
            Kleptomaniacs are difficult to explain puns to because they tend to take things, literally.

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               Sed-meposted 10 years agoin reply to this

               RETRACTED!!! Ill be banned before I can post this edit.

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                  bBereanposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                  I noticed you avoided it the first time, and the person who had that thread created a nearly identical one excluding my contribution.  I like it.

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                     Sed-meposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                     lol... Puns are like sharks... I know they're out there, but I try not to acknowledge them lest I be paralyzed with fear.

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   bBereanposted 10 years ago

   I still have a CompuServe umbrella which represents one of many items CompuServe gave us to distribute at a meeting we held in our home with other parents of disabled children.  We were showing them how computers would be the future in terms of networking and sourcing research data and medical information.

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   word55posted 10 years ago

   no, people get used to using something and they like it.

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   Sherry Hewinsposted 10 years ago

   Not for me. I am typing on my tablet right now, and it's a pain in the butt. It is nice that it is so light and portable, but when I am at home, I actually prefer my desktop.

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      Jacqueline4390posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I hear you, Sherry! Now I don't think I could do a novel on my IPad ... but touching up some writing projects is ok. Since I type 60+ wpm; I could never attain that speed on a tablet. But, I don't have too since I have my multiple desktops and laptops for the really heavy duty work. Even the keyboards on the tablets don't afford me the room I need.
      
      Nonetheless, I am looking forward to my new tablet! It will have a 10.8" viewing screen and Windows 8.1. It took me some time to like that OS but when they did the necessary tweaking ... I can live with it.

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