John Hill

I have written before to try and answer the question, what is a Tablet Computer? As we have seen from the many new models coming out from a variety of manufacturers and running several different operating systems, the answer is not clear cut.

In the enterprise space (Fortune 500, hospitals, government) though, the answer has always been clear: Microsoft Windows rules. Apple has always been the "consumer" computer for students, graphics artists and hippies. Windows, on the other hand, has been the Double Windsor of the corporate world, not always having the latest features and certainly not as easy to use, but giving large organizations the business tools they needed to run a stable network. The internet may be the end of that.

For those of us who have been in the technology business for a while, the adage is "what is old is new again". In this case, what is new again is distributed or cloud computing. In the past, the "cloud" was a mainframe server that delivered applications to "green screen" terminals. Nothing was local, instead controlled by the IT (then DP or data processing) department in an air-conditioned room in the basement. Now, the application is delivered over the internet to any device running any operating system. So if you are using a Windows tablet or an Apple iPad, the application looks the same and the only defining factor is the look and feel of your device. Believe me when I say that corporate America likes the look and feel of the Apple iPad.

If you are a doctor looking up lab values or an executive searching for sales figures, you want to access that information on a device that is lightweight, readable and easy to use. The device and operating system that makes life simpler for those folks is going to be the winner in the mobile device battle that is brewing in the business world.

(Photo is linked from the Gadgetell website)