Tablet Screen Size Comparison

Tablet screen size comparison does form a decisive part of your buying decision

A tablet PC is considered as a portable computer wherein the main input device is the touch screen. The other features of a tablet are many and include the size and shape of the tablet, and their capability to wirelessly connect to Internet as well as local area networks. They may run on different operating systems. Some proprietary operating systems include the HP webOS and the Apple iPad iOS. However, most of the tablets are powered by Android OS or Windows 7 editions.

History of tablets

The concept of tablet pc computers has been derived from various ideas and technologies of the past. A graphic tablet or a digitizer with text recognition of handwriting was developed in 1956 as a keyboard replacement. Tablet pc computers are also associated with pen computing, wherein a stylus or a pen was employed as a UI, instead of a keyboard or a mouse.

The PDA handheld device is considered as one of the earliest forms of tablet PCs. It was a small personal computer that was used for storing phone numbers and other data as well as for taking notes. The idea about such PDAs was then promoted via the Palm Pilot made by US Robotics, and the Newton made by Apple. However, these devices failed to capture the imagination of the general public and were lost in history.

The year 2001 witnessed the launch of a special Microsoft XP windows OS called Windows XP Tablet PC edition. This major step for tablets promoted support for handwriting and pen-sensitive screen. It is also a known fact that the term ‘Tablet PC’ was coined for the first time during this period and Microsoft has been accredited with coming up with the phrase. Since then a number of companies have tried to come up with different types of tablets. However, the first major success came with the Apple iPad in 2010 and since then the iPads have met with success at every level. All the data indicates that the iPad and the iPad 2 have had the biggest market share when it came to tablets. It is a rapidly developing market with an annual growth rate of about 40 percent and which will soon surpass the demand for netbooks.

The different types of tablets

There are many different types of tablets that are available in the market. A comparison of the tablets can be done as per their forms. The standard forms of the various tablets are as follows:

• A slate tablet pc is a classical form of tablet pc wherein the pad is present with a touch screen and no keyboard
• A rugged tablet pc is a form of tablet pc that has be designed to adapt to and be resistant to severe atmospheric conditions
• A hybrid tablet pc is a convertible form of tablets that come with a detachable keyboard
• A convertible tablet pc is a notebook that comes with the capability of a touch screen. Such tablets have a screen and a base that can rotated up to 180 degrees
• A booklet is a dual screen form of a tablet that can be folded just like a book.

There are many advantages of a tablet pc. Due to the small size and weight of the tablets, they are super portable and be easily used while sitting on a sofa or the bed. When it is equipped with a reader app, then it can become an alternative for a book.

Tablets also have many disadvantages. They are difficult and tiring to use while typing long messages. The video quality is also lower than the normal computers. Also, they are not as strong as laptops and hence prone to physical damage when lugged around.

Presented below is a size comparison of some of the latest tablet models: