The larger wave of media tablets

The Wyse PocketCloud application on the Motorola Xoom which runs Android 3.0. Gartner noted that the impact of the media tablet in the eyes of the public is much greater than would be believed from the number of units shipped. Gartner expects media tablet shipments to be approximately 69 million in 2011, which is only a small fraction of the total number of application-capable mobile devices, such as smartphones. Yet already the impact of the device on other forms of computing is great. “The iPad, and the larger wave of media tablets, has captured the imagination of business leaders. Some companies have issued them to business and IT leaders in the spirit of exploration. Others see areas in which they can use media tablets to bring computing into settings that were not practical or were too cumbersome to use traditional approaches,” said David Willis, research vice president at Gartner. “For the consumer, the iPad brought a casual but rich experience into the living room, or the train or while waiting in line at the bank. In turn, IT organizations are finding new places where tablets can deliver information and media in new ways.”
Gartner has always maintained that media tablets are neither “better laptops,” nor “better smartphones,” but complement both. When compared with laptops, media tablets activate instantly, allowing a user to get right to what he or she needs, immediately, without long and frustrating startup times. They have exceptional battery life and are responsive, tactile and inviting. However, in a common mobile-worker scenario, employees may travel with a media tablet during the day, but then return to their laptops in the evening for data entry or content creation. “Sales leaders are clamoring to adopt media tablets with their sales teams, as a more engaging way to share sales collateral and promotional materials. And it won’t stop there: Next will come customer relationship management systems, and order entry and sales configuration applications. For sales managers, media tablets will be a natural platform for business analytics and performance dashboards,” said Willis. “In other settings, the intimacy of using a media tablet supports more personal interactions. Doctors, nurses and medical technicians find they can sit down with a patient and help that patient understand a diagnosis, walk through a medical procedure and describe a therapy with them. Retail clerks can use tablets to display customized clothing for a customer. Conference attendees can take surveys on their own, with no training required. The opportunities are huge.”
Which media tablet will succeed? Willis stated that it will all come down to which platform has the strongest  ecosystem of developers producing a wide range of applications. He points out that in this respect, “Apple is far ahead of any competition.” But long term, how much will that matter?
As an example of an iPad App for the workplace, consider the iPad client for Rove Mobile Admin. This application turns an iPad into a high-performing, secure IT management platform, enabling IT staff to work from a mobile position to more effectively address the continuous demands being placed upon them and maintain control over their network environment. Rove Mobile Admin provides network administrators with immediate notification of issues, and access to the industry’s most comprehensive functionality for incident notification, diagnosis, triage and resolution from a mobile device. Network administrators never have to be concerned about finding a computer or a network to get the essential details of an incident.
While Rove is very enthusiastic about their iPad and iPhone applications, the truth is that they are hedging their market position and have created the Rove Mobile Admin for Android as well. Other companies are taking a similar stance. For instance Wyse originally brought out its PocketCloud Mobile Cloud App for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, but now it has announced that it has “extended its mobile cloud computing leadership” with the PocketCloud Mobile Cloud App designed for Android 3.0 Honeycomb tablets. So while Gartner believes that the iPad will dominate the tablet space in terms of hardware through 2015, it may not matter to application developers. With the increasing shift of data and applications to the cloud, what actually makes sense is whenever possible for developers to have a cross-platform and cross-browser web application strategy. Such a strategy doesn’t rely on App Stores or operating systems, and allows users to have full functionality on any device. Companies that are monetizing the mobile app itself will probably build for any platform with a large user base, meaning that the iOS and Android platforms will both be served.