Is The Business Market Finally Folding On Laptops?

By John Graff, Xplore

What the Next-Generation of Mobile Computing Means to You (and Xplore)

In a world where hybrids are in high demand and mashups are clearly not happening by mistake, one might be inclined to stop gambling on “pure form” technologies such as laptops, desktops and tablets. After all, there are a slew of industry analyst statistics indicating a trend towards more flexible computing platforms:

• Over the next four years, detachables are expected to grow at 21.2% CAGR, IDC says.
• By 2019, 2-in-1 Tablet growth will show a five-year compound average growth rate (CAGR) of 57 percent, per Strategy Analytics.
• At the same time, Gartner says global desktop shipments will decrease 5% over the next four years as enterprises opt for mobile computing.

Translation? Traditional laptops are no longer the “one” computer that can go anywhere – or that professionals really want to lug around everywhere. This is driving OEMs to increasingly invest in 2-in-1 tablet designs that can serve as laptop replacements – and research shows that businesses are buyinginto these tablet-based alternatives given the numerous benefits to both end-users and IT (i.e. the business’ bottom line).