BY RACHEL SPENCE KATHLEEN SPONSELLER ALAN STALEY SCOTT SUTTON Time to Leave the Laptop Behind
Jan 17, 2016
BYRACHEL SPENCE
KATHLEEN SPONSELLERALAN STALEY
SCOTT SUTTON
Time to Leave the Laptop Behind
Introduction:
Shift from using laptops on the road to Smart Phones
Smart Phones have handle nearly every chore business travelers need to do like checking inventory levels
Laptops are used for “heavy-duty” computing like creating Power Point presentations
Some do all of their mobile work from Smart Phones
Carry On Larger screens and
keyboards on laptops will remain superior to Smart Phones
Simple jobs like note-taking are tedious on Smart Phones
Firms warn against relying entirely on Smart Phones
In a survey of 1,402 technology users, only 3% of Smart Phone users said they rely exclusively on it when traveling
Slimming Down
Surveys show people leaning toward more smart phone use
Change is result of Apple’s iPhoneUsing laptops for presentations and using
smart phones for everything elseSoftware available for store sensitive
business information on smart phones
Shows shipments of smart phones compared to laptops
Pole Postion
Verizon Communicatoins Inc. of New York started testing BlackBerry smart phones
Verizon field technicians used onlineTechnicians did those same chores on laptopsVerizon is Phasing out the-- eight-pound
Panasonic Toughbooks that are "ruggedized" to withstand shocks
AWKWARD !!!Technicians raved about five-ounce BlackBerrys.12,000 of Verizon's field technicians over to
BlackBerrys
The first-year costs of a BlackBerry under $1,300
Compared to $3,500 in first-year costs for a laptop with wireless service
Replacing a lost or damaged BlackBerry costs about $129
Compared with more than $2,000 for the laptops
BlackBerry is more efficient, too.
BlackBerrys, are "always on“
Business users, smart phones offer another advantage
So what’s next for smart phones?
Microsoft is starting to come out with ports that let users connect the devices to digital projectors through a cable for giving presentations.
Palm Inc. developed a “mobile companion” product called Foleo. It is a laptop size keyboard and screen for mobile phones. This product is currently shelved but might be released someday.
Celio Corp. offers a product called the Redfly. This has been a very successful product.
Change in Computers
Hardware makers are creating slimmer, smaller classes of computers that are getting closer to the size of smart phones. Ultramobile PCs (UMPC) like Asustek Computer Inc.’s
Eee PC Mobile Internet Devices (MID) like Nokia Corp.’s
N800 Internet tablet
These are both about the size of a small paperback book.
Jim Malloy
VP of sales for Miyachi Unitek Corp.Japanese manufacturer of welding and other
industrial equipment.Believes the distinction between laptops and
smart phones will get less clear.“Laptops seem to be getting smaller and
smaller,” says Mr. Malloy. “Smart phones are getting bigger and bigger. There's a melding or mixing happening.”
Conclusion
Laptops are still a very important part of the business world today, however smart phones are starting to take the role of laptops and are much more accessible.
It is expected to see laptops and smart phones become more like each other as time goes on.