Tablets

Photo: s w on Unsplash

In short: Mobile, flat computers with a touchscreen as the primary input device, functionally positioned between a smartphone and a laptop.

In more detail: Tablets usually run on mobile operating systems (e.g. iPadOS, Android) rather than classic desktop operating systems, and are optimised for touch rather than mouse/keyboard input, but can often be extended with an external keyboard.

In Depth

Sandbox instead of an open file system

Unlike classic desktop/laptop operating systems, tablet apps usually run in a more tightly sandboxed environment: each app only gets restricted access to the file system and other apps, and direct data exchange between apps goes through controlled interfaces instead of a freely accessible file system. Apps are almost exclusively obtained through a central app store controlled by the operating system vendor, and are reviewed before publication. This considerably hinders classic malware (a malicious program can’t simply install itself in the background or access arbitrary system areas), but also limits power users’ options — for example with free file management, installing software outside the app store (sideloading, only possible to a limited extent depending on the platform), or genuine multitasking between several simultaneously running programs that interact with each other.

Processor architecture: ARM instead of x86

Processor architecture also often differs from classic PCs: most tablets use power-saving ARM chips instead of the x86 architecture found in most Windows/Linux PCs. ARM processors are optimised for energy efficiency rather than pure computing power, enabling longer battery life with passive cooling (no fan needed) — an important reason tablets can be so much thinner and quieter than comparable laptops. Some manufacturers’ switch (including Apple’s, on newer iPad Pro models) to ARM chips closely related to their own laptop processors is now increasingly blurring this distinction.

Interaction model as the real distinguishing feature

In practice, tablets mainly set themselves apart from smartphones and laptops through the ratio of screen size to interaction model: big enough for extended reading, drawing (often with a pressure-sensitive stylus) or video consumption, but without the full keyboard/mouse productivity of a laptop. Touch input fundamentally requires different UI concepts than mouse/keyboard input: larger controls (fingers are less precise than a mouse cursor), swipe gestures instead of right-click menus, a virtual instead of a physical keyboard (which takes up valuable screen space).

The 2-in-1 grey area

Models with a detachable or foldable keyboard and a full desktop operating system (so-called “2-in-1” devices, e.g. Microsoft Surface) increasingly blur the line between tablet and laptop: in tablet mode, a touch-optimised interface runs; in docked mode, the device behaves like a full-fledged laptop with classic file-system access and the ability to install any desktop software.

See also: Smartphones, Screen