Tablets are just a fad...

Here is a thought, tablets have really only been commercially available since 3 April 2010 with the release of the first Apple iPad. So in two years and four months we have seen a technology revolution that has changed the world. Quite profound I know, but hear me out and then decide for yourself.

The tablet has the ability to touch almost every aspect of business and our lives. You just need to look around when you're in a coffee shop, at the airport, in a hotel lobby or in your next meeting... try count the tablets, they are everywhere! The ability to adjust the tablet to suit the business world and its versatility in and around our lives is what is the most interesting.

A new article about the airline industry adopting tablets for a number of uses from issuing them to flight attendants to track stock, place orders for business class passengers, bring up customers' records and flight details. Another airline has implemented tablets to replace the in-flight entertainment and in doing so, has saved not only US$2,750,000, but also a huge amount of weight - thus reducing carbon emissions.

There are so many travel apps offering you everything from automated travel itineraries that configure your travel for you, to maps and basic language translator apps. Pilots have been approved by the FAA to have iPads running through all flight phases and their manuals have all been digitized for tablets to no more printing of huge paperback manuals that are out of date only a few days after printing.

Educational benefits

The educational sector has also seen the benefits and also adopted the tablet. Samsung's latest TV advert shows a child using his Samsung tablet to review and answer questions in a science class, then produce his project in a matter of seconds. No more books being printed, no more kids trying to carry a rucksack full of heavy outdated books. Teachers being able to send students all their material and then also track (analytics) what their students are actually doing, reading, projects - all saving paper, trees and time!

The healthcare sector has the ability to keep full detailed records on tablets, even Discovery Health Care has been the innovators and released an app for doctors to be able to keep details in one location, digitally and then share information with other doctors suddenly tapping into a global network and enabling doctors to get answers, opinions and recommendations in real time. This is just the beginning- imagine what this will eventually do for a doctor in Africa to have his tablet on hand to give answers in real time?

Then there is the banking industry, with FNB leading the market with its app, investment companies offering trading apps, the list goes on with number of different industries that this device has touched and transformed.

Positive, negative impact

So education, health and business have all been positively impacted with the use of the tablet. Are these not the three fundamental areas of a country?

What is the biggest industry that has been negatively impacted with the tablet you might ask? Tablets are designed to deliver content, thus we consume content at an alarming rate and therefore the biggest industry affected would be the print industry. You can get everything you want in digital format and no longer have to print books, magazines, newspapers and even airline boarding passes. How else will the tablet affect our lives going forward if this is what is has done in such a short time?

How does your tablet affect your life?