Personal Device Checkpoint

As the age of personal devices continues to evolve, the mix of devices that we use in our homes and on the go are changing, somewhat predictably. We’re seeing a rise in tablet use, sometimes in very specific way, such as using an ipad in place of paper menus at a restaurant; also a great way to amuse your clientele as they’re waiting for their appetizers and entrees, perhaps with some games, a survey, or some light entertainment.

An interesting turn, as the restaurant supplies the ipad, making it unnecessary to tote your own device to the restaurant. Will it become an expectation from consumers to find an ipad when one arrives at a merchant’s location? It seems the trend is beginning. As I have speculated in the past, there is a possibility that a merchant can enable consumers to bring their own device to enhance their experience but as the merchant, you can only ensure a consistent user experience if all your customers are on the same device. This might still be possible. With tablet makers such as Hewlett Packard, falling off the tablet wagon, it seems like Apple continues to smite its competition as the market leader.

I’m writing this piece more as a checkpoint in time. The iPad is starting some interesting branches in user behavior. Subscription models seem to do well, now that we store our subscriptions in the cloud. E-readers are also doing rather well – especially for consumers who just want read their damn book and don’t want to bother with the bells and whistles found on an iPad.  It turns out publishers are starting to see an increase and perhaps a bit of a trade-off from paper subscriptions to the electronic versions through tablets. But will it happen fast enough to save publishers?

One thing seems certain, in the next year; we may stop referring to tablets as mobile devices. They are really no more mobile than a laptop and users don’t carry laptops everywhere they go.