As a business owner, you need to ensure that you have access to all the tools you need to run your business as efficiently as possible. More than ever, business owners rely on a range of cloud-based business software solutions to manage just about every aspect of their operations. To monitor your business effectively, you need to ensure that you are using the right technology.
For many years laptops were the go-to tool for business people all over the world. In recent years, laptops have become smaller, faster, lighter, and more powerful than ever before, providing business people with a robust, reliable solution. However, as portability has become more popular, tablets have now also become a viable option for many business owners, with some choosing to ditch their trusted laptop in favour of tablets. While each device has its place, the question remains; should you choose a laptop or a tablet for your business?
Let’s take a look at a few things you need to consider to help you to make the right call for your unique business needs.
The Keyboard Issue
The vast majority of business owners spend a lot of their time on their keyboards. Reaching out to potential clients, dealing with suppliers, replying to emails, communicating with customers and a range of other tasks require business owners to spend time typing. While the touchscreens on tablets are better than they ever have been, they cannot compare to a traditional keyboard. A full-size laptop keyboard allows you to be more productive and keyboard shortcuts will help you to work more efficiently than a tablet could ever allow.
Speed And Performance
Nowadays there are some heavy-hitting tablets on the market, armed with Intel Core i5 processors that deliver a real punch in performance. However, these high-spec tablets will cost you as much as a laptop with similar specs and that laptop will be nowhere near the top of the pile in terms of performance. Laptops have faster processors, more memory and they are built for multitasking. Although tablets can perform very well, when you stack a high-performance laptop next to a top-of-the-range tablet, you will quickly see there is no comparison when it comes to power.
Screen Real Estate
As you would expect, tablet screens are much smaller than the average laptop screen. Having a small screen size can be very frustrating when you are trying to perform even the simplest tasks such as browsing or sending emails. Constantly pinching, tapping, and scrolling can get tiresome. For most business owners having more screen real estate makes it easier to read business communications, examine contracts and research new business ideas. With more room to work with, you can be more productive and multi-task with greater ease.
Compatibility With Software
Depending on the tablet you choose, you will be limited to what is available in either the Google Play Store or the Apple Store. While there are certainly some great applications available on both platforms, this does place some restrictions as to what you can do with a tablet. A laptop, on the other hand, offers the functionality of a desktop computer in a smaller, more compact package, providing more compatibility with software packages.
Make The Right Choice For Your Business
For most business owners, a laptop is typically the best choice, as they are most cost-effective, offer better battery life, are more powerful and allow you to be more productive in your work. However, for some businesses that put a lot of emphasis on portability and device size, such as those in logistics or the restaurant business, for example, a tablet could be the perfect solution. Be sure to consider the unique needs of your business and choose a solution that will help you to thrive moving forward.
