Computex 2013 – Tablets Finally Fulfilling its Potential

While the idea of an ultra-portable computer is not new, it was Apple’s iPad that set the gold standard in terms of usability and pricing in 2010. Since then, much has been mentioned about the “post PC” era and at every major tech-event, manufacturers’ tablets launches have flatter to deceive. Euromonitor International has been bullish about tablets prospects and has repeatedly stressed that the potential of tablets can be much higher than current projections.

At the soon-to-concluded Computex 2013 in Taipei; Taiwan, a series of tablets launches raises hope that computer manufacturers have finally found the correct mix between pricing and performance. For instance, Acer Inc’s Iconia A1, priced at US$169, is equipped with a quad-core processor and runs on the Android OS. Acer also has the Iconia W3, which runs on Windows 8 and is priced competitively at US$399, bundled further with Microsoft Office. AsusTek Computer Inc pushed the boundary of its popular Transformer series, with the Transformer Book Trio. The Transformer Book’s display doubles as an Android tablet while its dock station houses an Intel processor (Haswell), which allows the tablet to dual boot in Windows OS.

Consequently, with the new Euromonitor’s Passport: Consumer Electronics research due to be released on June 24, global sales of tablets is expected to exceed more than 200 million units in 2014, rather than in 2016 as per earlier forecasts. After a few false start, Computex 2013 is set to be the catalyst to usher in an new era of ultra-portable computing!