For a few years, a significant market shift brought PC users to the newly discovered realms of tablet computers. Analysts are doing their best to predict what will happen next with both sides of this ongoing battle. While consumers usually rely on multiple devices to have the work done or to keep the fun going, the real question is if only one choice would be allowed what would that be? If only one winner would have to remain standing on this technology battle field, who would it be? Tablet, PC or laptop?

Sales and Market Share

One indicator of the performance on the market is obviously sales. There is no doubt that to win the market a product has to win the consumers’ pockets. However, there are always subtle nuances in interpreting the sales but for the moment let’s stick to the figures since they don’t lie. A report from International Data Corporation analysts revealed that the tablet market had a whooping growth this year and the trend is likely to maintain. The global tablet shipments rose by 88.9% in the second quarter of 2011 compared to the previous one and compared to last year, the growth is of 303.8%.

The predicted tablet shipments for this year are 62.5 million units, according to IDC’s educated guess. The world leader on this market is Apple with its 63% market share, followed by Android tablets expected to reach in the final quarter of 2011 to 25.9% market share. Android tablets dropped in popularity since Apple gained more ground with iPad 2 and Research in Motion introduced its PlayBook and managed to grab 4.9% of the tablet market. Unfortunately for RIM, their BlackBerry handsets seem to be losing the fight against iPhone.

Desktop Computers, the Big Loser

On the other side of this battle, personal, desktop computers seem to be left behind. Appeared three decades ago, PCs had a good run for a while and it was easy to win the race since it ran alone and now the PCs are still in great demand. Even in the last couple of years, in full recession, PC shipments increased in 2009. A year later, PC shipments grew 27.4% and 20.7% in first and second quarters of 2010. This year, according to the research company IDC, PCs shipments, including desktop and tablets, will reach to 356.9 million, up 2.8% compared to 2010. The same company suggests that portable PCs’ adoption in the emerging markets, such as Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa, will cause shipments to raise 18.7% here. To compensate the situation, the mature markets, the U.S. and Western Europe, will require less PC shipments this year. Here, 154.7 million PCs will hit the shelves this year, compared to 2010’s 166.7 million.

Can Tablets Replace Laptops?

Besides numbers and sales charts reflecting worldwide trends or the situation on a specific market, when it comes to deciding between a tablet and a tablet, the individual preferences are all that matters. Considering the top of the line of tablet range, the iPad, this mobile gadget can win over many former laptop users with its capabilities and Apple really set the standard of this industry. Things could change with tablets in 2012, though. An iPad can boast with the following specifications:

• 9.7 inch multi-touch screen
• 1Ghz Apple A4 processor (A5 in iPad 2)
• 256 MB DRAM (512 RAM in iPad2)
• Maximum of 64 GB storage space
• Battery life able to deliver 10 hours of video
• Bluetooth, Wi-Fi + 3G connectivity 
• E-reader, media player, gaming device 

Some would say that you cannot get serious work done on an iPad, since the onscreen keyboard covers almost 40% of the display space and is inconvenient to use, but there are so many iPad cases with integrated keyboard that make this issue obsolete. If you think of using a keyboard dock with a tablet, especially Android tablets might inspire this solution, you should know that keyboard docks are heavy and you lose on portability. When it comes to price, iPads cost almost the double than the average laptop.

Performance, the Decisive Factor

The real question for someone thinking of replacing his or her laptop with a tablet is about performance. On this aspect, many tablets have low powered processors and are less efficient than the average laptop. If the device is used for email, web browsing, playing video or audio the difference might not be noticed. For more complex tasks like photo or video editing, the average laptop wins over the average tablet. If you are looking for more than average, then iPad surely wins in this category, as it delivers more power for a much better portability. Not to mention that the upcoming iPad 3 will feature a set of improvements compared to the already great iPad 2.

We cannot consider mobility without writing about the battery life. In this aspect, the iPad wins the battle, as its battery is able to offer 10 hours of usage on a single charge, while an average laptop’s battery can last about three or four hours. Not to mention that laptop chargers are heavier than iPads’. If storage is an issue, then there is no competition. Most tablets offer up to 64 GB of storage space, while the most affordable notebooks can offer 16 GB of storage space. On the other hand, tablets are still in an early stage and the products are improving at a fast rate.

Let’s Not Forget About Applications

It may not seem that important, but mobile applications are getting more and more popular. People search for more applications that could help them in their travels; other use applications as mobile translators and some consumers, just like me, are crazy after sport games, especially Android soccer games. There’s no doubt there, you can’t compare games from Android Market or iTunes with games for PC or laptop. Having way more resources, it’s natural that you will get more awesome and complete games on PC and laptop. But, it seems that these days, people are shifting their views towards more and more casual games. That’s how one would explain the incredible success that Angry Birds had and still has. You just want to play when you’re waiting the next bus or when you’re waiting in line at the clinic. And that’s where tablets have a big plus.