Tech For Daily Use Is Changing: Are You Ready For It?

When I started doing computer repair back in 1996 laptops were bulky machines that were overpriced, and you needed a nuclear power plant to run them for more than a few hours. Today the trend is changing and not slowly either it’s on the fast track to portability-ville!  If you have not figured out what this blog is about yet I’m talking about tablets. By now you have seen them in professional’s hands from your doctor’s offices to your kid’s hands. Tablets are becoming cheaper and more affordable than their predecessor, the laptop. As technology moves forward and starts shrinking in size and portability the important thing to remember is what benefits do you get out of using a tablet versus a laptop? I have a top 3 checklist I like to ask my customer’s to see what their needs are, and what budget they have in mind to get them where they need to be.

• What do you use your current laptop/mobile device for?

Most of the time I get the usual response web surfing/email/watching videos/video chatting/pictures well you get the point. But sometimes I do get a customer who needs something that a tablet is not going to be able to handle well or at all. But they are still stuck on getting a tablet for the coolness factor. I would direct them into a laptop with a touchscreen that folds into itself: The best of both worlds but an expensive option.

• Do you need a lot of storage in your new device?

This confuses some people because they just don’t understand the limitations of tablets versus laptop hard drive storage size. I explain the limitations in storage which are usually around 4 gigabytes to 64 gigabytes.  This does not include external flash drives or USB connected backup hard drives. Cloud storage is also a big plus for tablet owners as well. So there are many options to fix the small hard drive issue’s most tablets face just educate the customer on how to use them.

• What applications do you need to run on your new device?

This one can scare people away from buying a new device for several reasons. Yes they do make an APP for that, well most programs anyway.  But because of the variety of operating systems on tablets its best to check on the web store that device uses to see if specific apps are available.

How you handle these questions will determine how happy your customer’s are for the lifetime of that product. I like to break down the basic 3 questions into sub categories and get specific with all of my customers of course. Because that Microsoft money program from 1997 that they need to do all of their accounting on, probably isn’t going to work well or at all on a new Ipad. The devil is in the details and if you don’t methodically approach their exact needs you will more than likely end up with an unsatisfied customer.

Device longevity and repair cost is also something that should be addressed. But does not need to be the make or break decision on a new purchase. Everyone must understand that if your new tablet breaks, the cost to repair it may outweigh just buying a new tablet. Screens can be replaced sure even flash drives in some models no problem. But because of the size of tablets, part replacement out of warranty, is going to be expensive or even UN-fixable.

With any new tech there are limitations that will eventually be overcome with time. But speaking with a professional before you make your new purchase is going to save you a lot of headaches and hassle.