The home computer is dying as more people turn to tablets. Not only are sales of tablets overtaking those of PCs, tablet users are now in a majority when it comes to media consumption. More than 2.3 million people watched Christmas content on BBC iPlayer compared with only 1.6 million who still preferred the traditional PC. At the same time, research by IDC shows that the UK has the largest market for tablets in Europe. More than 2.6 million were sold in the quarter to September 2013, outpacing the combined numbers of laptop and desktop computers. And in an earlier report The Telegraph disclosed that over half of Britons now own or have access to a tablet.
Apple’s iPad, in particular, has become a viable replacement for a full-size computer among non-power users. For basic email, browsing and media consumption the iPad is more than adequate. Furthermore, unlike computers, the tablets are intuitive for new users, whether toddlers of pre-reading age or older people with a prior phobia about technology. For many older people the iPad is seen as a different beast to the dreaded computer and, as a result, learning is far less daunting.