Tablet
A computer that is just a big touchscreen, between a phone and a laptop.
A tablet is a thin, flat computer where almost the whole front is a touchscreen. There is no physical keyboard or mouse: you tap, swipe and type on the glass. Inside it is very close to a smartphone, with a similar chip, battery and operating system, only with a screen usually somewhere around 8 to 13 inches.
Apple's iPad, launched in 2010, turned tablets into a mainstream product, and today there are many Android models and Windows tablets too. People use them for reading, watching video, drawing with a stylus, video calls, and in shops and restaurants as point-of-sale screens. Many can take a snap-on keyboard, which brings them close to a laptop.
The trade-off is in the software. Tablet apps are built for touch first, which makes them easy and pleasant for media and quick tasks, but heavy work with many windows, files and precise editing is often still more comfortable on a laptop. Whether a tablet can replace your computer depends mostly on which apps you need.
Keep in mind
- Mostly screen: you control it by touching the glass.
- Inside it resembles a large smartphone more than a laptop.
- The iPad (2010) made the category popular; Android and Windows tablets followed.
- Add a keyboard and stylus and it gets closer to a laptop, but apps set the limits.
