Throwback Thursday: Tablets Taking Over the Industry!

Happy Throwback Thursday!

With the holidays fast approaching, I’m seeing a bunch of articles talking about how Tablets are going to out sell PCs for the first time.  This got me thinking about when the first tablet was introduced to the world of technology and when did they start to gain popularity.

Photo Credit: EdibleApple

I think the most commonly known tablet is the iPad, but did you know Apple had created a tablet before that in 1979! It was called a Graphics Tablet. The main feature of this tablet was to be able to draw a design with a stylus and be able to transfer that image to your computer; this was before Photoshop was around of course.  Original asking price? $650!

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

iPaq was also a trendy device in the early 2000’s. This personal “pocket PC” was created by Compaq until Hewlett-Packard acquired them. This tablet used a Windows Mobile interface. Check out the photo of the personal digital assistants (PDA) on the right.

How many people remember the Palm Pilot? Before Smartphone’s were around, people needed a way to manage and store information such as phone numbers, addresses, to-do lists, calendars, etc. The Palm Pilot was capable of all those things, but had the convenience of being compacted into portable device.

Photo Credit: Home Toys

Another popular device that received a lot of attention before the tablets of 2010 was the convertible laptop to tablet. The screen of the laptop could swivel around and convert into a tablet.

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

Tablets that are popular today (i.e. iPad) have not been on the market for too long. The first iPad was introduced in 2010, only 3 years ago. They have gained popularity quickly and the demand for tablets to growing. Employees are starting to bring their tablets to work, instead of working from a PC. And some schools are providing tablet use for the students in their libraries.(BYOD phenomenon!) Today, there are tons of top companies that produce tablets. Apple has the iPad, but shortly after the release of the iPad came the Samsung Galaxy Note, Google Nexus, Sony Xperia, and more. 

Photo Credit: Digitaltrends

With so many developers of tablets, consumers are sending in thousands of questions wanting to know what tablet bests suits them or ask technical support questions. Having a Virtual Agent to answer your customers questions will increase sales and customer satisfaction, while lowering costs.

Adding QR codes to the tablet packaging which will bring up a Virtual Agent on your phone will enhance the customer experience and encourage customers to purchase the device that fits his or her needs confidently. This will also give you a step up on competitors. To find out more about QR codes and Virtual Agents, view "How to Increase Sales by Providing a Great Customer Experience That is Easy To Socialize."

What's your favorite tablet? How do you get shopping advice and support on your device? Have a great week!

Photo Credit: memecenter