Originally Posted by
Timman_24
I remember people pushing back against the notion that iPads would replace laptops and there were some that thought it was totally bogus as well, but I think those were the minority. I believe what we have seen is that most people don't need the full functionality of a laptop, or proper computer in general. Most people just need to surf the web, check email, and have a modest level of entertainment through mini-games. Tablets provide this without the overhead of a large chassis, keyboard, price, etc.
I've found that the iPad has made the netbook irrelevant, but has not yet replaced the laptop. In the next 2-3 years, I could definitely see iPads/Tablets taking on the full functionality of laptops (with the thin keyboard cases.)
I think the major advancement is going to be the melding of iOS with OSX, which will eventually happen. Much like what MS is doing with Win 8. Apps will be cross platform and such. The second major advancement will be the increasing power of ARM processors. We are getting close to having a PC experience on them for basic tasks such as surfing the web, but they need to be a bit more powerful to feel like a proper replacement. The final advancement is what Apple is doing with Siri, offloading processing power to server farms. Tablets will soon be powerful enough for any internet experience, but encoding/content creation will be too hard for years to come. Being able to offload intensive tasks could be the way to get around that.
What people have come to find out is that most people don't need the functionality of a laptop. In which case, the iPad/tablet is a perfect fit.