There has been a shift in trends in mobile computing as of late. There was a time when the laptop reigned supreme as the device of choice for those us that needed a portable computing solution. That has all changed. With the recent shifts in price and performance, the tablet is quickly gaining in popularity and is projected to overtake the PC in the near future. It is my opinion that for the average user the tablet is the better choice for handling your personal computing needs. Let's look at why.

The average user doesn't need all of the heavy duty computing power that todays computers are offering. Most people use their computers to simply check their email, keep up with their Facebook accounts, watch a couple of Youtube videos, and that's about it. It's not necessary to have the latest computer, with the latest processor, a gigantic hard drive, and massive amounts of RAM to accomplish these tasks. Unless you are doing something like editing video, or maybe gaming, all of that extra horse power really does you no good.

Today's tablets do a more than adequate job of handling the tasks that one would need a computer for. There is probably an app that you can download that will allow you to do whatever it is that you would be doing on your desktop or laptop. There are great apps for word processing, email, dedicated social apps like twitter and Facebook, and GPS enabled maps apps so you'll always know where you are.

Also since they are so small you can take them wherever you want. Most tablets have around 10 hours of battery life so you don't have to worry about it going dead while you are out. Compare that with a laptop where you get 4 hours tops and always have to have a charger handy. Many tablets even offer access to cellular service so you can connect to the internet in places where there is no wi-fi.

Honestly, I don't see any reason for the average consumer to buy a desktop or laptop anymore. Maybe some people in creative fields that rely on heavy duty processing for working with audio or video might still need them, but most people aren't doing that. Tablets are simply more convenient and as they become for popular their prices are going down. There are a lot of inexpensive tablets out there on the market today. You should take a look at them before you make your next computer purchase.