Are Laptops and Cameras on the Verge of Extinction?

Like many Americans, I don’t hesitate to switch the channel whenever I see that it’s time for a commercial break – a possible by-product of online streaming, perhaps –but recently I saw a few that got me thinking. The commercials were in relation to electronics, and the thought – are laptops and cameras on the verge of extinction? From this, one could imagine that the electronics being referred to are tablets and smart phones.

 

With the title in mind, let’s assess a few variables that could help us come to a conclusion…

 

Laptop survival threatened by tablets

 

One component…

 

… makes a lot of difference. What component you wonder? It’s simple, a USB port (and to an extent a micro USB port as well). Many will attest to the fact that the presence of a USB port is what is allowing tablets to replace the interest in laptops on the market. Devices such as the recently released Microsoft Surface Pro 3 and the Asus Google Nexus 7 are two of the many that are equipped with such a feature. Interestingly, the former has even been advertised as “the tablet that can replace your laptop” – it doesn’t get any more direct than that.

 

Initially, there were individuals who did not have a problem investing in the two – a laptop and a tablet – as they could both facilitate separate needs, but as the capabilities of the tablet continue to expand, the less interest there is for an individual to acquire a laptop. It is likely a similar scenario that saw laptops replacing desktops on the market – they may not be fully forgotten, but how many households would prefer a desktop to a tablet? Not many, I imagine.

 

Tough less prominent, another factor that has spurred an interest in tablets are there ability to merge with accessories such as a keyboard that can double as a cover.*Tablets, by design, are all about the touch screen interface. Having said that, it goes without saying that many desired functions could be completed in a much shorter time with a keyboard that can engage multiple fingers, than with the use of just one.

 

The usual advantages…

 

Off the bat, one of the most known and discussed advantages of a tablet is its portability. With a laptop – as the name suggests –a user would need to rest the device in their lap, or on a flat surface to use it comfortably, however, with a tablet a user can hold it with one hand and do all that they want to with considerable ease.

 

Additionally, though to a lesser extent for many, another point of interest lies simply in the look. With many being in the range of 10” or less, there are many who are intrigued by the idea that a device so “cute” and so small can deliver such an impressive performance.

 

 

Cameras being threatened by smart phones

 

Snap with ease

 

The era of individuals in a household sharing a single digital camera (or two) feels like ages ago, though it could very well be less than a decade. As it stands, pretty much every smart phone has a camera incorporated into its features. Interestingly, there are quite a number of them that have two – a camera to the front, and one at the back.

 

With this, capturing an imagine can be achieved as simple as reaching into a pocket or a purse to retrieve the device, versus the time that an individual would have to run back to the car –which would likely mean that the moment would be long gone at the time said individual returns. With smart phones, cameras are simply a lot more accessible.

 

 

One possible factor that could keep cameras in demand is the quality of the captured image, but this too is not as pronounced as before, as more smart phone can now capturebrilliant images. Take the Nokia Lumia 1020 for instance, that boasts a 41 mega-pixel camera–some stand-alone cameras don’t offer that much.

 

It is a similar talking point in relation to the zooming ability of one device versus another, as in its “earlier days” a phone’s camera could not zoom to any great extent. Smart phones such as the Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom – with 10x optical zoom –are all but deterring the notion that a stand-alone camera is indeed needed to capture images that are somewhere off in the distance.

 

It’s not just the phones

 

While smart phones will readily come to mind as a replacement for cameras, the reality is that the capabilities of the tablet also place it in the mix – the tablet seems to be quite a threatening device to its fellow electronics. More and more individuals have been exploring the option of acquiring tablets that have a camera at the front and back of the device.

 

Verdict?

 

To say that laptops and cameras are on the verge of extinction could be quite a hasty statement to make. This, especially when considering that the various manufacturers are constantly developing ways to improve/enhance the capabilities they already have, and throw in a few more that the general population probably never thought about.

 

With the evidence presented, however, there can be no denying that there may come a time that such devices – laptops and cameras –are replaced by their more portable, more accessible, better looking counterparts.

 

 

 

Are Laptops and Cameras on the Verge of Extinction?