Here are some trend graphs from last year's data that pose interesting points and verify a few old predictions that I had made a while back.



Tablets may be still growing, but they are already replacing phones as the preferred way to do a web search.




The US is down in tablet usage compared to European countries, mainly because each US user already has a PC and a laptop, a phone and sometimes also a tablet whereas most of the newer countries only have the phone and the tablet.   These latecomers see no need for the PC except for more massive "at work" tasks.  




Relative affluence affects the computing choices commonly made in various countries.   India is just getting to the point families have fridges and TVs and stuff, a PC isn't a readily sharable thing really as only 1-2 can use it at a time.

Asia mirrors this "no PC" trend, not needing the individual copies of the PC because they tend to use the family TV for the bigger stuff.  

Remember also that very few Asians keep a separate room with tables for their computer stuff as is commonly done in the US, their phone and tablet tend stay by their beds when not in use.

Before he died, Steve Jobs concepted the IPad which started the tablet revolution.  At the time he said, "Think of the PC as a delivery truck, doing all the heavy hauling.   Think of the Tablet as the family sedan, taking you where you want to go in comfort.  Think of the Phone as a motorcycle, fast and agile, but just can't carry very much."

I think that in America Jobs was right.   I also think in the poorer countries a tablet really does fit the bill better than a PC on both size and cost.   Tablets are going to get better and cheaper over the next 10 years and the PC is going to become a practically extinct dinosaur.   Even the shooter games will all shift over to tablet space as convergence finally arrives and phone/tablets running the same software take over everything that isn't "commercial heavy hauling".

For the first year (two years ago), I kept my kindle fire with me at all times. You would be amazed at the number of places that have Wi-Fi access....even some local hole-in-the-wall bars have it.

While I was sitting in my easy chair getting chemo treatments (5hrs a pop), I would read books that I downloaded, or skim the net forums.

I still haven't tried to download music, but I think I could, just don't want to pay for it.... the past few months I have used it less, because Ii carry my small laptop with me to download camera and phone pics to it, to release the memory in the smart phone (no longer used as a phone) and the camera (I have extra memory chips but don't use them).

Plus, my old smart phone is now acting as the Wi-Fi unit now and its tons smaller and fits into my pocket. The only downside is the kindle's screen is soooo much bigger, and it doesn't have a camera, I hear the new ones do, so maybe i'll give the wife my old kindle and get a notebook with a camera and usable memory.