Increasing Popularity of Tablets and its Effects - Essay Example

INCREASING POPULARITY OF TABLETS AND ITS EFFECTS by Sur 10 April Nowadays it is difficult to imagine our life without computers, internet, Wi-Fi and such mobile devises as smart phones and tablets. In spite of using these goods takes a lot of time, which people can spend with their family or friends, they still make our life more convenient. In conditions of such variety the role of some inventions remains unnoticed and special attention is paid for the other ones. This way, popularity of tablets is increasing, and, “according to a recent study by technological research giant Gartner Incorporated, worldwide shipments of tablets will grow to over 197 million units shipped annually”. (Stark, 2013). And it is not surprising, because the tablets have a lot of advantages, so their forerunners stay aside. Personal computers and smart phones, of course, have their customers, but the tablet is an undoubted leader. The admirers of this invention call it great, but actually, it is not a breakthrough in science, because before the tablet was presented to the world, the computer technologies had been already developed. Introduction The tablet is one of the newest and most optimal decisions. It is simple in usage and has many functions; it is suitable both for job and for entertainment. Such devises are often supplied with the diagonal of the screen from seven to ten inches, which make it possible to scrutinize even the smallest details. Due to its suitable size the tablet deserves its popularity. It can be used for watching movies and videos, for making rather qualitative photos, browsing the Internet and a lot of other things. Actually, one gadget substitutes multiple ones, such as telephone, photo camera, computer, alarm and even router, because it can extend Wi-Fi. Prosperous politicians and businessmen are among the users of tablets, as well as students and schoolchildren. Nowadays it is not difficult to select the tablet by the appropriate criteria. The main goal is to choose the stuffing: functions, operating system, built-in memory and other things. The main aim which is possible to solve with the help of the tablet is multitasking, which is simple to fulfill, because we can open several programs and all of them appear on the screen in tabs. Tablets in our life The main answer of the owners of the tablets on the question whether their life changed after buying the tablet is that this devise made their life more convenient and interesting. It becomes easier to engage in banking affairs. A lot of people like the constant availability of the camera, and this means that they can send photo instead of depicting the thing. Some people consider that the tablets really make them more productive, because they have with them the list of the aims and they can see what is to be done next. Moreover, there is an access to the information in any place, and it is one more great advantage. As it is not difficult to guess, the internet access provided by tablets allows using most popular social networks and programs for communications. This helps people to stay in touch with the friends, relatives, colleagues around the world and fosters content and information exchange. This fact leads to emergence of social relations of new type, that is, online relations, and is helpful for development of relations offline. (Berg, van den, 2013, 12-13). There are applications and software developed for use on tablets which are light, intuitive and convenient and make using the above mentioned means of communication simple and pleasant. This causes effect of demand for communication, even when there is no possibility to physically meet the addressee, and, as this communication is global and can be done in any place, namely for constantly available communication. Price advantage is one of the key ones when choosing a universal device for the most common tasks – internet browsing, documents viewing, books reading, and this is why the tablets conquer an increasing market share on the electronic devices market: being equipped with powerful enough hardware and user-friendly software capable of running the same programs as a typical PC, the tablets allow for economy of about half a price of a desktop computer. Nowadays, in the time of financial and economic slowdown, this problem is very actual, as people tend to spend less, which sometimes leads to purchase of the goods with lower quality than usual, and the money economized on a tablet may be invested into another gadget, such as a smart phone. This is an effect of finance management development, and it helps people to correctly distribute their income and avoid unnecessary purchases and buy the things that are cheaper but are quite suitable for their tasks performing. Tablets also affect such important sphere of human activity as education and learning. It is usual to see a computer in a classroom, but the increasing interest to tablet computers use is already widely spread at classes. (Nishizaki, 2015, 5). Many students consider this new technology to be useful for their learning, and reading is their main purpose, and that the tablets allow for a more interactive way of material comprehension. (Nishizaki, 2015, 5). This is a very positive effect because it promotes use high-end technologies not only for entertaining, but also for the purpose of education and knowledge gaining by means of a convenient and relatively cheap device which is always at hand. One more advantage which makes tablet computers widely spread and frequently used is their portability. Having relatively small sizes – it is possible to carry it in a pocket – they are available for the user throughout the day, and it is not a problem to take it along when visiting a friend or going outside. This portability, though, may adversely affect the tablet computer user: when carrying it in the pocket, it causes, the same way as the cell phones do, body tissues damages because of its radiation, a characteristic feature of any electronic device, and it is necessary either to minimize its presence close to the user’s body or to use a protective case for the purpose of decrease of the harmful radiation effect. (Better Health Channel, 2014). Moreover, use of devices with sensor input causes pains in hands, fingers and wrists, which was reported by 46 per cent of the respondents of the survey conducted in 2011-2012, and constant being in a single pose leads to development of musculoskeletal symptoms in various parts of the user’s body. (The Hong Kong University, 2013). Tablet computers are more widely used today for the working purposes. As many operations now may be done via e-mail or other means of electronic communication, it is quite possible to use this device for working and money making without leaving home, as well as to perform electronic payment of various bills in order to save much time and spend it wisely. This is obviously a positive effect as it helps to develop a habit to rationally distribute and use the time, which is a resource that cannot be gained back. Another point of concern is gadgets, including tablets, use by the children and the parents’ worries about it. As it was mentioned above, use of electronic devices leads to health damages, and it is particularly necessary to investigate into such adverse effect on children’s health which is very easy to be damaged. Pediatricians stress that simplicity of a tablet computer use, when only finger may be enough for performing operations such as games playing, videos watching, makes children think less and distract children from beneficial types of electronic devices use and, on the contrary, to waste their time on entertaining. There is also danger of parents’ unintentional promotion of such time wasting, for example, when pacifying the children while driving a car or being busy doing domestic work (Fowler, 2013). There is also a problem of children who can be referred to as addicted to various gadgets and devices demanding tablets from their parents. Though the latter try to control their children’s time in front of the screens, in reality the children often use the tablets till the night, which leads to conflicts and unpleasant consequences for both of the sides. This problem is enforced by the tablets manufacturers’ policy aimed at gaining maximum profit, in the course of which they invent and apply such techniques that impose people to buy their products. An electronic device is a very good present, no matter for which holiday, as its benefits are unconditional, and there is a segment of tablets now designed namely for the purpose of the gift giving to the child. As a consequence, the parents are attacked from two sides – the children demand such a present and insist on it by all means, and the manufacturer urges the parent to satisfy the demand of the child, even though this may contradict to their point of view – an argument that this product is designed for children sounds quite convincing for an inexperienced person. In real life, though, too much time with a tablet equals to the same time in front of a TV set with the same negative effects. (Fowler, 2013). Recent researches also show that blue light generated by electronic devices, which are also often used as alarms, disturbs sleep: “…easing into bed with a tablet or a laptop makes it harder to take a long snooze, especially for sleep-deprived teenagers who are more vulnerable to the effects of light than adults.” (Kim, 2014). Conclusion Taking the above mentioned information into consideration, it is possible to conclude that tablet computers, though being a relatively new phenomenon on the electronic devices market, conquer more and more users and increase their market share, and this happens due to their unconditional advantages, such as portability, relatively strong configuration of both hardware and software, simplicity in use, intuitive and user-friendly interface. There are though some disadvantages of this kind of electronics, the above mentioned health damages – finger, hands, writ pains, and adverse effects on children and parents. These devices effect our lives, and their rational use helps to make this effect rather positive than negative. References Berg, van den, L., 2013. Effects of Smartphone, Tablet and PC Internet Use on Time Spent with Friends and Family in the Netherlands: A Cross-Sectional Analysis. [Online] (updated 2013) Available at: [Accessed 10 Apr. 2015]. Better Health Channel, 2014. Mobile Phones and Your Health. [Online] (updated July 2014) Available at: [Accessed 10 Apr. 2015]. Fowler, B., 2013. Tablets Popular With Children, But Some Worry About Long-term Effects. [Online] (updated 5 Sep. 2013) Available at: [Accessed 10 Apr. 2015]. Kim, M., 2014. Blue light from electronics disturbs sleep, especially for teenagers. [Online] (updated 1 Sep. 2014) Available at: [Accessed 10 Apr. 2015]. Nishizaki, D., 2015. The Effects of Tablets on Learning: Does Studying from a Tablet Computer Affect Student Learning Differently Across Educational Levels. [Online] (updated 2015) Available at: [Accessed 10 Apr. 2015]. Stark, J., 2013. Why Tablets Are Overpowering Computers, and How It Will Affect Your Business. [Online] (updated 2 Aug. 2013) Available at: [Accessed 10 Apr. 2015]. The Hong Kong University, 2013. Health Effects of Using Portable Electronic Devices Studied. [Online] (updated 5 Sep. 2013) Available at: [Accessed 10 Apr. 2015]. Vocabulary.com, 2015. Definition of the word “Dictatorship”. [Online] (updated 7 Mar. 2015) Available at: < http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/dictatorship> [Accessed 7 Mar. 2015]. Read More