Apple iPads, Blackberry Playbooks, HTC flyers,  Google Asus Nexus 7s, Windows Slates… Tablet PCs are being offered by almost every single computer maker both reputable ones and not so reputable ones. For as little as KES 17,000, one discerning Kenyan can own a simple tablet pc that runs on android, has a 7inch screen, and has wireless internet connectivity.  If I were serious I’d have it for about KES 15,000.

A friend of mine who hails from a rural area upcountry asked me "What tablets are these that Kenyans are buying for over KES 40,000? They must be quite ill.” I tried my best to hide my shock. He thought the tablets that people were discussing were specialized medicine for sick people. When I told him it was a sort of ultra portable hand held computer, he was the one who was shocked. “What of laptops?” “People can have both ” I told him.  “What of the Android phones that are everywhere that nearly everyone has?” he asked. “They can have both or all three really” I said.

He didn’t seem to see the point of a tablet

Where did the whole craze even begin?  Apple thought that it would be “appropriate” to introduce something bigger but not laptop sized to the market. So they made the original iPad. 9.7 inches of touch screen goodness. Initially seen as a “must have” by fans of technology, the iPad became so successful that’s it’s become a tool. For something that was seen by analysts as a niche, the iPad’s runaway success has seen other computer manufacturers follow suit. Samsung introduced the successful galaxy tab series which got them entangled in a court case with Apple.

Tablets are useful for reading on the go, browsing wirelessly at places with “hotspots” (places that offer wireless internet connectivity), watching movies or short tv episodes when one is say, stuck in traffic or waiting for someone…the list is quite long. Recently, tablets got approval for use by pilots as a way of carrying airport maps, route information and aircraft manuals. Tablets store plenty of information in that small body of theirs.

The level of customization is so vast that no two tablets are the same. Everyone has different apps to suit their needs. You can make them an office device, full of business apps, or a home device with everything from games to cookbook applications, or a travelling companion with weather, travel, mapping and picture applications. The only thing they can’t do is actually do the cooking for you.

In my opinion a tablet is a very good long term investment, as long as you’re on a good platform. Even though the first generation iPad isn’t receiving anymore software updates, it’s a still a good tool. You can find new ones for less that ksh30,000 for a basic 16GB edition. The iPad 2 will cost you much more but it’s got a decent screen and a camera. The iPad 3 is still relatively new and expensive though it’s a great piece of work.  Android tablets are decent but you’ve got to make sure you get one that will be supported for a few years in terms of software updates.

Online Apple products, android tablets vary with specifications. Usually top end models sold currently will be supported for up to 3 years. Remember, these are consumer products that are constantly updated. As newer models are released, older models stop being supported.

Tablets can be seen visibly today. Go to a Java or ArtCaffe and you’ll surely spot an individual sporting one. I was in a matatu the other day, and this lady had one with her. Traffic was barely moving but she was quite entertained, watching two broke girls on it. University lecturers are slowly following suit (for the tech savvy ones at least) using them to read lecture notes.

Maybe you should join the revolution.