Wow, do people still ask this question? Well, apparently they do, as a lot of consumers don’t know exactly the difference between a tablet PC and a laptop, so when faced with those two types of products in an online store they don’t know what to choose.

    I won’t make a big deal of this article, but I’ll try and explain in plain language the main differences between a tablet PC and a laptop/notebook.

    So let’s see what makes a laptop and what makes a Tablet PC, simple as that:

    Screen

    This is the biggest difference between a notebook and a tablet PC. The screen of a convertible tablet can be rotated 180 degrees and folded over the QWERTY keyboard, just like that. Once in this mode it becomes clear that you need something different to interact with the screen and that are your fingers or a stylus.

    Yes, the screen of a tablet PC responds to your touch. There are quite a few types of touchscreen technologies, some cheaper, some better (but almost never both). If you want to know more about touch technologies you could subscribe to our daily newsletter and receive the Free Ultimate Touch Tablet Guide eBook which has a dedicated chapter for touchscreen technologies.

    Screen size is also usually a difference between but it’s not a rule. Because a tablet PC must be held in hand a long time during the day, screens tend to be smaller, reducing the overall footprint of the device. Of course you can find tablets with big screens and laptops with small screens but the trend is reversed.

    Software

    Yes, the software has to be different for a tablet PC, to allow the device to interpret what you’re doing with your hand. Here is where things are worse for tablets, as this relatively new type of product (less than 10 years old) is not really matured when it comes to user interface. Currently, most Tablet PCs are using Windows 7, which includes native touch support, but it’s far from being intuitive as buttons are too small for your commands to be precise. Here’s where we will see big changes in the future of Tablet PCs.

    Price

    Ok, this is not a feature, but you’ll want to watch out because that’s a difference you’ll feel when you reach for your wallet and pay for the product. Because of the complexity of the screen (swivel mechanism and touch layer) tablets are more expensive than similar configured laptops so you’d better think twice if you really need a tablet. The alternative is to get a touch screen laptop, if you need touch input.

    That’s pretty much it. If you were expecting more there’s not much worth mentioning. Maybe the battery life, which is slightly lower on a Tablet PC, but that’s usually compensated by a smaller screen, that consumes less than a higher diagonal model, without a touch layer.