The very idea of having convergence devices is a good one, although it reality, it can be pretty impossible to accomplish. Our smartphones would most probably be the best example of a convergence device done right: it is a mobile communications device, helps us get around unfamiliar places with its GPS functionality, and of course, doubles up as a more than decent digital camera and High Definition video recorder, not to mention keep us entertained with movies and songs while we are on the move. In the world of tablets, however, the picture is not as rosy, which is why Dell has taken the step to hop off the Android-powered tablet bandwagon and settle for hybrid devices instead.
Never mind the fact that tablet sales figures do churn up a fair bit of revenue still, the entire market is not moving as expected. Industry analysts such as IDC have already put forward the idea that shipments for last year has dropped by a double digit figure, and 2016 is not the most encouraging year for tablet sales, either. Vendors are at a loss at what to do for the moment in order to stem the consumer exodus from the tablet realm, but there is a ray of hope in the form of hybrid devices. One can see that through the expanding sales figures by Microsoft's Surface range as well as the iPad Pro from Apple.
Dell, ditching Android-powered tablets that comprised of their Venue tablet range, has decided to remain in the market -- through the presence of hybrid devices. In other words, a two-in-one that can function as a tablet as and when required, or a computing device on the go.
Dell claims that the 2-in-1 hybrid solution would be the perfect answer to the questions that people ask concerning tablets, that is, productivity is halted or stemmed as tablets cannot do much outside of the home, with desktop computers and notebooks taking over the task at the office. An over-saturated market with declining demand from consumers does not help the situation, either.
What about those of you out there who have decided to place your faith and money in the Dell Venue? You're out of luck in terms of future support, as Dell does not intend to offer any kind of new operating system upgrades for their Venue tablet range. The company will, however, honor existing warranties and support service contracts. In other words, Dell has abandoned the Venue tablet family for good, so even if you find a Venue tablet on sale at ridiculously low prices, you might want to give it a miss as there is close to zero hope when it comes to future support.
These hybrid devices more often than not comprise of a detachable display and a core unit that makes up the keyboard, and Arik Hesseldahl of Re/Code noted, "Detachables are proving so popular that IDC reckons by 2020 they'll account for about one-fifth of the entire market for what it calls "client computing devices," which includes both tablets and PCs." Sounds like Dell is moving in the right direction here.
