+A
guest analyst • Leslie Fiering
SMARTPHONES
VS. NOTEBOOKS
According to Gartner's Leslie Fiering, SMB executives are looking for
lighter alternatives to notebook computers, and a new generation of
smartphones may just fit the bill.
Having tasted mobility through their notebook computers, road warriors around the world are now
seeking to lighten their loads by using a growing array of smartphone devices instead.
For insight into how this impacts technology providers, ChannelPro’s William Kozel spoke with
Leslie Fiering, research vice president at Stamford, Conn.-based IT analyst firm Gartner Inc.
ANALYST
ChannelPro: Leslie, how strong is the trend toward replacing notebook computers
with smartphones?
Fiering: We need to separate the pent-up demand from the ability to actually do it. People would really
like to unburden themselves from notebooks, and to get on a plane or walk through a city carrying less.
Also, there’s a tremendous demand from salespeople who don’t want a laptop getting in the way of in-
teracting with their customers.
In addition, a lot of senior executives are now used to their BlackBerrys and they’re thinking, “I get
through the day with my BlackBerry, so why not a couple of days?” The problem is, as soon as you have
to view large documents or do any creation or editing of documents, a smartphone doesn’t do the job.
We’re moving toward the ability to leave your system at home for a couple of days. There are certain
requirements, though. For example, how much
work do you need to accomplish on the road, and ?
how much pain are you willing to bear? All of the
current options have compromises.
cpeditor@ehpub.com
ChannelPro: What are the most popular form factors in the notebook replacement niche?
Fiering: People are playing around with form factors to see how much you can carry on a
little flash drive. Some people are using smartphones. There’s a lot of hope that UMPCs
[ultra-mobile personal computers] will solve the problem, but they’re still a little too big to
be pocketable, and too small for sit-down computing.
ChannelPro: Where are the greatest smartphone opportunities for IT companies that serve
small and midsize businesses?
Fiering: We’re finding that provisioning, which is making sure that services and software are correct,
is a big deal. So is security, to the extent that a VAR can provide a security infrastructure. Another
opportunity is synchronization, which can be a matter of choosing tools and processes, or doing
training and support—all of which would provide value-adds.
ChannelPro: Where do you see smartphones versus notebooks in five to 10 years?
Fiering: I see notebooks getting considerably thinner, smaller, and lighter, and there may also be
some phone capabilities. Phones will offer increasing input/output options, such as laser keyboards and soft keyboards. But even in five years, I think we’ll just be beginning to touch some of
this. The technology solutions are the easy part. The hard part is rolling them into a device that
meets the ergonomic, lifestyle, and workstyle requirements of the user. •
WILLIAM KOZEL is a Philadelphia, Pa.-based writer specializing in the technology industry.
