As Africa gains access to progressively more telecommunications and Internet bandwidth, with two submarine cables soon running down each of the continent's west and east coastlines, so will the laptop computer become the communication tool of choice.
So says Lenovo country general manager, Henry Ferreira, who adds that this may be a surprising prediction, considering the relative prices of laptop computers, cellphones, smartphones and other handheld devices with telephony components.
He notes that of Africa's more than 1.2 billion people, more than 70% are under the age of 25. “This is a generation born into the technology age.
“It's grown up with, at the very least, cellphones and, therefore, with the idea that communication with a wider community is not only easy, it's natural and desirable,” he points out.
This generation is also acutely aware that access to information equals access to wealth generation capabilities, Ferreira says.
“It's a generation that will automatically expect communication to be the thread that links social activities, entertainment and work. It's a generation that is inherently in synch with developments in IT - specifically the acceleration of convergence of communication technologies, including online video,” he adds.
Connectivity conundrum
Ferreira says for the majority of young Africans, cost of communications is still an issue. “Voice calls remain more expensive than texting with cellphones. So, the Internet, offering cheap and easy access to much broader sources and types of information and communication, is enormously appealing,” he says.
However, he says, while it is entirely possible with some cellphones and other handheld devices to search the Internet or interact on Facebook, the big screen advantages of being able to scroll through large bodies of text or get the full benefit of social networking sites, including YouTube, are possible only when using high-end, expensive smartphones, a desktop or laptop computer.
He believes trends show that mobility is extremely important to the younger generation. “So, getting mobility and big screen benefits at the same time means using a laptop computer rather than a handheld device.”
Business case
In addition, he says, when it comes to working with, for example, spreadsheets, PowerPoint slides, engineering drawings, or balance sheets, there is no substitute for a full screen. Or, indeed, a full-sized keyboard that enables one to work quickly, accurately and comfortably.
“Also, mobile or handheld devices tend not to have the power to easily inter-work with less mobile devices such as printers,” he adds.
There is talk of roll-up normal-sized screens and keyboards that can be plugged into handheld devices being developed, he says. “But, the whole point of a handheld device is its convenience for carrying.
“Why then add to it items that must be carried with it, unpacked for use, and then packed away again when a work, entertainment, or social networking session is over. More convenient, surely, to simply use a laptop that has all the elements built into it?”
For all these reason, we are expecting sales of laptops to burgeon in SA and the rest of the continent, Ferreira says.
He says, however, that is not to say either the desktop computer or handheld devices will become obsolete.
“I don't know a single executive who doesn't travel with both a smart phone and a laptop computer. It's so much easier, when you're on the move, to use the always-on smartphone to pick up and sort through the avalanche of e-mails arriving in your inbox on a daily basis. And, of course, to receive those all-important voice calls.”
Ferreira reckons desktops also have their place in the computing spectrum, in large measure because they are more affordable than laptops and smartphones.
“African governments, for instance, are finding that they can afford to equip more of their employees with desktop computers than with laptops,” he adds.
Perreira says desktops can also be expanded or upgraded more easily than mobile or smaller devices.
“Popping in and configuring an extra graphics card, say - and boosting productivity in the organisation as a consequence - is the work of a matter of minutes. Adding a better quality screen doesn't entail getting rid of the computer, as it would for a laptop.”
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