Is your view of computers too narrow?

Is your view of computers too narrow?

Remember the good old days of desktop computers? That roaring tower of doom, which created enough heat to warrant turning the heating off in winter?

Screen resolutions were low and the only people with laptops we those the cutting edge. After all, you couldn’t actually get online without plugging into a phone line, so the idea of carting a heavy laptop around was a bit much for many people.

But now the tables have turned. You still find desktop computers in established offices, but they’re mainly the domain of gamers, graphic designers and other people who need super-powerful hardware that’s hard to fit inside a laptop’s case.

And in the last couple of years, things have changed again. The rise of the tablet computer has led many experts to suggest that the laptop’s days could be numbered.

But although it’s impossible to deny that the hardware market is changing, it’s an exaggeration to suggest that the days of traditional laptop and desktop computers are over.

This means that although mobile devices might be the flavour of the moment, you need to think about all the different devices people use to get online. Here are three things to think about.

1. Desktops and mobile are both growing

Contrary to popular opinion, mobile devices and the growth of the mobile web are not so much supplanting the use of desktops as happening alongside it. Evidence suggests that desktop use is still on the increase but mobile use is growing faster.

In fact, many websites now see more than half of all visitors arriving from mobile devices, including smart phones and tablet computers.

That’s why having a website that works well on mobile devices is important. Visitors will just move on if they can’t see your site on their mobile device.

2. The lines between devices are blurring

Technology is moving at an extraordinary rate, which means our perception of machines and devices has to move fast too.

With the invention of Google Glass, smart watches and other wearable technologies, the way the web is accessed is changing all the time.

The boundary between phones and tablets has been blurred by the so-called phablet (a small tablet which can make calls). And the division between tablets and laptops isn’t so clear either. Just take Acer’s Aspire R7, which can be a laptop or a tablet.

We live in a ‘touch and swipe’ world, not a ‘point and click’ world. It is vital your company responds to this by providing appropriate platforms, websites and customer service experiences.

3. Your website doesn’t reflect where technology is

If you want to keep selling to people who want to buy from you, you need to be in the places they go. Increasingly, that means letting people buy from your business online.

Setting up an ecommerce website is a significant undertaking, but can turn out to be an investment that pays real dividends for your company.

You should definitely consider creating a mobile version of your website or developing an app so customers can interact with your company on their mobile devices.

It’s time to embrace the fluid world of technology by meeting potential customers where they are — whether that’s on the sofa with their tablet, on the bus with their phone or in the office on a laptop.

• Designing for the mobile web
• Why doesn’t your business have a mobile website?
• Mobile apps vs. mobile websites

This is a post from Satvinder Singh on behalf of LaptopSpares4Less.com.