Tablet shipments slide as the smartphone continues to rein supreme

When I first started writing about smartphones, I never dreamt that they would change our lives in quite the manner that they have.

Yes, the smartphone. It’s now become the device of choice. Smartwatches aren’t proving to be as popular as thought, PC’s and laptops are appearing in homes less and less. Tablets, which I thought would be the perfect “home use” device, are also failing against smartphones. New stats from International Data Corporation show that tablets aren’t as popular as smartphones.

With my phone I can watch TV anywhere, set my home DVR box to record, listen to radio, communicate and do video calls. However, the smartphone also gives us access to everything, everywhere. Traditional sources of trusted news are now in a crowded market of blogs, social media sites and tweets all supposedly broadcasting “news” too. Some would argue that the stream of digital news has meant that “real” and reliable information is now longer discernible. Twitter, Facebook, newspaper sites and TV news sites all now seem to mash into one and it could be argued that it’s becoming easier to alter the way people vote and what they believe in.

The smartphone has become powerful, not just because it can give you the necessary technology, but because it can give you access to view more content than ever before. As we toddle towards 2017, it’s also sobering to see a press release stating that online gaming wagers will approach a massive $1 trillion by 2021, with around half of that due to mobile device use. Stats for this year show that it’s currently $550 billion, and it’s thought that VR technology could help industries such as this to transform into a more “real” environment.

Already we’re seeing “real dealers” being advertised for mobile gambling sites, and thanks to your smartphone you can play and interact wherever you are. But what if you strap your phone into a Google Cardboard VR headset? You’re instantly in the middle of a casino, looking around, part of the environment. Effectively you’re stepping into a glamorous casino, without needing a flight to Las Vegas.

This could be a way for real casinos to attract more customers – especially as they have the brick and mortar environment in place already. However, it’s also an opportunity for online-casinos to boost their income as they’ll already have the technology and systems in place to facilitate a 360 degree offering and put you into that live “real world” environment, even if you’re sitting at home eating crisps.

This is all possible thanks to the smartphone, and as sales of this wonder gadget continue, it means that everyone has effectively got direct access to you. No need to knock on your front door, no need to ring your home phone. This is a direct pipe.