One of my biggest beliefs when it comes to tablet technology is that the devices we use directly reflect the lives we lead. If you happen to be a jetsetter with a lot of work to do, you want a device that will match your traveling plans in battery life and mobility. If you use your tablet strictly around the office and spend more time working on spreadsheets and presentations than checking email and doing video chat, you want something with screen real estate and enough power for your needs.

So, it’s not surprising that I see the market shifting toward the types of people currently using tablets. However, while the majority of the tablet owners out there happen to be city dwellers who don’t work in a busy office environment, that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of people out there who need more out of their tablet than the iPad or Android devices currently hitting the market can offer.

That’s not to say that these highly popular tablets aren’t good enough for the people who need powerful devices. Rather, it’s that the tablets in question don’t offer the same features that these users come to need from their devices. The iPad for example is incredibly good for a lot of things, but sorely lacking in a few key areas, such as expandable storage, USB interaction, and customization of content. If you happen to be a corporate IT manager, justifying iPad use is tough right now.

However, if you happen to be a sole business owner who wants something mobile for email and presentations to new clients, an iPad is great. The same can be said for different features on all current tablets – they are catered to a particular crowd and therefore are most useful to people in different demographics, whether their manufacturers intend that or not.

Mobility and Features Going Forward

Right now, almost all tablets are trying to do pretty much everything. The result is that they each lack a few features to keep costs down. Some people want 3G access while others do not and frankly don’t need it because they work almost exclusively in the city. But, a friend of mine who travels a lot and lives in a rural area loves the fact that they can get a Galaxy Tab for less than $200 on data plan because the 3G access is fantastic for their needs.

In the future, 4G access will become fairly standard and maybe eventually it will be so affordable that the WiFi only tablets to cut costs will go the way of the Dodo. But, for now, we have choices and I feel that the way you live your life will impact those choices just as much as your intended use of the tablet. Ultimately, the lifestyles of consumers will start to impact the actual layout and features on the tablets themselves – that is after all what the free market does. Hopefully, that means we’ll see a surge of new ideas in the industry to go with them.