The adoption of the iPad and tablets generally as more than media devices is one of the themes that's emerged from the conference. Miles Kirkpatrick, who leads online and emerging media at Sears,
noted customers are transacting more via tablets than on smartphones. The retailer has also seen strong response rates on marketing geared to the iPad. David Hewitt, VP mobile, at Sapient Nitro,
pointed to the continued growth of tablets to be one of the big trends this year, especially with more Android-powered units coming on the market.
But is it really a mobile device at all? " A
mobile device, no matte the shape and size, brings a freedom to the consumer and employees that a fixed experience really does not," said Hewitt. David Berkowitz of 360i and Chris Brown of
Apartments.com, however, pointed out that even if people use tablets outside the home or office, they're not likely to bring them to places, like restaurants, bars, or museums, where they'll have a
smartphone. "We have to consider this a different category of mobile device," said Brown. But it's own that appears people will use for shopping as well as watching videos or reading e-books.