2013 preview: devices and endpoint

Computing interviewed several major players in the finance and commerce world earlier this year. Most agreed it would just take one brave company to take that plunge, and NFC would be swiftly adopted. 

So what about Android? A survey conducted by Computing back in September indicated that Android is starting to lose its appeal in the enterprise space, mostly in favour of Apple products. 

Android is going to have to watch its game in 2013. Any further fragmentation will result in the OS being perceived more and more like an impenetrable, Linux-esque tangle, striking fear into the hearts of systems administrators everywhere it goes.

Google's increasingly high profile focus on its Nexus range is surely being primed as the antidote here. In a way, it's a crystallization of the basic Android dream. The Nexus series is, after all, a best in class collection of devices from different designers. A 7in tablet by Asus, a 10-incher by Samsung, and so on. But with 2012 being the year the Android Store became Google Play, it's clear that the search engine giant wishes to emulate the promotional powers of the Microsoft or Apple brand in order to tie everything nicely together.

If the Nexus 7 in particular is anything to go by, this more considered, branded approach is looking like a smart move indeed - especially if Google continues to keep hardware prices down.

Will you be reading next year's 2014 forecast on a tablet device while you work from home? Perhaps you already are. But don't be surprised if 2013 turns out to be the year when the tablet seriously affected the way you work and where you do it.

In the meantime, check out Computing's video roundup of the most interesting tablets on the market this Christmas.