Almost every tech news site on the web has some sort of coverage about the new Kindle Fire, Nook tablet or some sort of iPad. These devices are all in competition with one another, but they are all also very different.

The tablets seem to be some kind of breed of a smart phone and a laptop, offering many possibilities for on-the-go entertainment, email and productivity. However, because of the obvious size, not every useful feature could be added to the tablet.

In my opinion, the most obvious feature missing in the tablet is a full-sized keyboard. While the touch screen allows just as precise movement as a typical computer mouse, a smaller touch-sensitive keyboard appears on the screen. Imagine typing a 10 page report by pecking your finger back and forth on a small touch-screen tablet! That would take forever and be really annoying!

While different tablets have different specifications, they just can’t function as a full computer. The hardware simply lacks the capability. The operating systems are built to run apps and programs simultaneously, but with an average of only 1 GB of RAM and limited storage space, it just isn’t possible to get great power from a small device meant to provide entertainment.

Most of the productivity apps seem to be built to work in conjunction with the larger programs installed on a typical computer. For example, Adobe’s apps for the tablet are smaller versions of the computer program – meant to begin or view a project instead of putting the finishing touches on one. So in this instance, it would be great to have a tablet and view your project on the way to the office in the morning, but if major changes are needed, access to a computer is still necessary.

The main selling point of these popular devices is that they have more capabilities than a smart phone, but are still small and more portable than a laptop. Watching movies, playing games and accessing social media is easy to do when traveling, and most tablets are priced to be very comparable with laptops.

However, if you think that you can buy a new tablet and ditch your old computer, think twice. Because of the decrease in hardware capabilities and the limitations on programs and functions, you’ll get better use out of your tablet when paired with a laptop, instead of using one as a replacement.