Tablet sales are flat. Even Apple is freaking out. Has the passion gone from the relationship? Or is something better coming along?

Things have come a ways since the iPad legitimized the tablet market back in 2010. Today, tablets are ubiquitous. They’ve either captured all the market they’re going to capture, or people have finally figured out that they need a phone and a laptop, not a phone and a laptop and a tablet.

The initial tablet fever spawned by the iPad generated a huge boost in sales, not only for Apple but Samsung and Acer and whoever else made tablets.

My observation is that the initial crowd who bought the tablets used them and valued having them. These folks will continue to replace their tablet hardware, but the people who opted to replace a desktop or laptop with a tablet aren’t going to replace their gizmo when the tablet’s battery dies.

Oh, yes: They’re replace the gizmo with something, just not another tablet. My guess is that replacement device will be the 2-in-1 laptops, which are a hybrid tablet/laptop or what I call a Tablet PC.

These devices sport a touchscreen, which is something Windows 10 works well with. Because of that, and the 2-in-1’s detachable keyboard, it makes a most marvelous replacement for both a tablet and a PC. You get portability plus a full-on computer when you need one. Windows 10 addresses both needs extremely well.

So the tablet era may not be closing as much as it’s changing, and that change is coming from — surprise — Microsoft! Their Surface tablet showed the way, coupled with Windows 10.

The proof for my theory will be when Apple introduces a 2-in-1 iPad-Macintosh hybrid. Now that would be something!