The idea that the tablet is dead is the dumbest thing I have ever heard. It is probably the most useful form-factor there is -- at least ultimately. But it hasn't come to full fruition yet. Stylus writing is really necessary, and lighter weights will be a big deal. Ultimately the tablet will be ubiquitous, and therefore must necessarily become dirt cheap. There is little to no profit margin. Revenue will have to come from software. Which makes it really disappointing that Google has bowed out as they are probably in the best position to pull that off. But instead it looks like Amazon is going to own the tablet market too, generating revenue via eBooks.
Maybe we can declare laptops as tablets with integrated stand, extra powerful hardware, built-in keyboard for efficient text input, and a much larger, less regulated app ecosystem with much more featureful apps.
Tablets are pretty dumb really, IMO. That has been my opinion since the beginning of the tablet hype. The only way for them to actually take over was for them to gain most features of "regular" computers - maybe in unexpected ways. It could have happened if Steve Jobs hadn't died so early.
Smartphones are very different - you can carry them in your pocket and that is a huge deal. All the compromises make sense there.
While there are "flip" style laptops, most of them are not. Try typing on a laptop (and its keyboard) while standing/walking around and without a table or any surface to rest the laptop on.
It's really cumbersome.
The solutions are to hunt and peck type with both thumbs, or use one hand to hold the laptop and type with one hand, both of which are pretty dumb really, IMO. (Especially on a 15" laptop.)
