Might not seem like it, but Microsoft is still pushing the Tablet PC

Anyone else notice that the Tablet PC has become sort of invisible lately? Hardly any new ones were announced at the big ol' Consumer Electronics Show a few weeks ago (Bill Gates didn't even hardly mention it during his big keynote there), sales have been mad sluggish (only 1.3% of all PCs sold are Tablet PCs, and it doesn't help that they almost always cost more than a comparably-equipped laptop), and it's almost like Microsoft has just lost interest in the whole thing. Well, maybe not entirely. It might not seem like they're pushing the Tablet PC platform very hard, but PC World has an article about how Microsoft is working with Toshiba, ViewSonic, and AveraTec (i.e. spending some marketing dollars) to get more budget Tablet PCs on the market. Everyone seems to think that the problem is poor marketing—that Microsoft et al. have done a poor job explaining what a Tablet PC is and what makes it different than a regular laptop—but maybe it's time to admit that beyond a few niche markets, there just aren't that many people who want to write by hand any more. Nothing wrong with that.

P.S. - In case you wondering, despite all the rumors, Dell still says they aren't coming out with a Tablet PC.

[AD @ Dec 19th 2005 12:09AM]

Tablet PC is great for stock control / industrial work where people need Windows on hand, standing. And Tablet PC IS cool for reading documents, but its too darn expensive, might as well get a notebook (as you pointed out). One percent total PC market share, that seems pretty good to me, probably more computers than Apple sells in a year?

...now on to the "next big thing" the all new Media PC...a desktop computer that wants to control your TV.

[wayne chiang @ Dec 19th 2005 12:09AM]

I like this tablet http://www.pepper.com/

[Jeff @ Dec 19th 2005 12:09AM]

I don't think there's really *any* application where you really *need* a full-sized Windows PC that you can write on by hand. I mean doctors, etc. just use PDA's, and can you imagine them having to walk around with giant laptop-sized computers all the time? Same goes for industrial work - a PDA can do all you need to do.

I think the one area where tablets *could* be useful is in graphic design and graphic art work. It's one thing to use a tablet on a desktop PC, but to actually see what you're drawing right under your hand - well, that's a lot closer to the way artists used to work the traditional way (i.e. drawing on paper). The problem is tablets aren't geared towards graphic art yet - the screens aren't good enough, the machines aren't powerful enough, the touch sensitivity is not accurate enough. There needs to be a separate sub-category of these things that is not geared so much towards thin-n-light but more towards power and quality. Not that it'll cause sales to skyrocket or anything, but put some marketing behind it explaining the benefits to graphics pros and I think it'd at least increase the size of the niche.

But niche is all tablets will ever be. Seems like MS finally realizes that, the way they've scaled back their talk about it. Not many people need/want to write freehand anymore. (I honestly have a hard time even doing it; I can't read my own writing, and it hurts my hand if I do it for more than a few minutes at a time.)

[Marc Orchant @ Dec 19th 2005 12:09AM]

Peter: Speaking personally, I hope Dell never builds a Tablet. In their pursuit of ever-cheaper PCs, they'd get it wrong. Now IBM (Lenovo?) is another story. I know a number of people who have said they'd adopt the Tablet in a second if it had that ThinkPad goodness.

And to AD (above) and others who complain about the expense - keep it in perspective folks. Tablets are not *that* expensive. I know LAN party gamers who have truly expensive laptops (in the $4-5K range).

Tablets do command a premium but you're getting a digitizing screen, better battery life, and a dimension of flexibility other laptops can't provide. Do they cost more? Sure. Is it worth the extra money? That's a personal decision.

[JOE @ Dec 19th 2005 12:09AM]

"people don't want to write by hand anymore" --where do you come up with this dumb idea other than your own experience? Writing is much more pervasive than typing, condisdering we spend 3+ years teaching writing in school.

That argument sounds like someone a few years ago saying "why do I need a cd player in my computer? I can listen to music at home"

I think that the key here is price point, and a little bit of marketing - people don't know what the tablets can do. I expect that in a couple of years, most notebookswill flip open like the current convertable tablets, and it will just be normal to ba bale to write on the screen as well as use a mouse or keyboard.

Isn't that what microsoft wants for all thier products? Ubiquity?

[davidm @ Dec 19th 2005 12:09AM]

The tablet form is very good when travelling, and the pen is nice to use as an alternative to the mouse. Neither of these facts has anything to do with the handwriting recognition, which is not useful very often. In fact, I'm going to put Linux on my M200 once I get some time.

Re the expense, it is not that much more than comparable high quality notebooks, considering the extra utility.

[Brian Cooksey @ Dec 19th 2005 12:09AM]

I would agree that for text input by keyboard is so much more efficient for me... but with a picture being worth so many words, I'd rather input and manipulate graphic content becuase it gives much higher bandwidth communication. Some of these uses are where the tablet shines.

So, yeah, if I do some web research (lots of search-typing and some coarse clicks), word processing and software development... a tablet doesn't buy me much. However, text isn't my only kind of input.

First, I don't like doing fine-motor skill work with a mouse, touchpad, or trackball. Drawing, sketching, graphic art, diagramming and some kinds of GUI input are simple much better done with a pen on a tablet because I can combine wrist and finger action more precisely... or quickly. Also, some coarse work, like UML diagramming is simple easier to manage by sketching. To input symbolic content and do fine spacial work... give me a tablet.

Second, My current observation is that most software user interfaces are made mouse-friendly... they take into account the _lack_ of fine motor movement precision of the mouse and compensate for it. On a tablet, this can work against the fineness advantage. In the little reading about I've done, I've seen no mention of this, but I suspect that it has some effect on users' long-term tablet loyalty becuase this gives an "it's not quite right" feeling.

An other area where I prefer my tablet is reading. When I'm doing extended online reading (with limited clicks), it's much easier to wield a tablet (or convertible in tablet mode) than a laptop with its odd center of gravity. A laptop is like having a book with its center of gravity at the far end of the book.

In my case, there is one other odd context. I wouldn't put this forth as an argument for wide adoption, but I suspect there are a number of other niche uses that make the platform invaluable. I regularly attend a meeting where taking notes on a laptop would be a distraction to other members of the meeting. It's just a cultural thing in this context... but a tablet allows me to get my notes electronically.. without lugging paper and re-entering the notes later. Not a mainstream situation. I've tried doing it with my PDA, but I find I spend too much time waiting on the text conversion. The tablet lets me take notes and defer text conversion to my convenience.

I won't go so far as to say, you'll have to pry my coonvertible tablet from my cold dead fingers... but I really enjoy mine and I'm certainly not planning to switch soon...

[Nicholas Paredes @ Dec 19th 2005 12:09AM]

Although I ditched my Fujitsu, the tablet was a really cool platform... But, Windows was the problem. Just try and secure a Windows machine whose whole reason for being is mobility. From cell card modem, to Wi-Fi, to ethernet... As a designer, the handwriting interface worked fine. I sketched in Alias Sketch, organized everything in Tablet Planner, and got by with Outlook and the other office tools. I think that budget tablets are the wrong way to go, since power is exactly what such an interface needs. And using it as a desktop, with a monitor attached, eliminates the pesky forgetting of files.

Here's hoping that Apple comes out with a powerful tablet!

[Geoff @ Dec 19th 2005 12:09AM]

I'm a law student and I use my tablet all day every day. What amazes me is that almost every day someone asks me what it is and has a million questions about what it can do. There is almost zero awareness of the tablet pc in a market (education) that Microsoft has targeted from day one for the tablet. Somebody must be doing something wrong. As far as the utility of the tablet concept goes I find it incredibly useful to be able to get my thoughts onto the computer in the same logical fashion that I have them in my head, i.e. diagramming relationships between items. Also the ability to mark up downloaded documents like cases from Westlaw has made my life much easier. If I could buy my textbooks in PDF so I could do the same thing I would be in heaven.

[L2GX @ Dec 19th 2005 12:09AM]

I'm going to buy one 2nd quartal so I can sit outside and sketch.. Been wanting to do that ever since I was a kid and at the moment carry at least 3 paper sketch books with me at any time.
So that puts me in a niche market that isn't catered to by Apple anymore. Also as I'm not a Microsoft stockholder I don't care about the success of the tablet pc. I just need it for myself.

About the pricing though, most reviewers seem to ignore that tablet pcs are a bargain compared to a laptop + wacom bought seperately.

[Stefen @ Dec 19th 2005 12:09AM]

Hi,
regarding a Dell tablet: I talked to a Dell representative at Microsoft IT-Forum in Kopenhagen (Denmark) last November, he said they have Tablets in their labs but don't see a market (=customer demand) big enough for them to enter the stage.

I agree that Microsoft isn't making a lot of noise about Tablet PC, on the other hand it indeed is becoming more visible in Germany.
Two companies (Averatec and Acer) have released three models for around 1200-1400 Euro (around 1300-1500 $), one of them being big advertised.

But - no one knows what a Tablet PC is, except the tecchies.
When you walk around or use a Tablet you get very much attention and interest - one asked me: Is that a Computer?
So, yes, MS does too little to make it something everyone is aware of and thinks of it as a must have.

Greetings Stefen

[Mike @ Dec 19th 2005 12:09AM]

I did some work a while back for the Tablet PC team and have some insight on why Tablet prices are so high, and just don't seem to be coming down.

The core of the tablet is it's digitizer. The digitizer on the tablet is one of the most advanced in mass production today, and costs a ton of money to produce. Microsoft absolutely requires a certain level of performance in the digitizer, although some companies add extra functionality (some tablets recognize pen angle, etc..).

The digitizer alone makes up a huge portion of the cost of manufacturing a tablet, and unfortunately there just isn't a way to get the price down any time soon.

Personally, I think the high cost of entry is a big deterrent, and I don't know how they are going to solve the problem. Margins are thin enough that manufacturers can't discount any more than they already have.

Anyway, I wasn't terribly impressed with the usefullness of the tablet outside of a few select businesses. You'll never see me do data entry with the pen, but hey, maybe a doctor would.

[Andres @ Dec 19th 2005 12:09AM]

I am a researcher who use a tablet PC 100% of the time. The summary of my experience with a tablet is that it improves absolutely every task you can think of. I can read papers and write comments on them (no more piles of disorganized documents), I can keep a research log where I can integrate papers, simulation results, plots, figures, references AND my personal notes and comments (which I can search even when they are handwritten...). In addition the tablet format is ideal to carry it anywhere and work confortably in confined spaces (as in a plane). It is also great for teaching and presentations, where I can treat a powerpoint presentation as a virtual blackboard, add my handwritten comments during class, save them and made them available to the whole class within seconds of finishing. Also, I haven't heard of notebooks with batery efficiency as good as tablets (my tablet's batery last for 6 hours easily if I don't use WiFi).

The argument that tablets are expensive are completely bogus. I got an ACER c300 with a Pentium M 1.6 GHz, integrated CDRW/DVD-ROM, 512 MB RAM, 60 GB HDD and 14in display for $1600. At the time when I bought it, this was just $150 more than similar non-tablets notebooks. Not only this, there are other tablets that are less expensive or at comparable prices.

Honestly, I don't understand why people are so opposed to this concept. Most of the negative opinions just sound to me like the comments I heard from old people oposing those new things as a PC ("an electronic typewritter will be always better"), Internet ("is just a waste of time"), etc.

[Will @ Dec 19th 2005 12:09AM]

I've only just started to look into the Tablet PC because I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. After much research, I really want one. It may not be for everyone, but I think it appeals to people who need to take notes without the convenience of having a chair and desk at hand. Even with a chair and desk, students can say goodbye to paper notebooks and binders.

The tablet deserves alot more attention; the selection is limited and it's still more costly than a comparable notebook. I'm waiting for a budget convertible like the Toshiba Satellite R15-S822 or hopefully a Centrino based Averatec c3500.

[Jim @ Dec 19th 2005 12:09AM]

Heck, what's the deal? Tablets are great for those who want to input with a pen and conventional laptops are fine for everyone else. The problem was the initial hype tried to sell them as a totally new concept that everyone would benefit from. In truth, only a relatively small sector finds it useful to carry around a large pen input screen. To them its very useful but its not a killer application.

That Dell doesn't sell them says more about Dell's business model that the utility of tablets. Dell is about volume not innovation or niches.

Apple had about 2-4% of the PC market (depends on country) in 2004. Apple probably sells the same number of laptops as there are tablets and is very successful (i.e. profitable). By that measure, the sales of tablets (albeit by more than ten companies) is also successful, although its not clear whether the manufacturers are making moneyor whether Microsoft has recouped its investment in the tablet software.

[Justin @ Dec 19th 2005 12:09AM]

Some of you may already know this, but here goes. At several Universities across the US Msoft and friends (HP, Thompson publishing, etc.) are providing tablet pc's to students for the semester for select classes. These usually come locked down so you can't install linux on them or anything (there are of course ways around this...and yes it was fun). Throught this program Msoft gets 1) advertisings..."my friends have a tablet and i want one!" 2) a cheap test bed of subjects 3) looks good to the public because they are "supporting eduction". The truth of this program is that the tablets are a distraction in the classroom (wifi surfing during lecture).

[Katie @ Dec 19th 2005 12:09AM]

I just recently, as in with in a week, purchased a tablet PC from Acer, the Travelmate C300. I love it. I knew when I finally got a laptop it would be a tablet PC. It has all the things I would have gotten anyways (size of harddrive, etc) if I had bought it from Dell. The selling point on it was the tablet feature, I am a theatre scenic and lighting designer, and I use graphic programs quite alot. I didn't want to have to carry around the seperate drawing tablet that is bigger than the laptop. This solves that problem, so there's one less thing to carry making the laptop that much more portable for me. I'll admit it's not for everyone though. I will probably never use it for writing, drawing only. To me if you use it for just writing it's no different than a pad of paper.

[Stephen Brandon @ Dec 19th 2005 12:09AM]

I'm a professor and must agree with the last post. I use my tablet (a TC1100) all day, every day. I read articles on it. I do the reading I assign students, much of which is on PDF and available through electronic reserve. I have moved much of my working library to PDF, so I've always got it with me allowing me to do basic research anywhere. Combined with a projector, I use the tablet as an enriched blackboard. I arranged to have a wifi bubble put up over the department, so I can illustrate a lecture with historical maps, portraits, or documents pulled from the web or stored an the tablet. In meetings or is planning may time,I've got my day planner, email, and previous meeting notes at my fingertips. I do much of my "fun" reading through e-books. students submit papers through attachments, and I comment an them in pm and return them. I could go on. My point is that no other platform would allow me to do all of this in one place that I can carry with me Without breaking my back.

Too often Microsoft, et al look for a single killer application or reason to buy. The value of the tablet platform lays is its ability to bring together a variety of working styles and ways to work.

On the keyboard vs pen issue, again there isn't a single right answer. In meetings or brainstorming or in lecture,I find a pen is more natural than a keyboard. When editing, I use a keyboard or a multi-monitor desk system. When composing, I use voice recognition.

[Stephen Brandon @ Dec 19th 2005 12:09AM]

I'm a professor and must agree with the last post. I use my tablet (a TC1100) all day, every day. I read articles on it. I do the reading I assign students, much of which is on PDF and available through electronic reserve. I have moved much of my working library to PDF, so I've always got it with me allowing me to do basic research anywhere. Combined with a projector, I use the tablet as an enriched blackboard. I arranged to have a wifi bubble put up over the department, so I can illustrate a lecture with historical maps, portraits, or documents pulled from the web or stored an the tablet. In meetings or is planning may time,I've got my day planner, email, and previous meeting notes at my fingertips. I do much of my "fun" reading through e-books. students submit papers through attachments, and I comment an them in pm and return them. I could go on. My point is that no other platform would allow me to do all of this in one place that I can carry with me Without breaking my back.

Too often Microsoft, et al look for a single killer application or reason to buy. The value of the tablet platform lays is its ability to bring together a variety of working styles and ways to work.

On the keyboard vs pen issue, again there isn't a single right answer. In meetings or brainstorming or in lecture,I find a pen is more natural than a keyboard. When editing, I use a keyboard or a multi-monitor desk system. When composing, I use voice recognition.

[Fabio @ Dec 19th 2005 12:09AM]

It's a matter of marketing.
Microsoft should advertise tablet PC like they're doing with Media Center, or with the "Your Potential, Our Passion" campaign.

So many people yet don't know what a tablet is.

Advertising and commercials are the best way to make them become a mainstream.

[Paul @ Dec 19th 2005 12:09AM]

I've been looking for a TabletPC for a few weeks and its really REALLY hard to find a store that has any display models. They simply aren't being marketed. I know that many people in my dept at work (60,000+ European Bank) are interested in TabletPCs, and wouldn't care about the premium price. If only stores would stock them, and allow customers to play with them, then I'm sure many more people would buy them. The market is definately there.

[Christian @ Dec 19th 2005 12:09AM]

The medical profession DOES benefit significantly from tablets. We have all the nurses in one our care divisions using Fujitsu tablets; their charting is paperless now. PDAs aren't sufficient here - a bigger screen is needed (you'd really only understand if you just saw ALL the crap that gets crammed into one screen of a clinical application). Tablets aren't for everyone, and I'm happy with my PowerBook, but they're definetely a good concept, and like PDAs, they'll probably always have a niche.

[JD @ Dec 19th 2005 12:09AM]

Before any of you speak, try the tablet first hand (not the last generation, but the current ones)...and you will realize they are pretty amazing. I am a Marketer and most of my life is spent in meetings. Just taking notes alone (writing) is awesome. Manipulating powerpoints is fantastic as well. And finally I have carpal tunnel like issues (tendonitis) - I even compose emails with hand writing recognition. It is really good with hand writing recognition (english) almost from the start.

Yes price point being higher than comparable laptops is an issue, but on a technical merit try it and you will be a convert. "Once you go tablet, you can never go back" !!!

[Bang! @ Dec 19th 2005 12:09AM]

The Tablet PC edition looks like all the other windows XP which makes it "normal".

Somebody need to make tablets for different markets instead of 1 tablet for everyone.

An example would be to build a affordable virtual paper pusher, give it robust network features and low end processor and ram... (saves on battery life)

Oh, somebody in the gaming/graphical industry need to build a tablet that is nearly a desktop replacement but without the bulk.

In my eyes, the HP TC1xxx series is the definition of a real tablet pc. It could be a slate or a convertible. Convertibles look like a wannabe laptop and that's not going to get people to notice. Pure slates are very cool but most people feel the keyboard as a more easy way of inputting data.

Overall, a lot of potential but the price is a serious killer.

[mike jones @ Dec 19th 2005 12:09AM]

I have been looking at getting a tablet, but I can't find basic information on what it does and does not do. Virtually all the information I see makes the assumption that the reader knows what a Tablet is and how it works.

I am a bit of a computer rookie (age 63). I lack a lot of techie experience and am not ready to do a lot of learning to make a tablet work.

So a basic question (that I have not found an answer to) is whether I can start out using a tablet and experience no more hassles than buying a new notebook.

Stated another way, can I still use the Tablet version of Windows and use it basically the same way I do with Windows XP (email, googling, blogs, stock portfolistuff, etc )? If not, are there a lot of differences? If I can begin to use the Tablet right away (like I use my current notebook), then I will go buy one and learn the Tablet stuff as I go along .

I would appreciate any reactions and suggestions on where to find the basics about the tablets thqat my googling has not been able to locate.

Mike