Tablet PC

The Tablet PC is becoming the tool of choice to access the Web, and replace the desktop computer.

Why Jobs created the iPad

We do not know, but the biography of Steve Jobs by Isaacson reveals that it was actually at Microsoft that it was thought that the tablet could replace the desktop computer and revolutionize the world.
A Microsoft engineer who was married to a family member of Jobs told him about this ongoing project at Microsoft.
Jobs was convinced that the style was a bad idea and as it heard for the tenth times of the project by the engineer, he then said: "We will show them how a tablet may really be designed."

The project he was talking about was the Courier with two screens and a stylus, a project abandoned because it did not support the software that are the source of revenue for Microsoft. Courier was replaced by Windows 8.

Why a tablet?

A controversy has been initiated between two very popular bloggers in the U.S.: Wilcox, who believes that the world does not need a Tablet PC, and TechCrunch, which replicates previous failures do not mean necessarily to a future failure if the technology evolves.

Indeed, the concept of tablet as defined in the new product is different from past experiences: it is based partly on the touchscreen, and also offers a screen quality close enough that of a magazine on paper.

And we can see that this latter quality to be adequate to the success of e-books, including the Amazon Kindle.

For the first quality, it provides a new type of interface to the computer and allows to be dispensed of a keyboard: the tablet PC becomes an alternative to the netbook, lighter, more compact.

It can, thanks to its wide-screen, replaces e-books and through an Internet connection to replace a smartphone (for phone or exchanging emails).

Tablet and eBook

Viewed as a computer, the tablet's keyboard does not seem of great interest. Similarly, considered a smartphone it is not very practical either.
It's like e-book that it takes all its interest because it adds to it the qualities of a computer: power and multimedia.

This becomes evident with Notion Ink's Adam. Using the technology of electronic paper Pixel Qi (electronic paper with color and video), it fully meets the universal role that is assigned to this type of device: multitask, long battery life and highlighted reading in book mode, it displays movies up to 1080p.

Apple's first iPad

Both tablet and eBook, as well as mobile phone using the same system as the iPhone it is a perfect tool to read magazines, with its 24 cm (9.7 inches) touch screen.

iPad Mini in the hand (of Andre the giant)

iPad Mini in the hand (of André the giant)

iPad, unlike the Kindle supports the open ePub format and the color screen makes the latter obsolete.
For signing a contract with five major U.S. publishers, Apple makes of its tablet  a book reader with a browser for online newspapers.
It has  a Wi-Fi connection for the Web and 3G in option.

His weight is 700 grams for a thickness of 1 cm. With a memory of 16 gigas, it is sold US $ 500.

The pros:

The cons:

Before it was launched, most users feel they have no use to it. However 300 000 copies have been sold on the first day of the availability.

In 2012, Apple, although Steve Jobs has always maintained that the company would not make a 7 inch tablet, launched the iPad Mini with a 8-inch screen (this is not the same). It can be held in one hand ... if it is large enough.

The Google tablet

In cooperation with HTC, Google is also working on a project using the new tablet with the  Chrome operating system.
According to the Australian newspaper SmartHouse, this project began 18 months ago and several prototypes have already been produced.
According to other sources, it uses a processor Qualcom and will be available in November 2010 with a Verizon mobile subscription in the USA.

Dual-screen tablet by Microsoft

We talked about a draft shelf by Microsoft, called “Courier”, news backed by Gizmodo that would appear as a book with two screens and the interface is a pen for writing or drawing. This project is now officially cancelled by Microsoft.

The principle of dual screen is taken up by MSI: by placing a virtual keyboard on one of two screens, we transform the tablet in netbook. But it will not be available until late 2010.

Amazon Kindle Fire

A full 7 inches cheap ($200) Android tablet with a special browser, dedicated to the Amazon ecosystem. Such as printers that are actually paid by the cartridges, this tablet will be by purchase of products on the Amazon site. A recent study has actually shown that users are more buyers on tablets than on desktop computers.
The browser compresses pages on Amazon's servers, with all their elements, HTML, script, images, then passed quickly to the user.

This model does not compete with the iPad, but this will happen with the next 10-inch screen version.

What manufacturing cost?

The Hewlett-Packard tablet

Steve Ballmer has the last word

Steve Ballmer has the last word

A Hewlett-Packard tablet was actually presented at CES 2010 by Steve Ballmer, which works with Windows 7, and has the capabilities of a PC, to be used as a smartphone or mobile phone. It has a single screen.

According to TechCrunch, HP has decided to abandon Windows in favor of webOS, which makes sense since the firm has signed a purchase agreement for Palm, the publisher of webOS.
Sorry Mr. Ballmer!
But when HP  withdrew its  WebOS tablet  because of lack of sales, he has been avenged. Not for very long however, since, after the Windows 8 tablet, HP launched an Android tablet in February 2013!

A tablet to replace the desktop computer

The specifications of the Skytab with a dual-core Atom processor and 2 GB of RAM are wondering what prevents to use it as a desktop computer.
One can indeed connect it to a screen by HDMI and to a keyboard. 1024 pixel resolution is limited but the 320 GB hard drive provides ample storage.

Opinions about tablets

Steve Balmer, Microsoft annual financial meeting 2010:

"We’ll talk about slates and tablets and blah, blah, blah, blah …"

Controversy:

Documents

See also