Although tablet PCs represent just a sliver of the PC market today, Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer says the new category could eventually account for one-third of all computers–by supplanting the laptop. However, Microsoft is to shift focus from PCs to other computer gizmos:
Software giant Microsoft will emphasize devices other than the personal computer in the coming year, Chairman Bill Gates said Sunday. Microsoft’s attention is on Internet services, multimedia devices, handheld computers and tiny chips to make everyday objects computer-powered, Gates said.
Ballmer: ‘Tablets Will Displace Laptops’ and Gates: ‘PCs are the Past’
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Eugenia Loli
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Hasn’t this been tried before? I seem to recall someone saying (probalby right for most of the computing populus) that they can type fater than they can write or “symbolicly write” if you will.. hrmm.
doesn’t some joker say that PCs are dying/PCs are the past/PCs will be killed off by X soon just about every year
PCs aren’t going away any time soon b/c of one very important law…inertia
-bytes256
I remember everyone saying how Console game centers would kill off the pc’s. They do eveything you can do aon the pc but without the headache. It hasn’t happened yet! I don’t think it ever will. PC’s will change certainly.. but they won’t be replaced by a Tablet PC. This just sounds like Bill Gates wishful thinking.
This is Microsoft we’re talking about. If you listen to their hype machine, everything the come out with is the Next Big Thing(tm)
Why do I have a sudden urge to listen to Start Me Up?
FYI, this was a big theme of Bill Gates’ book “The Road Ahead” from quite a few years ago. So this is not exactly a new piece of hype; Gates really has believed in the future emergence of devices for a while now.
…As in Home Area Wireless Network. If people begin to set up wireless networks at home, then the Tablet PC will become a little more useful, especially when you want to view the Internet while you are on the john.
Vic
It’s likely that pervasive computing, handheld devices, RT multimedia, and internet services are growing markets and that PCs have begun their long decline. It’s far from clear how Microsoft can dominate any of these new areas, unless they follow an extremely shrewd acquisition strategy and the govt. looks the other way on antitrust enforcement. If they don’t dominate but merely have a respectable market share, the margins for most of these will be much smaller than they’re getting for PC Windows and MS Office – how much can you charge for the software on a $150 handheld computer. In these new arenas they’ll be battling people like Sony and Nokia and they’ll have far less platform leverage than they do now.
I don’t believe mr. Bill anymore since his “640 kb” prediction
And I don’t believe in monkies either..
(except for the Ximian monkies of course)
IF the tablet features are added to standard laptops (ie: the fold-over screen design) at little or no additional cost to the consumer, then tablets will “take over”. Its like saying Laptops with integrated pointing devices will “take over” from those without. The question is whether laptop manufacturers will be willing to add tablet features without the hefty price increase of current models.
Me, I’d be more interested in something like a wireless PalmOS device with a 12″ screen.
Me too… but only if the batery would last 1 month… and have foto-voltaic cells in the surface oposite to the screen…
That would be a killer!!!
Unlimited power, just place it to the sun…
Cheers…
I’m very close to being blind. What would these tablet jockeys have to offer me that’s better than a keyboard? What about people who have severe muscle diseases? Or are excessively nervous (can’t hold a mouse still, for instance?)
Who will be able to write as fast as (or faster than) the best typists?
I will believe this when I can connect a Tablet PC to a keyboard, then mount it a few inches away from my reading telescope just like my monitor screen is.
Do people prefer to bend over a writing surface, or view a monitor while sitting before a keyboard?
Is it just me or is the input portion of the PC ever decreasing since its conception? Keyboards are just plastick and rubber domes, mice are bought because they have friggin’ lights now?
And now the state of the user has fallen so low, that even the limited handwriting skills of today are better than the average typing ability?
Oh yeah, the digital hub. The Post-PC. Wireless networks. Bluetooth. Multimedia. Cell phones.
Like Chuck, I also have a visual handicap and unless they plan on releasing Tablet PCs with 19 inch monitors, I don’t personally have much use for them
Haha, the world goes round. From handwriting to typing back to handwriting! Maybe the next step would go back to oral folklore! I love my keyboard, thank you very much!
But at least, we can all see how MS is taking an active part in determining what gets used/sold in the future. They are not seating down, waiting for the trend to happen so they can join.
If MS see the future and its not going their way then they often force it to go their way. Now because they have tablets they will push them and push them and push them until there are no laptops. Besides what is wrong with laptops? As far as i can see you cannot install software on these tablets other than wirelessly, how shit!
I’m going to buy laptops anyway just to prove them wrong. Tablets are not worth it for the prices they are asking for anyway. If i did buy one, it certainly won’t be from MS.
Strange, we have a recession and people are saving money. PC’s are getting cheaper as are handhelds as are budget laptops but somehow in this world economy expensive tablet pcs (that require no significant R & D because they use existing Hware and modified Sware ) have come and they are going to be the future! How does that work?
the only way that tablets will replace anything is if billy and balmer force vendors to make only tablets. Sadly, that is not beyond the realm of possibility. Luckily its just at the edge.
When I can do scientific processing, C++ development, and OpenGL stuff on a tablet…
I think the whole point of the Tablet is not to replace the keyboard, because a keyboard is far faster and accurate to handwriting, the Tablet will gain significant market share because the point to having a laptop or mobile device is to use it on the go…for example, when I take notes in class the prof. will sometimes put a diagram or formula on the board, that is very difficult to do with a keyboard and mouse, but with handwriting you can easily jot stuff down like that…The tablet isn’t supposed do large amounts of text or programming, it is convenient to use when typing is a pain…the morphing laptops – the ones with a keyboard and then fold into a tablet would be perfect for school…
Here’s hoping MSFT’s “focus shift” works exactly like Be’s.
Focus?
Bofus?
While I don’t doubt these things have lots of uses, it’s a strech to say they will replace laptops and PCs. I use my laptop as my main machine. There are a lot of people who use desktop replacement laptops. They’re not going to switch to some underpowered laptop unless it has the horsepower they need. A lot of people use their PCs for more than just Word and Internet Explorer. A tablet is useless for the stuff they do. So, yes, this tablet thing could be successful. But replace the PC? Be is more likely to come back from the dead and make a killing doing an Amiga clone!
A few years ago the folks at Be Inc. announced a focus shift because the future was no longer in PC’s , but in the new Internet Appliances,apparently now that M$ has squashed all commercial competition in the desktop market they plan on doing the same to the small device market.Oh well,maybe if they have a focus shift of their own somebody will come up with a good alternative desktop OS once more!
Hmm. Maybe they’ve got a chance, once Microsoft Bob runs on those devices. I hear it will make a glorious comeback, once they figured out some remaining problems with Novell network compatibility and fixed some showstopper bugs in the Vesa local bus driver…
Like many of you, I find this to be an annoying repeat of several issues of “hot new thinking” of years ago.
There is one reason for this to happen, though: Microsoft needs to find some way to continue to grow their business. They’ve dominated PCs; it’s time to convince people there is a new market, so they can make money off of it.
RE: Michael Dingler’s comments about mice and keyboards: You are correct, sir. These devices have become so “finished” that the only way to keep selling more and more devices (faster than users can wear out the old ones) is to make them look sexy and “desirable.” Basically what Apple did with their computers… When the hardware is matured, it is time to cheepen it and push sales of it based on gimmicks.
>>Me, I’d be more interested in something like
>>a wireless PalmOS device with a 12″ screen.
Me too!
ciao
yc
zzzzzzzzz
Dear World,
IMHO, the tablet PCs will not replace today’s laptops. Features present in this new thing will migrate to PC and laptops. What’s the difference between a tablet PC and a regular PC or laptop? The difference is the primary input device. They replaced the keyboard with a LCD touch screen and packaged the computer with a handwriting recognition software equipped distribution of today’s WinXP.
PC’s have been and will always be here.
Later,
Slashdot Junky
Dear World,
Oh yeah, my writing sucks and is getting worse with everyday, because I type so much. Besides, I sure am not going to actually begin handwriting code. I might jot a few lines at lunch or something when I am not at a computer. The code flows so much more when I type!
Again later,
Slashdot Junky
You nailed it. your example is the very reason for them and why I want one. I’ve wanted one for years. They are not to be a full time machine you sit down and work at. There for uses as you stated. It’s the next step over a laptop. A laptop is not ment to be a desktop computer and use for everything. It’s a mobile secondary computer. Many just use them as a full time computer. I want one so i can write my class notes and diagrams and sketchies down easily and fast and then later have it in text form and more orginized. Look at the MS demo’s of the sticky notes and such, this is showing it’s uasage. Keyboards and mice just don’t work for many task. also in a class environmnet typing on a keyboard will get you tossed. Many a laptop are even aloud in the room. This you could sit there like it was a notebook. Go home transfer stuff to your desktop. Also a web pad would be nice for things like eBooks, imaging having all your text books in that thing with all your notes, and be able to connect to the web. You could carry just it to class. Also things like GPS attachments with maps would be great for traveling. Laptops just arn’t convinient for such things. The reason previous attempts have failed varry from lack of effort from the company, bad design, costs etc. It currently looks like many major computer makeres will put out similart devises at once. hopefully this will cause them to catch on. previous atempts have never been heard of by most people. But seeing an ad for a compaq web pad when you check your email at yahoo will help things out greatly.
>…As in Home Area Wireless Network. If people begin to >set up wireless networks at home, then the Tablet PC will >become a little more useful, especially when you want to >view the Internet while you are on the john.
>Vic
Oh good. So finally the saying “My computer took a crap just now” can be meant almost literally…
And somehow I can’t think of a better metaphor for todays OS’s. Sitting on the John. lol.
You know, I actually read every single comment, and only TWO people had a clue as to what the TabletPC is… it’s amazing how ignorant you all are.
…and 640K is enough for everyone. Any frog coming out thrdr ‘idonaries’ mouths should be taken with a huge amount of salt.
I think they accidently swapped what they would _like_ to see happening with what they think would happen.
>>Me, I’d be more interested in something like
>>a wireless PalmOS device with a 12″ screen.
Me too! Please!!!
Mink
“>>Me, I’d be more interested in something like
>>a wireless PalmOS device with a 12″ screen. ”
You can add me to that list as well. The register article a week or so ago that covered nagel at a palm conference said that nagel kept talking about laptops using palm os so maybe its closer than we think.
Yeah. Right.
Slashdot Junky:
Once again…. there are MANY different formfactors for TabletPC’s, including a convertable, which goes from just a standard laptop with a keyboard to a slate form, which uses the pen/inking technologies.
Now, I’d say you are either icredibly ignorant, or just a mindless drone trying to discredit a product for no good reason… either way…
This is the key, I think, and I want one solely because of this.
I don’t have a wireless network now, but with something like a table, I’d would get one.
Why? For my wife.
I can easily see my wife sitting on the couch, legs tucked under, wearing sweats and a t-shirt chewing on the end of the stylus while she’s browsing the web and reading email.
She does far more reading than writing, and something like this would be a neet thing to have for her.
Within the house, theirs no difference between a notebook and a desktop: you still need to be someplace in a chair staring at the machine, with the machine dictating the ergonomics, not the person. It’s easy to “curl up” to a tablet, but difficult for a laptop.
Display, battery, logic board, wireless net card, “cradle socket” for charging and “ports”. Bouncing bumpers on the corners, 6 ft concrete floor dropability. Ideally, it would be something like an embedded X terminal, with it’s own “host” in the base station.
The iBook is about the right size. 12″ display. You should be able to sit on it with the lid closed. Put a “frame” leg on the back so you could set the thing up on a counter, to read a recipe from or something (though in reality it’s just simpler to print the thing out).
And, see, here’s the kicker. With the PC market saturated, there is little need to by a new PC. The current PCs are lasting longer and longer, because it’s taking longer to get the machines faster and faster, with the current crop “fast enough” for most people.
But throw in this tablet form factor, and now people have a reason to “buy new”.
I’m looking at this purely from a consumer point of view, I’m sure there’s some value in the modern office, but it’s questionable.
The HP-Compaq TC1000 is the only one with hardware that looks somewhat respectable, too bad the software does not do it justice.
I hope Palm enters this market soon and shows how it should be done (hardware & software) before these clowns ruin any chance this market has.
ciao
yc
I don’t like the idea that MS is using their market dominance to try to force others into not making desktop PCs anymore. I like using my desktop and I would never see myself using a tablet for the majority of the time. How then are people going to be able to do large spreadsheets, program development, desktop publishing, image and video editing. Everything MS has been trying to build up as useful for the desktop they are slowly trying to eliminate with the introduction of a Tablet? Fat chance.
slackware:
What does TabletPC have to do with any of that? NOTHING.
Stop putting words into Microsoft’s mouth.
The TabletPC is meant to replace the laptop, not the full blow PC… although, if you’ve seen the demo from the TabPC launch, you would see that the TabletPC works very well with your home PC; you merely dock the TabletPC, and then you essentially have a second monitor on your PC, it works very well.
Check it out here:
http://www.smb.compaq.com/html/tablet/index.asp
Nice piece of hardware but TabletPC OS / interface still sucks!
PalmSource should work with HP-Compaq to get an Intel/BeOS/BeIA based PalmOS on it with a much better interface. Palm Inc. can also build it’s own slick hardware.
ciao
yc
yc:
There is absolutely nothing wrong with the interface, other than just the flaws that any WindowsUI has.
Also, seeing where as Palm can’t make something that is even REMOTELY comparable to the PocketPC, how are they going to come up with something that is as advanced as the TabletPC software?
Stop being a drone, seriously.
>>seeing where as Palm can’t make something
>>that is even REMOTELY comparable to the PocketPC
CPUGuy, now I know that you are either on crack or you are being paid by MSFT to post statements like this on BBSes. I guess that’s why PalmOS based devices are much more popular than PocketPC Right?.
Every reviewer of the Winblows Tablet PC agrees that the OS and UI suck. It’s just not ready prime time.
By the way, Palm was the first company to ship a successful pen-based computer in April of 1996. (The Palm Pilot) They will probably be the first to succeed in tablets as well if they choose to enter the market.
Microsoft = “Most Intelligent Customers Realize Our Software Only Fools Teenagers”
This fits perfectly for the Winblows TabletPC OS.
ciao
yc