I have used a Thinkpad X60T for several months and feel the tablet concept would be far more popular today if it were readily available in stores. It remains a novelty. So who is killing it? It is possible, with the advent of touch screen technoloy the tablet may be the best and most purchased portable computer of the future. At this moment all the things I got the tablet for in the first place still seem limiting to me. OneNote does not like my handwriting enough to translate it into text very well. Occasionally the inking on Powerpoint stops working in the middle of a presentaton, and I have challenges with the screen freezing. But with all the challenges, I hope I never have to go back to a normal notebook computer. Tablets are my main machine! But then, I felt the same way about my Pocket PC, and now you can hardly find one. Technology is dynamic not static!

That's okay. Nobody ever would want to drive a car, instead of a reliable horse. They emit noxious fumes and break down all the time. Nobody would ever want a microwave oven! It can't even brown things! It's obvious nobody will ever want a tablet pc.

SB Treloar... absolutely right. :)

Sierra,
I am with you as I also love the tablet concept. But it is not something that comes free. For example, the laptop counterpart of my x61t, the x61s, is 7mm thinner, 17mm shorter, 400g lighter and magically runs 2 hours longer. And whenever I give it to some friends it becomes an amusement. Nobody really knows how to operate this thing by the pen. So I partially see some truth in Mitch's claim.

Pibach, one of the biggest reasons people don't know what to do with the pen is because of the assumption that a portable computer is used with keyboard and a mouse/trackpoint/etc.
When people try writing with my x61t, they never rest their hands on the screen, which is not what people normally do with pen and paper. They have this weird, but understandable "prejudice" that they can't ever put anything on the screen, which is partially true.

Anyways,have some kids try it, and they'll know what to do :D

So all in all, Mitch Wagner doesn't know what he's talking about :D

I've never before heard of Mitch-uh, what's his last name? - I guess it would be fair to say that nobody wants him either-if I use the same logic as he does?!

If every laptop sold had tablet pc components.. The problem is, for some reason, perhaps a price point with the addition of the digitzer / special screen, that tablet pc's are severely underpowered compared to a regular laptop. (Although that's beginning to change.)

Wow-- "No real benefit to 'em", that's quite the arrogant, and blanket, statement to make.

Any perceived 'benefit', in the case of the TabletPC, is going to be decided by the end user, NOT by a blogger trying to convince us that the product "doesn't make sense".

In my case, my x60t TOTALLY makes sense: I have a need to ink and to write by hand, as well as do the regular things one does on a standard business laptop. It makes sense that I would use a TabletPC to the inking and manual stuff, rather than have to carry around a digitizer everywhere I go. It makes sense to me that my natural workflow on my laptop has completely changed over the last couple of years, as I take advantage of multiple functions and uses that I can do with this machine, that I cannot do on a non-tablet.

The BENEFIT is that I can show up at a client's site, and when he suddenly decides he wants to discuss changes, I can power up the laptop from sleep mode, flip into tablet maode, and start writing, right there on the spot, complete with drawings and diagrams. Another client made it a point to mention how much he enjoys when I come to meetings, my tablet is in tablet mode right there on my lap or on the table, NOT a 12" shield in front of my face that creates a psychological wall that the other participants have to look 'over' to see me. I am also a pianist, and it is a huge BENEFIT to me to be able to write sheet music by HAND, the thought process is so much different than point and click, and I think more refined.

I know I'll probably never use my Tablet to the extent of its abilities, but if the day ever comes that I can't get one anymore, I can guarantee that I'll be crying at least once a day over something else that a basic laptop painfully cannot do that a Tablet can.

-Michael

I also play the piano, and if I want a break from my desk, can flip my Tablet into portrait mode and drop it onto my sheetmusic stand and choose from any one of thousands of PDFs of music to play from.

sounds like troll baiting. they wouldn't be making them if no one was buying them.

I'm sure Mitch doesn't know as much about Apple and its intentions regarding a possible tablet as he lets on.

MItch overstates his point. Obviously, it's not literally "nobody" or else this web site wouldn't exist. However, tablet PCs tend to be some combination of heavier, bigger, less powerful, and more expensive than their non-tablet counterparts. This is not good for the purported more mobile solution. This also makes them just plain less attractive as laptops to the general public. One can argue that they cost more because they have more features, but no one has really motivated the public to want those features yet especially if it means lugging a bigger, and heavier device around. If something is too big, too heavy, or too expensive for you, you're not going to use it, regardless of how many extra features it has, period.

Most software assume a keyboard and point device. The tablet PC user experience, then, isn't as good as it could be. If all software were designed to be as tablet friendly as, for example, SketchBook Pro, tablet PCs would come off much better than it does now. If nothing else, it would be easier to demonstrate that you don't have to be tied to the keyboard. For now, we have a small set of programs which take advantage of the pen, and everything else where the pen is a glorified mouse and you have no access to an implicitly required keyboard. (Ever notice that, at least in XP, the Windows Console does not support the TIP except as a virtual keyboard? I think I had the same issue with VNC.)

None of this says that a tablet PC isn't worth having. (I actually really like mine.) It does say that manufacturers haven't done a very good job of articulating why the general consumer would ever want one of these things. (e.g., one of the typically touted strengths of tablets is note-taking. However, this requires people to get past their bias against handwriting recognition. Although the Newton eventually ended up with excellent handwriting recognition, the original Newton MessagePad still has a lot to answer for.) Software vendors, in general, haven't done very much to make their products tablet friendly. Scroll bars, where they are typically placed, are not usable user interface elements on a tablet if you're left-handed. Some software let you move the scroll bar, or place them on both sides of the window. By no means do all software let you do this. (I suspect right handed people have problems with casading menus.)

The Mac tablet rumor has popped up so often, that I figure one of these times, it'll be correct. However, in order for it to be successful, it's going to have to overcome all the problems that I've mentioned above. The tablet PC, like the UMPC, is a really great idea for someone. What no one has yet managed to articulate successfully to the unconverted masses, is why either one of these is a great idea for everyone.

I entirely agree with JC. Mitch's overstatement does come across like the infamous answer to a demonstration of a working electric lightbulb back in the 19th century ("it's wonderful but why on Earth would anyone want one ?"). But he does have a point, in that we are in a catch-22 situation: the tablet PC experience is sitting ungracefully on top of 30 years of keyboard & screen upbringing, so it doesn't always offer a "better" experience. But to offer a "better" experience, we need a broader userbase to allow the whole operating system to be completely rethought.

This is not impossible. In fact, there is only one company that has recently succeeded in bringing to the masses a (re)invention of technologies: Apple with it's Ipod and it's Iphone. It "reinvented" the Walkman by Sony, and properly implemented a touch interface that existed for years on Palm and Windows Mobile PDAphones.

So if Apple are really making a tablet pc, I am willing to bet they will do it well and Mitch will have to do a New-York-Times-article-style recant...

I also really hope for more applications that design for pen mode, as opposed to adding a couple of tweaks to a keyboard-centric program. Until then, OEM's really ought to start bundling useful programs like ActiveWords Inkpad,and gesture programs, pen calculators, etc.that add so much functionalityinstead of just crapware.

SBT

Ok all. I think some of this was taken out of context. I believe what Mr. Wagner is talking about is purely business. I don't think he's out to slam the tablet pc, but instead commenting on if APPLE corp. should be focusing resources into a tablet pc. Think about it. Macs already have little marketshare of Desktop platforms. Macs have slightly better marketshare with their macbooks, but still it's honestly not much to brag about. Where apple shines is in their sales per square foot ratios, because of innovations such as the ipod and iphone as some have mentioned before.
For Apple to devote resources from becoming trend setters with gadgets like cool and sleek mp3 players (were they the ones that "reinvented" the mp3 player, or did they just use their cult-like clientele to market the ipod to?) and touch phones towards tablet pcs that already show a low sales volume compared to other technologies, I do feel that you'd see apple stock prices plummet quite quickly. I feel that Mr. Wagner is stepping on some of your nerves here, being that you/we're all tablet pc lovers or at least users, and perhaps some of you are just a tad bit defensive?
Or could it be that Mr. Wagner has not used this topic to create a buzz, but possibly the writers of gottabemobile? :)

That's my 2cents after reading the article. Take it or leave it. I'd welcome any debate as long as you actually pull out some information from some 10k spreadsheets, say from motion and fujitsu vs. apple and dell. Apple's doing quite well, and it's not because of their computer division. I am not an Apple lover; just a financial economist.

have a look at the video of upcoming BumbTop desktop and you'll notice that pen-centric software will make a huge difference:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0ODskdEPnQ

TabletPC's
I can't believe anyone who has used one would not say that they are great!

I have used a C110 for many years. I finally upgraded this month to a.... Sony Vaio TZ17 whilst in Singapore...
The reason... Well I had gone into a shop to buy the Fujitsu T2010 but with no dvd and lower res screen... not to mention size... I went for the Sony.
I really miss the tablet functionality but I am not looking back.
I will revisit tablets in a couple of years if the manufacturers actually start making a decent one again!

Now I may end up with a little UMPC though just for the mean time ;)