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Wednesday, July 02, 2008

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The Tablet PC Has Not Failed - Developers Have

My last post, which was about Microsoft's lack of Tablet marketing, generated some really good comments and discussion - thanks to all those who joined in.

Tablets are constantly referred to as having failed to meet expectations.

But as Hilton Locke pointed out:

Pen and touch digitizers have been around for a lot longer than Tablet, so the digitizer technology is relatively mature.

The hardware is there. There is support for that hardware in the operating system - but there is a lack applications that leverage the pen and/or touch. A tablet can run any application that will run on the Windows OS, but when it is running an application that is not "tablet-aware" it is just a laptop with a few extra tricks up its sleeve.

Hilton also pointed this out...

...it's hard to convince the ISVs to Tablet-enable their apps. Without custom app support, the $50-100 cost difference for Tablets is an unnecessary expense. So the most common usage in business is still notebook with pen as "super-mouse". Not terribly compelling.

Don't get me wrong - I'm not pointing the accusatory finger at the developer community at large here. It is not their fault. I don't think that Microsoft have done enough to promote developing for tablet PC to the developer community.

Microsoft should not only be heavily promoting pen and touch technologies to developers - they should be leading by example.

Personally I think this is one area where Microsoft have really failed.

The ink support in the Operating System is not what it should be - the community wants write anywhere. That alone would be a great step forward. Office is Microsoft's flagship product - why does the ink support not extend beyond scribbling on documents? Why is it left to third party developers like Loren Heiny to write a tool that lets you use a pen to review and mark-up a document in a more natural way? Or developers like Josh Einstein to make Outlook more ink friendly with TEO?

Outside of the Office suite - when Microsoft released their XPS file format to compete with Adobe's PDF format - why did they not release a reader application that would let you write on an XPS document and re-save it ala PDF Annotator?

Will Microsoft learn from this? Adding support for multi-touch won't fix the problem if there are still no applications that leverage the new feature set. Natural Input won't change the way we work with computers if the applications running on them don't change a bit, too.

The fact that you can touch two points on an iPhone screen is not exciting in and of itself - it is the software running the iPhone that captures those two touch points, interprets them and translates them into an experience that is natural and intuitive that makes it exciting. Come on Microsoft! That is the kind of software we need from you for the Tablet PC.

Or maybe LPH's take on this could be the winner - any venture capitalists out there?

A startup company, though, could blow away the market. It would take a huge burn rate for the first 12 months and plenty of blogger interactions to push the pen the right way - no hybrid keyboards, half written code for using the pen's advantage, etc. - But it is possible. The company would need software and hardware developers PLUS a team of evangelists who listened to the community and pushed to move the market quickly.

7/2/2008 6:46 AM MST

The Tablet PC Has Not Failed - Developers Have Comments [16] | Digg This | del.icio.us | Citations

Wednesday, July 02, 2008 7:20:55 AM (Mountain Daylight Time, UTC-06:00)

Totally agree with your sentiment, which is why I've not only embraced the new killer version of ritePen with macro functionality (from the unfailing developers at Ritescript), but I've paired it with nirCmd to enable application control by ink. I discovered the pairing yesterday and spent a good part of last night mashing macros and scripts to build a seamless natural interface. Scribble "save" and circle to save a document, "mute" to turn off the volume, "close" to close a window, "x" to cut, etc., etc. Basically, I'm turning every keyboard shortcut into an ink shortcut. I even made one for alt+PrtScn called "grab". And this is in addition to the normal way ritePen launches applications, opens URLs and inserts pre-defined text. More thoughts on my blog.

Sumocat

Wednesday, July 02, 2008 7:43:50 AM (Mountain Daylight Time, UTC-06:00)

This is why I thought the comment about how OQO should make the "Apple Tablet" which I had responded to in another thread missed the point. Having cool hardware is nice, but it's the software that makes it useful, and gets a critical mass of people to buy it. (If Apple ever made a tablet, surely it would use Cocoa Touch and take far better advantage of the touchscreen than Vista currently does. More importantly, using Cocoa Touch would force application developers to take full advantage of the touchscreen, due to lack of alternatives, if nothing else.)

One thing your blog post doesn't address is why Microsoft should do this. I'd love for them to promote pen and touch technologies, and for them to lead by example. However, I doubt that this would sell them any more Windows licenses or make them any more money. Falling down here doesn't seem to have hurt them financially. It's hard to see why they think they should do this.

Wednesday, July 02, 2008 7:54:56 AM (Mountain Daylight Time, UTC-06:00)

As a developer, I must admit, I've never had the opportunity to write software for a tablet PC. I think the biggest downfall for the tablet PC, as far as marketability, is that most industries that could use the technology use mobile devices instead.

In a manufacturing or warehouse environment the mobile units provide the durability and features that these environments need.

In the executive world I think they are content with blackberries and laptops.

All in all, I think that it is an overlooked portion of the PC industry, mostly because there are other devices that do similar things, even if they don't have the same power.

Shaun Eutsey

Wednesday, July 02, 2008 7:56:58 AM (Mountain Daylight Time, UTC-06:00)

In theory, this may be true. But in reality, you can't expect a company to plant the seeds for Microsoft. There's absolutely nothing to gain for an ISV add Tablet PC support to an application if his customers are not asking for it. I think the biggest failure has been marketing and setting expectations. Why on earth does an application need to be ink-enabled in order to make it more useful on a tablet? I've been using my tablet more and more in tablet mode because I use it in the car, at the bar, at my desk alongside my desktop, etc. Most of the apps I use are not ink-enabled but so what. Microsoft needs to keep doing what they did with Vista and make the whole thing more pen-friendly regardless of the application.

And the iPhone is the iPhone because it's not trying to be two things at once. If the iPhone attempted to run normal desktop apps the user experience would suck and they'd start doing what I just suggested above to make it a little better. This is also why I think the UMPC will never take off. You can't squish a desktop down to that size and make it comfortable without redesigning all your UI's.

Josh Einstein

Wednesday, July 02, 2008 7:58:08 AM (Mountain Daylight Time, UTC-06:00)

Sumocats's comments interest me, because I thought Ritepen was just a TIP replacement based on the screen shots I saw. But beyond that, I think the difficulty is finding an app a developer or firm could sell and make a profit on. I agree, the equipment and OS support has been there for quite awhile. I did attend a Microsoft class around the release of XP TPC edition as a developer on how to write apps for the tablet. THe gave away an SDk, T-shirts, etc. but no solid ideas for what to do with it.

Is it possible that while it is a cool technology, and useful to some, that it would never have a wide spread appeal because...well there is nothing that is compelling to do that? In other words, the average Joe sees no need to engage beyond a quick "that's cool, no hand me the keyboard so I can get some work done." If they do not see how it will make their life better, they will not engage with it. I am typing this response, and I am a hunt and peck guy(though pretty fast). I am not writing because my handwriting is not that good, and the convert to text features are kind of a hassle. Anybody else would quit too early to see the other things I can do with it.

I use my tablet's pen in:
- Browsing the web - much more natural especially with grab and drag type enhancements
- Mind Mapping - That software is very helpful
- Note taking in meetings where I will be having a lot of face contact, and do not want a screen in the way, or where I will be doing a lot of diagramming
- Photo Editing - the pen is much more natural to edit a picture than a mouse
- Reviewing and Editing documents with PDF annotator or MS office
- Grabbing a screen snippet for inclusion in a bug report, etc.
- Reading an e-book as a PDF

I guess now that I look at that list, it is longer than I expected...which is encouraging. But a lot of people do not do enough of those things. I would expect that it will take two things to get tablet adoption off the ground level where it exists:
1.) Show people that everyday things, like browsing the web, are more natural with a tablet. They may not be doing snippets or image editing, but everybody browses.
2.) Find that killer app, like the first spreadsheet, that will engage a wide audience and drive adoption. And I am not sure what that is.

David Howard

Wednesday, July 02, 2008 8:00:37 AM (Mountain Daylight Time, UTC-06:00)

Wow, I am a TBC user in my daily life but I have to say it sounds like it's all over but the cryin'. Nothing new coming out, everything I read now from this site and jkontherun is mini pc's, low cost pc's, iphones, and discussion on why TBC's have failed. A decidly negative tone from my perspective as a Tablet PC User and I find my excitement level definitly waning.

allen

Wednesday, July 02, 2008 8:50:46 AM (Mountain Daylight Time, UTC-06:00)

"Sumocats's comments interest me, because I thought Ritepen was just a TIP replacement..." - it used to be, but they added macro functionality in v3.0. That alone made it fantastic for me, but paired with nirCmd, I'm in natural interface heaven.

Sumocat

Wednesday, July 02, 2008 9:19:06 AM (Mountain Daylight Time, UTC-06:00)

Microsoft has often done this to the community of developers. Another round of this same thing is taking place now with Surface. Microsoft has shown it can work, they have done a few demos of the process of it working, but they haven't released the SDK. Chances are they will again leave it to the community to develop for it. With little or no guidance.

On the flip side though, do you really want your OS maker to dictate what software comes with your OS? Do you really want all your applications pre-installed? There is a delicate line of "what to develop". If Microsoft follows suit with Apple and starts writing the apps that make up the OS (instead of an OS that supports the apps) then you will be forcing out the minds that will expand the software.

Tablet isn't only at the mercy of the developers (Microsoft of other). There is also the problem of how to make the tablet useful.

Writing with a pen is just so cool. And only so functional. What else can the platform do? Not much as a whole. So is there really a wide spectrum future for the applications?

I would like to see a better SDK for tablet released, and maybe that just requires a request form the user/developer community in large.

Uthacon

Wednesday, July 02, 2008 9:27:55 AM (Mountain Daylight Time, UTC-06:00)

I find it funny, all the talk about the "failure" of the tablet PC. I agree, the software support isn't where it should be (especially in Microsoft's end -- at this point, all their apps should be leading the way), and the consumer's space has yet to evolve, but when I go tablet shopping, I have more options than ever, rather than less. I would call that a success at this stage of the game. Maybe not the level of success you or I would like to see, but a success none the less. I hope things keep moving forward and we continue to have a choice...slow and steady may just be the way to win this game.

FeralBoy

Wednesday, July 02, 2008 9:51:36 AM (Mountain Daylight Time, UTC-06:00)

I agree with your blog post, Microsoft and other major software developers should develop software that takes advantage of the functions a tablet PC offers.

Shan Gee

Wednesday, July 02, 2008 12:15:29 PM (Mountain Daylight Time, UTC-06:00)

I agree with the point that the technical limitations of tablet software are at least as significant as the marketing problem -- but the marketing still has been bad and has contributed to the lack of market for ISV's.

In my view, the problem is based in Microsoft's way of dividing up its operating units. Different "ownership" of features has resulted in things not working together like they should, so that the ink support is not what it should be. The tablet pc os is not giving enough capabilities to the office and other application divisions, and the office and application divisions are not having enough input into the os.

Someone has to get these people talking to each other!

Paul Harrigan

Wednesday, July 02, 2008 1:23:54 PM (Mountain Daylight Time, UTC-06:00)

Having demonstrated my tablets and UMPC in classrooms since 2004, I finally, this summer, had one student bite and showed up early to show off her new (used) tablet. She was very excited. I was very excited. FIRST TIME!

Education is the most natural place for tablets. Students ink notes integrated with their class materials for hours a day.

But I see the decision on what computer to send a student off to college with is really at that entry level, influenced by $50 or $100, how well it games, with the nonsense from the guy at Best Buy. And except for my comp sci majors, none of my students has ever installed a piece of software, let alone shopped for one. But they sure know how to shop for a phone.

I agree with Josh Einstein, that making pen integrated in the operating system is the way to go, and has made Vista much more usable than XP for me, with significantly better handwriting recognition.

Right now, I can write anywhere in a Word or PPT doc, and on a pdf with PDF Annotator, and/or copy & pasting or printing anything into OneNote.

But handing a Tablet to someone who has never touched one still requires more explanation than should be necessary. That puts tremendous pressure on developing a more natural UI.

Unfortunately, Microsoft still thinks in terms of the UI they invented in the pre-Windows days of the 1980s, with the line up of drop-down menus across the top of an app that NEVER made sense (File, Edit, View, Tools, etc.).

bluespapa

Wednesday, July 02, 2008 4:56:13 PM (Mountain Daylight Time, UTC-06:00)

Allen - heck no! It's not over at all. My point was that the tablet has NOT failed.

The fact that the platform is held back by a lack of software is not the ideal situation but it is better than having a platform that actually lacks potential.

It is a software problem - but that is one we can fix.

JC - great point. What's in it for Microsoft? It might not sell more Windows licenses but if the tablet features were actually embedded in the software and used, it would make both Windows and Office more sticky - i.e. it would make people less likely to switch to alternatives.

Josh - I take your point but that is the problem with paradigm shifts. People don't know they want the new functionality if they are stuck in the old paradigm.

Craig Pringle

Wednesday, July 02, 2008 6:14:11 PM (Mountain Daylight Time, UTC-06:00)

As a tablet PC software developer, I feel your pain. We created an electronic form data entry application for the tablet PC five years ago and continue to have a loyal customer base but our expectations regarding tablet PC sales have never been realized.

From a developer's perspective, it's hard to get excited about developing for this platform when there is very little marketing being done to promote this technology. We love the tablet PC and will continue to enhance our application, but wish some of the bigger players would put a little marketing behind it.

I like the idea of a venture capitalist funding some of the tablet PC developers. Maybe that will jump-start the market.

Best Regards,

Steve Hoffman
Active Ink Software
http://www.activeinksoftware.com

Steve Hoffman

Thursday, July 03, 2008 12:22:34 AM (Mountain Daylight Time, UTC-06:00)

Tablet PCs have been considerably more expensive.

There is very little "tablet pc friendly" softwares.

Most people I know, who have tablets, use their tablet pc's as tradional Laptops. Using the pen as fancy mouse.

SAM

Friday, July 04, 2008 9:38:59 AM (Mountain Daylight Time, UTC-06:00)

The typical lack of marketing argument applies here as always but the fact of the matter is that the special functions that inking and pen provide are not really needed by many users. My note-taking with ink is vital to my work and I couldn't live without it but the fact is that most people I interact with can function just fine without it so until it gets cheap enough to not matter these folks will not be willing to experiment. Craig's contention that the lack of adoption is the developer's fault sounds good but it's simple supply and demand. Most users don't need/ want it so developers will not be in a position to invest time and support for these features that most don't use.

James Kendrick

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