By Larry Magid
Like other tech journalists, I got my invitation for an Apple press event on January 27th inviting us to “Come see our latest creation.” Apple didn’t offer any details but the speculation is that the company will announce some type of tablet device, probably optimized for watching video and reading books.
Not the first tablet
If Steve Jobs does announce a tablet device when he takes the stage at San Francisco’s Yerba Buena Center next week, he won’t be the first famous tech executive to do so.
I was at the Comdex computer trade show in November 2001 when Bill Gates announced Windows software for the tablet PC. Gates, at the time, predicted that the Tablet would become the most popular form of PC within 5 years. That was 9 more than years ago and even though a number of PC vendors have come out with tablet PCs, they remain one of the least popular forms of PCs.
The PCs that Gates showed off were running a version of Windows XP designed to allow users to write on the screen instead of type on a keyboard.
A Microsoft press release at the time quoted Ted Clark, vice president of Tablet PC at Compaq, as saying “We see the Tablet PC as a business tool that lets you work the way you want to work, bringing the power of the PC anywhere you want to work. He added, “This will be your primary computer — it’s not a ‘companion’ device to anything else, except a companion to you.”
Ted Clark, Bill Gates and everyone else who predicted the domination of the tablet PC were wrong. Despite some inroads in medical, government, military and vertical markets like delivery personnel, tablets have largely been ignored by consumers. But the reason might be because Microsoft positioned them as work machines instead of as media players.
The reason I never bought into the tablet craze is because they replaced the keyboard with a stylus, encouraging people to write rather than type. If I preferred writing to typing, I never would have taken that junior high school typing class so many years ago. Not only does typing produce more legible copy, it’s also faster. A good typist can type as many as 70 words per minute but it’s hard to handwrite at more than 20 words per minute. What’s more, hand writing is more tiring than typing. Why would anyone want to use a stylus instead of a keyboard if the stylus is harder to use, slower and less accurate?
But the rumored Apple tablet – and it’s important to remember that it’s still just a rumor – is said to be optimized not so much for productivity but for entertainment and reading. If that’s the case, it could change the ballgame. While a tablet might be terrible for productivity, it’s actually a good form factor for reading and watching video. And, depending on its features and software, it might also be pretty good for web surfing and light email use.
My wish list
Of course, if Apple were to launch a tablet and if that tablet had a USB port, then it might be possible to plug in a keyboard and a mouse to use the device for productivity applications. I’m not sure that will be the neither case, nor do I know what operating system and software the device will use. But my guess is as good as anyone’s so I’m going to lay out what I think the device should be.
I would like to see an Apple tablet that runs a custom version of the same OS X operating system that Apple uses for the Mac (and also the iPhone). I’d like to see the default user interface look pretty much like the iPhone does, but I’d also like to see a way for it to more closely resemble the Macintosh desktop for those people who might want to use it for productivity purposes. When it’s emulating the iPhone it could be used to run all iPhone applications including, of course, the iPod software for watching video and listening to music. There would also be plenty of book reading apps, including perhaps a version for reading Amazon Kindle books as well as software from competing book sellers and software for an open e-book format that could be used by any publisher. The device will almost certainly support the read electronic newspapers and magazines.
But if someone wanted to use it for productivity, I’d like to see the device transform itself into a Macintosh with the ability to run all Mac applications, including Microsoft Office. I’m not convinced that people would buy it for this purpose, but I do think that people who had the device might be interested in using it for productivity when necessary. For example, someone might use the tablet to read a book or watch a movie on a plane but – after landing – they might plug in a small external keyboard to (or use an onscreen virtual keyboard) to use it for email, web research or report writing from their hotel room.
Of course, Apple didn’t consult me on what the tablet should be and I admit I have no idea what they will announce. I’m not even 100% certain they will announce a tablet but, whatever it is, it’s fun to speculate.
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