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Infinite Loop / The Apple Ecosystem

Don’t look now, but Tablet PCs are on the rise

Considered a flop by many, the Tablet PC is poised to prove the naysayers …

Derided by some and purchased by even fewer, the Tablet PC concept has had a rough go of it since its formal blessing by Microsoft in the form of Windows XP Tablet Edition in 2002. Pen-based computing is significantly older than that, but Microsoft's push marked the first major attempt to bring traction to the concept of laptop hardware. It has largely labored in niche status, but that is about to change for several reasons.

One sign that the tide is turning has to be Dell's decision to launch a Tablet PC. Dell's senior VP and GM of its business product group, Jeff Clarke, announced the news on the Direct2Dell blog. Clarke said that Dell is preparing a Latitude Tablet PC for "later this year." According to Clark, "the technology and customer and usage models have evolved to the point that it makes it right for Dell to enter the marketplace."

Dell's arm's-length distance from the Tablet PC had been widely interpreted as a sign that the world's most volume-oriented PC business didn't see much potential in the Tablet PC. While Dell's stature has atrophied somewhat in recent years, the adoption of the Tablet PC is still significant.

But it's not all about Windows. Axiotron is close to shipping its intriguing ModBook, which is an extensive aftermarket modification that turns Apple's MacBooks into Tablet PCs. We got up close and personal with the Mod Book in January, and we can't wait to get our hands on the final shipping product.

Why now?

When I first played with a Windows-based Tablet PC several years ago, I was unimpressed. It felt like a "bolt-on" experience, a hack in search of a useful application.

My, has that changed. For more than a month now I've been using Toshiba's R400 Tablet PC running Windows Vista and Office 2007. I'll be using it next month, too. That's because this isn't a review unit, it's a product we bought because, well, it's finally compelling.

Vista's tablet improvements are notable and extend far beyond improved handwriting recognition. OS integration is tighter, smoother, and far more responsive. Even more important than that, Office 2007 was designed from top to bottom with tablet users in mind. I personally don't think the same can be said for Office 2003, and in any case, the implementation in Office 2007 is vastly superior.

Plenty of challenges remain, and chief among them is cost. The ModBooks will set you back $2,279 or $2,579 in the blink of an eye, and the Toshiba R400 (which is the Cadillac of tablet PCs) sits closer to $3,000 modestly equipped and can easily be computationally outperformed by laptops costing $1,000 less. In short, they're still very expensive. However, you know the game: as technology marches on and as sales pick up (which Dell's support should indeed help), prices should head south.

Many people have written off the Tablet PC. Those same people may be writing on them before too long.

If you'd like me to sit down and review the Toshiba/Vista/Office experience, say so in the comments. I'll, uh, "pencil" it in. 

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