Microsoft announced the new tablet PC techonology, it's been around for a while though. Where's Apple's tablet PC? I'm sure OSX10.2's Inkwell is part of that strategy!<br><br><br><br>http://raszl.net

Apple don't want to make the same mistake they made with the newton, an oversized and overpriced unit that was essentially very gimicky. What can you do on a tablet PC that you could not do on a 867Mhz PowerBook? (similar price)<br><br>"I'd hate to die twice. It's so boring."<br>- Richard P Feynman, Last Words<br>

For graphic artists it would be a bless. Most graphic artists can sketch easier on a tablet than trying to do the same with a mouse.<br><br>For desktops such thing already exists. It's a special LCD monitor with wacom tablet combined. But it's not portable and very expensive. Something like 2000 GBP.<br><br>http://raszl.net

Apple had a tabletPC years ago... it was called the Newton and it gave birth to do the PDA market.<br><br>MS's Tablet PC will suffer the same fate... it's too expensive, has no practical purpose for 98% of the computer-buying public.<br><br>Apple doesn't need a Tablet PC, and neither does their market. I for one hope they don't waste a single dollar of R&D budget on this thing.<br><br>[color:red] Kiss My Banana!</font color=red><br>Visit me here!

Although you could sketch with it they have magnetic sensors and are not pressure sensitive. Not to mention you can get a small WACOM Tablet hooked up with USB on a powerbook to do the same thing better.<br><br>

Exactly.... you can get a pretty powerful little iBook and Wacom tablet for about $1100.<br><br>[color:red] Kiss My Banana!</font color=red><br>Visit me here!

I agree. The newton wasn't a huge success because it was too big, not too small. Most people don't want tablets - they're not very practical. Even for graphic artists - a lot prefer to sketch art on <gasp> paper and scan it in when they get back to their office.<br><br>

You guys should try to break away from the idea of Palms and Newtons. A good tablet PC is the same as a Powerbook but without the keyboard. <br><br>Basically the input of the mouse and keyboard will be replaced by the touch sensitive screen and pen. So instaed of putting the stress to coordinate the position of the cursor and the movement of the mouse you get to see what you draw instantly, like a pen and paper. Same way instead of putting the stress on your fingers and your brain to type, you just write freehand like with a pen on paper. Both of these input methods are more intuitive and convenient for most people.<br><br>Unless you can coordinate a mouse better than a pen on paper than tablet is for you too. If you beleive you can use a mouse better than a touch sensistive pen please try to draw a moon shape and a star with both. Wanna post your results? Thought so.<br><br>Unless you can type faster than you can write freehand, the tablet is for you. Most professional typewriters can. But the difference is just about 10-20%. However avarage people can handwrite faster and way more precise than type. Imagine filling out a form with your keyboard and freehand. With freehand no more tabs and positioning the cursor to the right place. With freehand you have the positioning and input in one hand and total control.<br><br>You also use only one hand with a tablet. However when typing you use both hands and when using an app you use one hand for shortcuts and one for the mouse. So why use both hands when you can get away with one. The other can hold a drink, a phone a notebook or any other object.<br><br>Big size? You don't want to put your Powerbook in your jeans pocket, do you? Tablet is the same. Tablet PCs should be available in different sizes from A5 up to A2 just like sketchbooks.<br><br>The natural transition from the pen and paper would've been the tablet PC if they could've done it in the 80's, but they couldn't, so they had to come up with the mouse and keep the stupid board with dozens of buttons on it, now called keyboard. Keyboard and mouse is so yesterday. We are at the dawn of new computing. Open up! Voice and handwriting recognition, touch sensitive boards and iris tracking, etc. are coming to you soon.<br><br>I'm not talking about direct brain reading. That would be futuristing and unrealistic, but existing technologies that need to designed to become products that are useful.<br><br>http://raszl.net

I am by no means a professional typist (I don't even touch type properly) and I can type much faster than I can handwrite (about twice as fast at maximum speed). Also my handwriting is so dire that it would confuse the hell out of any handwriting recognitions software that even attempted to translate it!<br><br>"I'd hate to die twice. It's so boring."<br>- Richard P Feynman, Last Words<br>

<blockquote><font size=1>In reply to:</font><hr><p>A good tablet PC is the same as a Powerbook but without the keyboard. <p><hr></blockquote><p> Ever try to run accounting software without a keyboard? Ever try to play Warcraft without a keyboard? Ever try to use any program that requires the use of control/alt keys without a keyboard? And actually, MOST people DO type faster than they write... usually 1.5 to 2 times as fast. Plus, typing doesn't require the computer to interpret what you are inputting - handwriting recognition in this day and age is a complete joke and requires you to double check it if you want accuracy.<br><br>I'm sorry, but the tablet PC is a very, very, very tiny niche market and will be discontinued in a year or less when MS doesn't sell enough to even pay for the R&D... either that or they will give it away until it gains mass market acceptance.<br><br>[color:red] Kiss My Banana!</font color=red><br>Visit me here!