The Tablet PC is boring

When I got my tablet PC I had hoped that I would have lots of interesting things to say about the experience of using it as a Macintosh user. Unfortunately, the only thing I really can say about it, it's boring.

It turns out that I only use it for two purposes, taking notes in Journal and reading eBooks. I had been using OneNote and even though I really like it, I decided it's not worth the price. I had also been using it for running the Rhapsody client. However, I decided that it was better to run that on a less mobile platform since I didn't want to have to switch to headphones every time I took the Tablet out of its dock. So this leaves me with Journal for notes and reading eBooks.

I've tried to keep an open mind and to think about the tablet's potential uses and the technology just doesn't inspire in its current form factor. The cost is too high and the hardware has too many flaws. In particular the battery life (even on the Compaq) is still too short and the lack of instant wakeup from sleep is a real problem. If Apple can make their laptops wake up nearly instantly, why can't PC makers do the same? The 10-15 seconds or so that a Tablet takes to wakeup seems like a small amount, but compared to the wakeup time of something like paper it's a serious burden. It means you either have to have the tablet constantly plugged in so that it doesn't sleep or you have to suffer an even bigger battery hit.

I will say that the tablet is a good way to read eBooks and it has enabled me to read many things on the computer that I wouldn't otherwise. It's also enabled me to retire the stack of note pads I always kept next to my computer. Of course it's really debatable if spending $2000 to replace a $2 notepad is a good idea. I do like to take notes on my tablet, but it probably really wasn't worth the price.

This being said I am extremely skeptical about the long term viability of the Tablet PC as a platform. I think it's really hard to justify the expense for a system of this type given its limited value add. It's definitely a better platform for reading, but there are much cheaper ways that problem can be solved. As for the pen input aspect of it, it's great for note taking and it works well as a mouse replacement, but for anything else it just doesn't work effectively. The keyboard is a vastly superior input mechanism and the pen, no matter how good recognition gets, is inefficient. I've grown to dread having to input text that can't be looked up in the dictionary used by the recognizer (like URLs). You spend so much time fixing the recognizers mistakes that it's usually just easier to use the on-screen keyboard and peck it out.

Many people like to say that the convertible laptop will be the future of the Tablet PC and that someday all laptops will be Tablet PCs. I have to say I'm not convinced by this argument. The transition from tablet mode to laptop mode is too cumbersome and not something that can be done on the fly while doing something like taking notes in a meeting. The alternative of just using the tablet without putting it in slate mode then results in a device that is cumbersome to use because of the awkward positioning. This is made even worse if you're holding the device in your lap. So this makes me really question the devices like the Acer TravelMate 250PE where there is no ability to convert the device. There you get a Tablet PC without getting the big Tablet PC benefit of having a device that's easy to read on, kind of destroys the value to me.

I'm actually quite surprised that the makers of these convertible devices didn't take the same approach as the original IBM tablets or the older NEC convertible Windows CE devices. Those devices didn't require the screen to be spun around, they had two arms that allowed the screen to flip over. To me that seems a much more effective conversion mechanism then the common rotating display used on current tablet PCs because it allows for a partial conversion mode. Basically you could just pull the screen part way forward to write and then push it back to continue typing, much more effective. I used to have an IBM Thinkpad 360PE and it was a much easier and more solid design to convert modes. Maybe IBM will revive it when they bring out their new Tablet PC.

Anyway, I think the lack of Tablet PC market growth and the lack of innovative new software being created is a pretty clear indication of the future for Tablet PCs. The devices have lots of uses, especially in vertical markets, but tablets have always done well there. For general consumers though, I just don't see it happening.

Posted by Kimbro Staken