Wired Magazine has an article written by Brian Chen that pontificates that 2010 will be the Year of the Tablet. As partial proof of this he points out that sources tell him that Dell (and possibly Intel) are working on a forthcoming tablet that’s about 5″ in size and possibly will run Windows 7.
Uhm, since Intel is supposedly involved and considering the size and OS, the rumored device is probably a Mobile Internet Device, more commonly called a MID.
Since the article doesn’t metion the word MID at all, we may be seeing a marketing rebranding going on here in order to leverage some of the successes Apple is having.
For instance, calling the device a “tablet” rather than a “MID” might attract some of the Apple followers since many are awaiting a rumored Apple Tablet.
Also, the supposed Dell device will have multi-touch, like the Apple iPhone, which I guess makes it a “tablet” like a theoretical Apple Tablet with supposed multi-touch, rather than a MID with the more traditional resistive touch.
Anyway, it sounds like this small device will be focus on touch rather than the classic Tablet PC orientation towards inking, which the MIDs were never good at partly because of their size and partly because of the software. However, can you really imagine using Windows 7 on a 5″ device with capacitive touch? I’m wondering if instead there won’t be a custom shell wrapped around an embedded version of Windows.
Why?
Because the article also states that the price of the device will be subsidized by contracts to media publications, somewhat like cell carriers do with cell phones. In the name of selling as many units as possible, I’m guessing that this will be an option, rather than a mandate. But, let’s say the primary purpose of the device will be for reading or viewing content from these publishers, doesn’t it make sense that the OS shell will be optimized for the experience and that there will be a custom viewer? I’d expect this to be the case. So if that’s the case, I’d lean back towards an embedded OS.
Finally, what about the possibility of there being Tablet bits on the device if the OS is from Microsoft? Unlikely. Whether it be the inexpensive embedded OS or a cheap version of Windows 7, there isn’t going to be a full set of Tablet features. I wouldn’t expect to see a Math Input Panel or Tablet Input Panel (TIP) on this kind of device. Nor would I expect to see the smooth touch features in Windows 7’s more expensive versions. These features have yet to work their way down to inexpensive enough versions of the OS.
OK, another finally, let’s not all forget how long some of these rumors take to become reality. The Apple tablet rumors have been going on for much of this decade. And remember how long it was between the first leaks that Dell was working on a Tablet and when they actually released it….and then it turned out to be soooo expensive–and I won’t even bother with the hardware issues.
Sometimes leaks like this are to stall the market. They don’t want you to buy a CrunchPad and Apple Tablet and then have no money left for subscriptions to the Wall Street Journal or the New York Times (I just made that up–I have no idea what subscriptions they might offer) or to buy the product outright (again, no idea if that will be an option). I read rumors like this as pleas for me to save my money 
.
Anyway, I look forward to seeing what Dell is going to produce.
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never, I hate pen.
This comment was originally posted on http://www.crunchgear.com/)“>CrunchGear
There once was a near-perfect tablet: the NEC Versa LitePad. Less than a kilo, only 9mm thick, 1024X768 screen, a bit under powered with a 900MHz Pentium M (but good for 2001). With a new SSD it still works great. And it sold for under a grand back in 2002. I bought 3.
I’ve been using tablets since the Newton and the AT&T EO. The comments about the ergonomics of a tablet being different are spot-on. That was the reason NEC had an almost perfect design: the thickness allowed you to lay it flat on a table and take notes just like a legal pad. You could hold it in one hand and write on it without strain. In order for a tablet to be useful, above everything else it must be thin and it must be light weight. After that, you can add the user interface and applications. With the right ergonomics, the use of the tablet becomes obvious.
I’ve been looking forward to the Crunchpad, and somewhat less so to the Apple tablet, but only because I feel Apple has replaced Microsoft as The Great Satan. But, if the Crunchpad fails to launch or foobars the design to uselessness, I’ll go with Apple, as my last surviving NEC is becoming too fragile to use much any more.
Oh, I still have a regular laptop and it does all of the heavy lifting. But the tablet gets aired out every day at the office (sitting on an easel with a BT keyboard and mouse attached) and gets about 2 hours of walk-about to meetings and visits. It also goes with me on holiday (great place to download pix to, as well as use for maps and GPS) as well as sketching. Oh, and surfing the web via tether to the cell phone.
‘Nuff said.
This comment was originally posted on http://www.crunchgear.com/)“>CrunchGear
Nice fairy tale Brett. Go peddle your warez elsewhere, hackface.
This comment was originally posted on http://www.crunchgear.com/)“>CrunchGear
A) 3g coverage is 99% in my country
B ) 95% of people I know (being a student at a university of technolgy) don’t need cloud storage, they have more then enough with 16/32 GB of flash memory.
But still, nobody is using MIDs, nor would they be interested in one if I tried to convice them. people will say: “nah, I need a keyboard”.
This comment was originally posted on http://www.crunchgear.com/)“>CrunchGear
Blackberry’s had mass appeal.
This comment was originally posted on http://www.crunchgear.com/)“>CrunchGear
Evernote is pretty good.
This comment was originally posted on http://www.crunchgear.com/)“>CrunchGear
“It might scratch an itch we all have – the tablet that stays on the coffee table or bedside table and let’s us surf – ”
Not at $400, it won’t. Sorry, just sayin’. I was really excited about this project at $200. I little less so but still prepared to buy at $300. Now that it’s rumored to be a $400 device…
I certainly hope the rumors are not true, because that’s too much for the specs that have been released. Way overpriced. Like “apple” overpriced,
This comment was originally posted on http://www.crunchgear.com/)“>CrunchGear
I couldn’t agree with you more. People are still clamoring for keyboards on their phones, and complaining about cramped keyboards on their netbooks. There’s no way that the tablet is going to replace the laptop anytime soon. And because of its larger size, there’s no way a tablet can replace a smartphone, either. I’m still trying to figure out what Apple’s angle will be.
This comment was originally posted on http://www.crunchgear.com/)“>CrunchGear
Did the article change? Or, did you not read it? I see the word CruchPad…
This comment was originally posted on http://www.crunchgear.com/)“>CrunchGear
I actually really like your concept of using the device as a digitizer! Having a tablet where there is a touchscreen pad would be cool. Hopefully, the Apple tablet will connect to a larger monitor. In my mind it would be an Air replacement with telecom features.
That is the product that I want — an elegant OQO that obviously runs OS X. I used a Fujitsu tablet several years ago and very much enjoyed the experience on the road. I didn’t use a second monitor, and found the 10″ screen size acceptable.
This comment was originally posted on http://www.crunchgear.com/)“>CrunchGear
I actually think that Google Chrome is a perfect example of why something like the CrunchPad will succeed. Somebody will make one, the question is always do small companies have the resources to launch in a timely manner, and update thereafter. Look at OQO as a company with cool tech but always one step behind in processors and such.
This comment was originally posted on http://www.crunchgear.com/)“>CrunchGear
anyone familiar with virtualized desktops and ssl-vpn based remoting will understand just how close we are to the tablet age.
the confluence (sp?) of slate format and widespread 3g will totally change my way of work/rec computing.
in fact, i have been internally debating whether that will be enough to send me back to a “regular” cellphone! (i think it will.)
the only issue with tablets is carrying them, but then our fathers carried briefcases and sample cases EVERYWHERE. my guess is that you will see that change soon.
This comment was originally posted on http://www.crunchgear.com/)“>CrunchGear
I was so close in getting the Lenovo or the HP Tablets, but I b*tched out at the last minute. I thought tablets would be better in the future and it would be my next buy. I am glad with my decision because I am intrigued with the tapplet. I ended up buying a Lenovo IdeaPad Y550 which was a great buy. Anyways I think Tablets will get bigger in popularity
This comment was originally posted on http://www.crunchgear.com/)“>CrunchGear
I. Cannot. Believe. It. You added an entire paragraph on the #crunchpad without making any mention of it. Totally against the rule of proper etiquette. GYAT!
This comment was originally posted on http://www.crunchgear.com/)“>CrunchGear
CrunchPad likely to happen 90%, chance it will suck ass 99.9%.
You should make the CrunchPad useful. The design which has been describe in TechCrunch will only be of use to people like Arrington. We want a computing device not a rich guy toy.
This comment was originally posted on http://www.crunchgear.com/)“>CrunchGear
We will definitely see an increase in tablet PC use among healthcare professionals as more of them adopt electronic health records (EHRs) and rely on pen-based computing resources.
This comment was originally posted on http://www.crunchgear.com/)“>CrunchGear
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