I have been a tablet user for many years, far before the tablet craze came about. My first tablets were 'convertables', essentially laptops with flip-over screens that you could write on with a stylus. They were a best-of-both-worlds solution. You could type on the full keyboard, and then expressively write directly on the display.
The pen-on-screen movement was admittedly not the best interface. It was difficult to move the pointer around like a mouse, but some applications worked quite well. It was fabulous as a graphics design tool! Drawing with a pressure-sensitive pen is perfect for digital art. It was also perfect to edit/comment on documents. A big, bold circle with the words "What are you, crazy?" hand written in thick ink certainly gave the author of the document a clear indication of what I thought.
I still use a convertable tablet as my main work device. But when people today say 'tablet', they mean a whole different beast. Today's tablets, like the ubiquitous iPad, are thinner, lighter, multi-touch sensitive, and designed as killer media consumption devices. I must confess, I LOVE my iPad (or should I say, my half an iPad, as I bought it as a joint venture with my son). It is fantastic on trips. With music, movies, books, games, notes, etc. all packed into an easy to read form factor, it is a natural for my business travel. It even fits on the teeny-tiny space between me and the guy in front who has his seat fully reclined. I love to travel with it (when my son lets me).
The iPad is clearly the market leader. Is there room for anything else? Other tablets have tried....and failed, to really make a dent in Apple's market share. To be 'better', you first have to be 'different'. And that's where Amazon's new Kindle Fire comes in.
It's early days for the Kindle Fire (it hasn't even shipped yet), but it's clear that it has the chance to be 'the tablet for the rest of us'. It's inexpensive, it's connected to media and shopping, and it comes from a trusted consumer brand. A brand that is already at the top of the e-reader market. This one's got a legitimate shot! I think they'll have to do something about third-party apps (where Apple makes a killing), but time will tell. In the meantime, the tablet market continues to thrive.
What do you think about tablets in general, and the Kindle Fire in particular?
Don