My latest Microsoft Watch column, "Trouble in Tablet Land?" created a lot of trouble of its own. While few readers disagreed that Microsoft needs to improve its Tablet marketing, more than a few erroneously deduced that we had pronounced the Tablet DOA.

For the record, I didn't declare that Microsoft has decided to ax the Tablet PC. Nor did my colleague Mark Hachman reach this conclusion in his companion news story. Instead, what both of us noted is Microsoft is distancing itself from the slate form factor (which originally was expected to be the ultimate showcase for the Tablet PC) and instead is moving to fold back into Windows the features that distinguish Tablets from plain-old notebooks.

In short, Microsoft originally spoke of Tablets as a revolution. Now they are claiming they are an evolution.

Some Microsoft execs claimed that "assimilation" had been the goal for the Tablet from the start. But that's not our recollection. From our perch, it seems Microsoft is engaged in some fancy footwork (not to mention a rewriting of history) to keep Tablet momentum building.

Over the past couple of weeks, we noticed Redmond has stepped up its Tablet PC marketing push.

Microsoft Rebuts 'End of the Tablet' Articles

Channel 9: What's Cool About the "Lonestar" Release?

Channel 9: Is the Tablet PC Mightier Than the Pen?

But in the end, marketing is moot. What really matters is what current and potential users think about the Tablet PC and its prospects for the future. We got lots of mail opining on this very topic. Here are just a few of the letters we received, edited for length:

The trouble with the Tablets seems to be that they are a product in search of a market. The market isn't there. The features aren't rich.

They aren't much more than just a smart display really. They are under-powered — useless to a mobile professional as far as content creation. There just isn't a demand. Microsoft keeps the supply low and limited (an old marketing ploy used by Harley Davidson and others) in order to keep the appearance of high demand. At the very few locations they are offered, they fly off the shelves sure, but Microsoft knows and won't admit that if they were out in every retail
store, they would have a huge inventory of unsold product on their hand and would take a beating at the quarterly reports.

Matt Carrell

Assimilating the Tablet and laptop platforms (so that all laptops become 'convertibles' that can switch between laptop mode and Tablet mode) in my opinion is a very good thing (whether originally planned or not) because it will close the price premium, and persuade buyers to take a chance with the Tablet platform.

If they do, they will be hooked. I actually prefer the slate, but a convertible is still quite usable as a Tablet. And when you as a user switch one of these convertibles to the Tablet mode, there is a very profound change in perspective about what you have in your hands. You hold it differently, use it differently, everything changes. It becomes much more than just "a laptop with added features." The user experience is transformed, and the unit becomes usable in ways and in places significantly different than before; in business meetings for example. And I predict many of those users will say: "you know I like this Tablet mode... I like being able to use this effectively in meetings" and will use it more and more in that mode, perhaps even favoring a slate on the next purchase.

So whether slates or convertibles predominate: assimilation of the Tablet will make use of the Tablet platform actually more prominent, not cause it to fade away. It will lead to driving this productivity boosting technology into more hands, and that can only be a good thing.

Michael Linenberger

Author of "Seize the Work Day: Using the Tablet PC to Take Total Control of Your Work and Meeting Day"

www.seizetheworkday.com

("Does the Tablet PC Have a Future?" Page 2)

The Tablet pc was an abortive project that had such lame functionality
and system bloat, not to mention file bloat (digital ink anyone?) that virtually no one cared. I have seen zero Tablet pc's in the hands of ANYONE I know. At work or personally.

The Tablet PC from the start was nothing more then Bill's fanciful idea of the PC of the future that was not really going to be ready for another 5 years. These PC's seemed even less useful then the Newton was, which was the first true PDA and had really good handwriting recognition by version Newton OS 2.0. Which by the way that piece of brilliance is currently built in to Mac OS X if you have a Wacom Tablet hooked up.

Here we are 10 years after the introduction of Newton and MS can't even get basic handwriting recognition to work in any form. So all the writing is stored as digital ink. What a cop out. Not only does this make the files exponentially larger. It shows just how awful handwriting looks on a PC screen really is and is usually totally illegible anyways. Ever try to hold a 5 to 8 pound weight in your arms for a long period of time? It's difficult at best. Not the best place to be writing on, or using a computer. When the hardware can be put in your pocket, it weighs 6 oz. and the interface is totally holographically projected in front of you using a gestures and voice driven system, let me know. Until then portable computers need to be on a desk out of your arms. I'm trying to write a letter, not build up muscles in only one arm.

Adam Chaney

OptIn Resources

Software Engineer

For year I've had a close, even intimate relationship. With my computer keyboard, that is. The more-expensive keyboard-free Tablet PC has never held any interest for me.

I'd be interested in a better keyboard, even though it's more expensive and lower profit margin for Microsoft.

George Girton

Editor

www.thedailychannel.com

Like the Segway scooter, the Tablet PC is a solution to a
problem no one posed.

I'm old enough to remember the bad old days before PCs and laptop computers. Writing with a pen is not a good way to take notes. This was just a gimmick.

How about an offset printing feature for your laser printer?

This was one of Microsoft's frantic shot in the dark to try and jazz up their revenue stream. The Tablet PC has no buzz. I know of no one with whom I work who has a Tablet PC, has a need for a Tablet PC, wants a Tablet PC, or evangelizes for the Tablet PC.

Stick a fork in it. It's done.

Steve

A tech writer in the Pacific Northwest

("Does the Tablet PC Have a Future?" Page 3)

If only people knew about this new Tablet. Where can you see one and where is all the marketing?

An anonymous corporate reader

I have been test driving Tablet PC's for 4 months now. I feel the Tablet features in Windows XP are undeveloped.

A journal writer program that will convert your handwriting to text. The Microsoft Office Tablet "patch" lets you write inside of an image box. If done in Word will destroy your text formatting on the page. I would call it half-assed workmanship, especially when you have to give $500 more per Tablet compared to a higher-end laptop computer.

Microsoft's software is defeating the Tablet's purpose. To justify the price you must develop or purchase software which uses Tablet style functionality. Microsoft will throw you a bone with a string on it, start pulling it and wait for the demand to rise then SELL you a Tablet software product. It will be called Microsoft "Lonestar" because you will have to take out a loan to purchase the product. Let's get the Linux and Sun mule train going to see what they can produce.

Brad Znamenacek

I think "just another notebook computer feature" is all the Tablet PC needs to be.

Its a damn fine notebook computer feature that developers should take advantage of, and should be in every notebook once the technology is common enough not to have a significant affect on price.

I use an Acer C300 TabletPC and I love it. Often I use it just like a laptop, with the keyboard folded out. But there are times that the Tablet features are invaluable.

Rather than a whole new version of each operating system I would like to see the Tablet PC technology integrated as optional services and applications that come with Windows, which are only installed by default on Tablet PCs or similar devices. And if a person wants to install Journal onto their desktop and use a mouse with it why not let them? When they realize how much better it would be with a stylus they might do exactly what MS wants and purchase a Tablet.

Andrew Bartle

Business & Online Solution Specialist

Advanced Technology Partners Ltd

I don't think the Tablet PC will last as it's own standing edition of Windows XP, and neither will Media Center. They will probably be absorbed into a Service Pack sometime in the near future.

When you think about it, Media Center is basically just an app that runs on large screens. The Tablet is more or less a model and developer kit to develop "ink" based programs. In the past year almost two, that the Tablet came out, I have seen numerous people walking around with Tablets on campus, and they use them for the first week or two of class. Then, they start using them in laptop mode more and more. It happens every time. And it's because while the Tablet is great if you are standing, and doing something, it doesn't have any advantage in the ways people typically use computers.

This demonstrates the point that I'm making. The Tablet functions don't work very naturally, in the way people use computers today. Using a program that isn't part of Office or Windows Journal is awful with the Tablet PC, leaving it to function more like the Palm Pilot, where you have a writing area on the bottom of the screen for text input.

This is not to say I hate the concept of the Tablet PC, I just think it needs to be more of a part of the fundamental OS, and not some "Edition" that MS loves to put out. I have a Tungsten E, and I use it all the time for certain features. I like the size of it, and it is good at what it does. But why do I need a $2000 laptop with a 2-year-old processor, to do what I can do on my PDA just as good, and faster?

Charles Russell

MIS student

University of Texas in Arlington

("Does the Tablet PC Have a Future?" Page 4)

While the market for Tablet PCs could be very good there are a few problems that are hobbling and might eventually kill the market.

The biggest factor is that they cost substantially more than notebooks. Why spend extra for a Tablet when you can get more bang for your buck via a notebook? If you are going to sell them for more than a notebook there has to be an overriding reason to do so. Take yet another page from the pages of Apple and design a Tablet that everyone will want. Make it something special.

The second biggest factor is that the OS for the Tablet was cobbled together and it shows. Missing apps, broken apps, broken promises are not inspiring those who decided to "wait it out" to see how things shake out before investing in one. I hate to sound like a broken record but they could have take another page out of the Apple playbook and introduced these features to the regular XP quietly and when the Tablets hit the market they would have had working, battle tested programs and the benefit of a single OS for desktop, notebook and Tablet. Apple had quietly introduced all the things that MS did for the Tablet a full year or more before Microsoft did.

MS seems to be entering the phase that Apple was in a few years ago, unsure and delayed OS plans, a slew of version of the same OS made for different devices and investing into things that others do better. Their recent canceling of their WiFi networking products is a perfect example.

Randy Smith

I have a lot of faith in the potential of this product line and, I suspect, like many I want to see Tablet PC's succeed. I think they have a lot of potential to allow myself and our staff a lot more mobility both at work and at home, but for the moment it feels like these devices are underpowered and overpriced.

I hope this situation changes because I really want to move our business into this type of equipment, but it's hard to justify their purchase when I compare the cost and features of Tablet PC's with those of the various notebooks we currently purchase. I keep waiting for Dell, who provides most of our equipment, to move into this market. Perhaps once this happens we'll move from an interested prospect to customer.

Ross Chappell

Senior Partner

EPI Internet Direct

The problem is that they are separating OS for Tablet PC. It should be the same Windows XP operating system that is used everywhere, with dynamic add ons that enable handwriting features. And I am expecting that laptops should be replaced by Tablet PCs.

I see the same future problem for Windows Media Center products. They will become dead products as well, for the same reasons and Tablet PC. There is no need to have a separate OS for Media Centers. Just have different wrapper/add-ons that cover WinXP core operating system for different needs.

Sergey Malyan

Software Engineer

Therma-Wave Inc.

As usual people who are supposed to have the vision can't see past their nose. I think notebooks should be the ones on the way out. Tablets are the future. Maybe a hardware manufacture should pick it up & Microsoft should just stick to software, which they are not the greatest at either. What is funny I don't even have a Tablet but I was looking into getting one because I KNOW it is the future.

Tomas Suarez

Scottsdale, AZ

One obvious problem with the Tablet form-factor is that it's nothing like a writing tablet.

A writing tablet weighs a few ounces, not 4+ pounds.

I've owned two light, touch-screen laptops over the past four years, the smidgen-under-3lb Fujitsu Lifebook B-series and now the 2.4lb Panasonic Toughbook CF-T2. For the amount of actual "writing" I've done on-screen, this has been more than sufficient. (I experimented with a Tablet before, but the lack of a keyboard killed it for me.)

I sometimes flip the screen to display sideways in packages like Acrobat, hold the laptop like a book (the hinge goes where the book's spine would), and I'm off to the races. Indeed, the Panasonic has a superb handle that makes it even easier to hold than a book!

Reader Name Withheld Upon Request