Trouble in Tablet Land?
|
It doesn't take much tea-leaf reading to see that the Microsoft-championed Tablet PC is at a crossroads. When Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates launched the Tablet PC back on November 7, 2002, he touted the technology as "a whole new way of experiencing the personal computer." The Tablet was more than a PDA. It was better than a notebook. It was the mobile form factor of the future, destined to spawn an entirely new class of apps — like Microsoft's own ePeriodicals, for one. (By the way, whatever happened to ePeriodicals?) Cut to 2004. At the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference last week, Microsoft officials wavered as to how and when Redmond will be delivering the functionality pioneered via the Tablet going forward. Company execs said they are not sure if there will be a new mobile version of Longhorn, a Longhorn version of the Tablet PC operating system (or both). At WinHEC, Microsoft execs almost went so far as to admit that the company is now resigned to positioning Tablet functionality as just another notebook computer feature. (Or, if you prefer the Microsoft spin on this, for the Tablet PC to "assimilate" the mobile PC segment.) Company officials claim this was Microsoft's vision all along. But tell that to the Tablet PC OEMs, channel partners and software developers who have been working to build businesses around the Tablet as a differentiator. Many were counting on Microsoft to push the Tablet as a whole new kind of computer, not just a collection of whizzy add-on functionality.
Says one: "The retreat is serious. We'll be (moving) into the 'Tablet as all' and 'All as Tablet' (phase) within five to ten years. It's like a plan to shoot itself in the head." There's other evidence that the Tablet is on increasingly shaky ground, at least marketing-wise. Consider these data points: A couple of months ago, Microsoft decided to merge the next version of the Tablet PC operating system (code-named "Lonestar") and XP Service Pack 2 bits into a single beta release. SP2 is on track to be released to manufacturing in July, at best. Microsoft officials said at the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference last week that the company is planning a major Lonestar marketing push in October. That's all well and good for the holiday season. But what about the back-to-school market? Academia seems to be one of the Tablet's sweet spots. Why didn't Microsoft just decouple the Tablet release from XP SP2? Microsoft has been touting a number of Tablet traveling road shows this year, including the Mobility Road Show, Tablet PC Demo Days, the Tablet PC Campus Demo Tour and Student Mobility Tour. But it seems things have gone awry. A number of events were cancelled at the last minute, according to disappointed potential attendees. Wrong tour dates were posted to Web sites. The disarray hasn't gone unnoticed. Microsoft execs like to point to the constantly sold-out status of Tablets as evidence of their unabashed popularity. But how can you market Tablets if there aren't any in stores; those that are there aren't working properly; and the staff charged with selling them seem to be clueless about how they are supposed to work? Lonestar started out as "Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2004." A month ago, Microsoft decided to rename the release "Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005" — despite the fact that it will ship in 2004. Get it? We don't, either. One user said it best: "The irony is, people love Tablets and it's a great technology. End users love it once they see it. It's the most viral thing ever. A gold mine. And they (Microsoft) are committing suicide." What's your take? Is the Tablet PC (as we know it today) doomed? Is Microsoft throwing in the Tablet towel? Or is Redmond right to push the idea that all future notebooks will include Tablet technologies like digital ink, handwriting recognition, etc., as add-on features? Talk back below or write me at mswatch@ziffdavis.com and |
Comments (2)
If the Tablet PC OS gets sunk into Windows, this will give OEMs a lot of flexibility with regards to the configurations they can come out with that support tablet features. E.g. I think there is a market for cheap bulky laptops having tablet functionality. I think that there are many who would put up with the weight annoyance of bulky laptops in order to enjoy some digital ink, ebook, and other tablet features. MS marketing could probably work out with OEMs and developers, who were banking on differentiating the OS from regular Windows, some way of promoting tablet PC features that satisfies their needs.
Posted by Patmore Douglas | May 24, 2004 1:05 PM
Why is Microsoft not marketing the Tablet as a awesome way to work on your digital photos and as a tool for Graphic professionals. Pretty much every designer uses a Wacom tablet on they're desktop because of the control it provides doing artwork, a tablet would provide this kind of functionablity on the go. It is the perfect match, I just brought one, but I had to do too much research to figure out that the tablet was "pressure" sensitive and compatible with Photoshop. I also think general consumers would buy one for working on they're digital photos. Duhhhh!!!!! Why are they pushing this to office workers,I don't know what planet MS is on but most office workers I know are desk chained.
Posted by Joe Stevens | July 27, 2004 5:40 PM