iPad vs Tablet PC

[Megabyte]

As someone that owns and uses both an iPad and a Tablet PC I can honestly
say that both have a lot to offer and I'm glad I have both. I truly miss
the digital ink experience on the iPad but in terms of size and battery life
the iPad is a winner. So there are pro's and con's to each.

Many like to imply that the reasons the tablet pc platform never took off
was because of the full blown desktop operating system paired with laptop
like hardware. In my opinion the success of the tablet pc was hurt by the
high prices that tablet pcs commanded. Many tablet pc's were about double
the cost of a normal laptop and consumers were not prepared to spend higher
amounts for an inking experience they failed to understand. MS and OEM's
failed to market the power of digital ink. It took software developers like
Josh Einstein to give us Tablet Enhancements for Outlook which in my opinion
should have been bought by Microsoft and incorporated in to Outlook 2007 and
now 2010.

Buying an iPad brought back the memories of using my first tablet pc, an HP
TC1100. The form factor of that model paired both slate and convertible in
one and so why HP stupidly discontinued updated models of it is beyond me.
I've been using the Lenovo Thinkpad Tablet PC's now for a number of years
but wish there was more software being developed to take advantage of
digital ink. Several software projects seem to have died (Go Binder, TEO,
etc.) yet the tablet pc still offers the same potential it offered when it
was first released. MS failed miserably at marketing the Tablet PC and in
making it a mainstream product but I still have hope that the new iPad and
slate popularity will result in a larger uptake in the tablet pc's.

[Woody]

Post by Megabyte
As someone that owns and uses both an iPad and a Tablet PC I can honestly
say that both have a lot to offer and I'm glad I have both. I truly miss
the digital ink experience on the iPad but in terms of size and battery life
the iPad is a winner. So there are pro's and con's to each.

I also have both, and would agree.

Post by Megabyte
Many like to imply that the reasons the tablet pc platform never took off
was because of the full blown desktop operating system paired with laptop
like hardware. In my opinion the success of the tablet pc was hurt by the
high prices that tablet pcs commanded.

I really don't think that is the case. Macbooks, top of the range sonys
etc, big prices, still sell.

Post by Megabyte
Many tablet pc's were about double
the cost of a normal laptop and consumers were not prepared to spend higher
amounts for an inking experience they failed to understand. MS and OEM's
failed to market the power of digital ink.

For me, the problem I had mostly, and the thing that is fixed by the
iPad is power. I can pick up the iPad, I can go about my day with it, I
don't take a power supply and I don't worry about the power running out.

I can't do absolutely everything I want on the iPad, but I can do enough
to make it worth while.

Post by Megabyte
It took software developers like
Josh Einstein to give us Tablet Enhancements for Outlook which in my opinion
should have been bought by Microsoft and incorporated in to Outlook 2007 and
now 2010.

There should certaily have been enough of an option to make these things
work on tablets well. It is nice that third parties can make options,
but not nice that they have to.

Post by Megabyte
Buying an iPad brought back the memories of using my first tablet pc, an HP
TC1100. The form factor of that model paired both slate and convertible in
one and so why HP stupidly discontinued updated models of it is beyond me.

I had a tc1100, which is a great form factor, but heavy, poor battery
life and the fact you have to use a pen. I liked the fujitsus I had
before where you could use your finger, but then you couldn't use the
pen. It would have been nice to have both.

Post by Megabyte
I've been using the Lenovo Thinkpad Tablet PC's now for a number of years
but wish there was more software being developed to take advantage of
digital ink. Several software projects seem to have died (Go Binder, TEO,
etc.) yet the tablet pc still offers the same potential it offered when it
was first released. MS failed miserably at marketing the Tablet PC and in
making it a mainstream product but I still have hope that the new iPad and
slate popularity will result in a larger uptake in the tablet pc's.

I am sure it will, although I suspect the largest takeups will be in
android based systems.

However, there was nothing to say that just becasue you want a finger
friendly system like iPad or android, you have to throw everything that
windows offers away, there was certainly no reason you couldn't put a
nice front end on it, which ultimately is all most of these systems are.

[Juan I. Cahis]

The big advantages of the iPad versus the tablet PC (I have both of
them) is the weight and the battery duration (two to three working
days for the iPad, and a poor couple of hours for the Tablet PC)

Post by Megabyte
As someone that owns and uses both an iPad and a Tablet PC I can honestly
say that both have a lot to offer and I'm glad I have both. I truly miss
the digital ink experience on the iPad but in terms of size and battery life
the iPad is a winner. So there are pro's and con's to each.
Many like to imply that the reasons the tablet pc platform never took off
was because of the full blown desktop operating system paired with laptop
like hardware. In my opinion the success of the tablet pc was hurt by the
high prices that tablet pcs commanded. Many tablet pc's were about double
the cost of a normal laptop and consumers were not prepared to spend higher
amounts for an inking experience they failed to understand. MS and OEM's
failed to market the power of digital ink. It took software developers like
Josh Einstein to give us Tablet Enhancements for Outlook which in my opinion
should have been bought by Microsoft and incorporated in to Outlook 2007 and
now 2010.
Buying an iPad brought back the memories of using my first tablet pc, an HP
TC1100. The form factor of that model paired both slate and convertible in
one and so why HP stupidly discontinued updated models of it is beyond me.
I've been using the Lenovo Thinkpad Tablet PC's now for a number of years
but wish there was more software being developed to take advantage of
digital ink. Several software projects seem to have died (Go Binder, TEO,
etc.) yet the tablet pc still offers the same potential it offered when it
was first released. MS failed miserably at marketing the Tablet PC and in
making it a mainstream product but I still have hope that the new iPad and
slate popularity will result in a larger uptake in the tablet pc's.

Thanks
Juan I. Cahis
Santiago de Chile (South America)