Tablet PC: from clay to silicon
Tablet PC: from clay to silicon
The vision of the personal computer as a handheld device, like the clay tablets of old, is finally solidifying.
By Mark Chillingworth
Writing tablets have had an important role to play in the history of mankind. Back in the 7th century BC, the King of Assurbanipal ordered his scribes to uncover the records of the Sumerian tribe, one of the earliest societies to develop political thinking and to record it. The ideas of the Sumerian tribes were inscribed on baked clay tablets. To this day, these records are considered highly important forms of documentation. Fast forward to 2002, and Microsoft hopes the re-introduction of the tablet as a documenting device will become as important as the clay tablet was to the Sumerians.
It has been a long time coming, but the Tablet PC could revolutionise data capture and the processes of information, document and data management. In a recent strategy report, analyst firm Meta Group indicated that the Tablet PC will be important to forms based systems, sales and certain vertical markets.
What exactly is a Tablet PC? In a nutshell, it is a mobile computer that utilises a special version of Microsoft’s Windows XP operating system. What makes the Tablet PC stand out from the crowd is the screen, or tablet. Capable of swivelling 360 degrees, one moment passers-by will think you are using a standard laptop computer, and the next the screen has folded over, the keyboard has disappeared and it could be a giant personal digital assistant (PDA). Like a PDA, the screen is touch sensitive and can be operated via a stylus. Some versions will not feature a keyboard at all.
As a work tool, it does not replace the PDA, something Microsoft is very keen to impress on people. In some cases the Tablet PC will replace the laptop, but according to Daniel Beck, product marketing manager at Microsoft charged with introducing the Tablet PC to the Australian market, this will depend on your role.
”It is not a substitute for PocketPC, we see it as complimentary device,” said Mr Beck. Sylvia Vasas, the market development manager at Hewlett-Packard believes there is space in the market, because currently users have either a laptop or desktop PC and then a PDA as a second device, whilst Tablet PC offers the versatility of both in one device.
The combination of laptop power with PDA mobility could possibly bring computing to trades that have needed it, but until now have not had the device to satisfy their needs.
”Engineers will be able to annotate on to CAD files on-site. There is no way to do this at the moment,” said Mr Beck. He said he expected the Tablet PC to become an important data capture device for the health, education, government, banking, telecommunications, manufacturing, legal and media industries. Both Jack Gold of the Meta Group and Ms Vasas of HP agreed on this point.
As a data capture device, Tablet PC won’t be taking the place of bar code readers in the supermarket and factory floor, but it will be capturing data in the ways currently associated with a laptop PC or the old fashioned note pad and pen. Take a look at the Tablet PC and it is obvious that it is the last two roles that it is intended to replace. By converging the speed and simplicity of taking notes on paper with the enterprise-wide sharing of a PC, Tablet PC enables data to be captured onto the hard drive of a PC immediately, to then be shared across the network using traditional methods such as the Web or a local area network (LAN). For knowledge workers, this means scanned documents can be viewed and edited without the worker accessing the real paper document. Business critical figures within data warehouses will be accessible to workers with no access to a desk. Information will be able to be collected from a remote site meeting and logged into the knowledge management system as if the meeting took place at the office.
”I think it will deliver new ways of capturing data,” said Mr Beck. Tablet PC comes with a voice-to-text application in addition to the keyboard and pen. “I think forms will be revolutionised by this. Forms can be constructed on the Tablet PC and the data collected with handwriting, which can be converted to text immediately.” He did warn that if you can’t read your handwriting, then nor can Tablet PC.
”We believe Microsoft’s move to enable richer data types within its OS and productivity applications will ultimately result in a better user experience, but it will take several iterations of the product to get it all right,” said Jack Gold, author of Meta Group’s report on the Tablet PC.
Applications that are already being developed for Tablet PC include MicrosoftÕs ubiquitous Office, and graphics application Visio. Businesses currently using Microsoft NT, XP Pro Edition or Windows 2000 Server edition should, according to Microsoft, experience no integration issues.
The vertical industries Mr Beck said Microsoft will be targeting are all prime candidates in Australia for Tablet PC, and many are considering a more mobile orientated working system. Amongst the organisations trialing Tablet PC are Methodist Ladies College in Melbourne, the Queensland Department Of Health, the Federal Department of Workplace Relations and Peoplesoft.
”For form-heavy areas like government, there is a software development kit (SDK) to allow you to customise applications to suit your needs,” Mr Beck said. "We are confident that we will see the Tablet PC emerge as the new Notepad PC.
He said he believed those sales people and mobile workers using older Pentium II powered machines should consider Tablet PC as an alternative.
It was in November 2000 that Bill Gates announced the Tablet PC as his next great vision to the attendees of Comdex in the United States. Microsoft claims it always intended for the device to hit the markets in late 2002. Mr Beck explained that Microsoft and the hardware vendors have been optimising the device for use by left handed people and tweaking the applications. The market also needed sufficient time to patent the devices.
”Back in 2000 the operating system wasnÕt ready. The industry felt it is better to go to market when everything is ready. It has built up the anticipation,” he said.Ms Vasas described the Tablet PC as an opportunity to “grow the mobile market”. But Meta Group did not expect Tablet PC to start a gold rush for new hardware.
”We believe early adoption will be limited. Companies should look beyond the first versions of devices and concentrate on future capabilities. With two-year-plus notebook life cycles and tight spending, we do not expect large enterprise migrations before the end of the useful life of currently deployed standard notebook computers,” said Mr Gold.
Only time will tell if Microsoft’s Tablet PC vision will have the same historical importance as the clay tablets of the Sumerian tribes.