I’ve pretty much tried to stay out of this whole Apple fanboy daisy-chain lovefest over the possibility of some super duper tablet being announced this month.
Except Robert Scoble just had to go and add his two cents worth about the glory that will soon be in our shaking hands (emphasis is mine).
But someone has already made quite a few of the other arguments I’d make about Joe’s post. That someone is MG Siegler who wrote at Techcrunch tonight “the World Doesn’t Need Someone Telling Us What We Don’t Need In Tech.” MG Siegler ripped Joe a good one, and I agree with MG that Apple is a great company because they are willing to take risks, even some that don’t seem to work out very well.
Well I hate to be the burst everyone’s Apple loving bubbles but the tablet – or slate – or anything you want to call it – isn’t anything new. Nor is Apple the first one to walk down this road – regardless of Scoble’s fandom.
Let’s step back in time shall we.
The term Tablet PC was made popular in a product announced in 2001 by Microsoft, and defined by Microsoft to be a pen-enabled computer conforming to hardware specifications devised by Microsoft and running a licensed copy of the “Windows XP Tablet PC Edition” operating system or a derivative thereof.
Oh and it’s not just Microsoft, as Linux has been running on tablet computers that don’t exist – well at least not before Apple says they do.
You might want to take that up with companies like Toshiba, Acer. Lenovo and HP.
But then we all know that Scoble thinks that Microsoft is old and decrepit.
Just too bad we’ve forgotten to give credit where credit is due – not everything in our tech world exists because Apple says so.
Heh <3 how them apple fanboys try to get themselves to levitate but concentrating real hard and crossing their eyes…
.-= Mark Forman´s last blog ..http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4040/4227185286_69abcf7e3d_m.jpg =-.
Is Apple’s gadget a tablet pc (http://www.itechnews.net/wp-content/uploads/2007/02/Fujitsu-LifeBook-P1610-Tablet-PC.jpg) or a slate pc (http://media.laptoplogic.com/data/news/images/2822/slatepc-in-hand.jpg)?
.-= Dominic´s last blog ..orismology: Brilliant freeview parody. Why did I not know about this earlier? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqQGgUTNfpA =-.
Not to play comment bait, like “Call 911! Louis says no to an Apple product!” but my post from last night noted this rumor is a very old one indeed. In terms of being innovative and first, Apple was not the first to debut an MP3 player with a hard disk, not the first to make a cell phone that had access to the Web, and they won’t be the first tablet. They do have a skill in integrating these things well and making them easy to use. (No debate on that)
.-= Louis Gray´s last blog ..We Apple Fans Are In Mac Tablet Rumors Reruns =-.
Hi Steven
It’s the first time I’ve read your blog but feel compelled to comment…
FTR: I use a PC, a Mac and an iPhone. I prefer the PC as a computer whilst the iPhone is unparalleled as a smart phone.
Which, I hope, shows I’m prepared to take each product on it’s merit rather than it’s brand.
How are you so sure that Apple won’t play another blinder with the iSlate/iPad?
IMHO Apple will probably create a product that will leave the other tablets for dead.
I’m not suggesting that Apple won’t have a killer product much like they did with the iPhone. The point I was trying make amongst all the ridiculous hype is that the tablet is not a new idea even though everyone seems to be treating it as such now that Apple is possibly jumping into the fray.
[...] Hate to pop your so cool Apple tablet hot air bubble but … I’ve pretty much tried to stay out of this whole Apple fanboy daisy-chain lovefest over the possibility of some super duper tablet being announced this month. Except Robert Scoble just had to go and add his two cents worth about the glory that will soon be in our shaking hands (emphasis is mine). [...]
[...] tablets have a place but it is a place that Microsoft and its hardware partners have been selling to it since 2002, but in the general consumer market it still makes no [...]