Funny how clothing styles could affect the computer hardware market. Remember when everyone was wearing baggy pants? Well in many places the kids have switched back to tight pants. Some in my generation deride that look by mocking "girl pants" are being worn by "metrosexuals".
But the point being, now that pants are getting tight again, does this size of device stand a chance at widespread consumer adoption?
it cracks me up that all these PC guys at CES are referring to their tablet products as "slates." LOL
I'm a pretty big apple fan (Or I wouldnt be on this board :-p), but slate has been a term for keyboardless tablet for quite a while before the rumours of iSlate started showing up. Motion computing has used it for years for ex: (see bottom, "J3400 Mobile Keyboard
The last thing a company like Dell (or Microsoft, for that matter) should be wasting it's time with is talking about CONCEPT products.
When you've got folks like Apple, Google (via Android) and Amazon (Kindle) shipping REAL products that tip the needle, concept products just feed self-delusion that you are innovating, when in fact, what you are really doing is an exercise in puffery
Besides, the consumer is wise to the practice anyway, seeing how year after year, the auto industry comes out with concept cars that pretty much never translate into real cars. How'd that work out for GM?
Funny how clothing styles could affect the computer hardware market. Remember when everyone was wearing baggy pants? Well in many places the kids have switched back to tight pants. Some in my generation deride that look by mocking "girl pants" are being worn by "metrosexuals".
But the point being, now that pants are getting tight again, does this size of device stand a chance at widespread consumer adoption?
I think you're joking, but that is actually very interesting to consider.
Not too keen on a 5" form factor. It's too big to fit in your pocket, too small for a dedicated bag. I think you need to stay iPhone size, or jump up to the 10" range.
Actually, 5" would be about the biggest "pocketable" size you could make. I'd prefer that to the tiny iPod touch's 3.5" screen.
Well, this confirms a huge market for Apple's new product.
I think this has more to do with some of the other tech companies diminishing Apple's launch of the tablet. I don't honestly think Microsoft or Dell expect to sell any of this junk, but they're certainly not going to let Apple arrive first to the party and appear to be the big innovator. No matter how superior Apple's tablet proves to be, it's still one of several - especially outside of these forums.
The iPhone really caught the phone industry with its pants down. But the PC industry is clearly not planning to let that happen here.
They put in a larger screen because thats what people are bitching about "Needing"
They put in a 5MP camera....WITH flash because thats what people are bitching about needing also.
Hell they even stuck Android in there for some street cred.
And what did it honestly get them?
A phone that is too damn big to call a phone and too small to call a slate (as PatsFan83 mentioned).
And dont even get anyone started on how chunky the thing is.
For the size of the device they could have at least made it AT LEAST half the thickness. But then probably wouldnt have been able to fit the flash in or something stupid like that.
Im all for innovation but its starting to seem like a lot of these PC makers are just becoming cheap knock off cloners of apple products or just have no vision of their own.
This is the reason why i like the way apple have Steve to give them direction and not give the customer what they want but what they need.
If they didnt do this imagine how crappy the iphone would be with all the extras people are demanding be added (200MP camera with red eye reducing retinal laser scanning, 3TB of flash memory, fully capable HD IMAX projector etc etc, all squeezed into a no thicker than 18mm shell)
Dell staffers are remaining mum and refusing to let members of the media handle the device.
No one allowed to handle it probably because if they played with it and then reported what they experienced, it would be as well received as the Ballmer Keynote speech!
"This morning, I interviewed Ballmer and asked him about the market for tablet/slate computers. He made the excitement sound like empty chatter. He claimed to believe that there isn't a sizeable market for the tablet.
" 'They're interesting,' he said. 'But it's not like they're big numbers compared to the total number of smart devices in the world.' "
Yeah, bet that sizable market is right up their with the iPhone!
Didn't Ballmer go to Harvard?! Isn't that the place where the intellectual elite brainiacs from our society usually found? Aren't the rest of us average joes, or as Harvardites like to call us, teabaggers, suppose to be in awe and fascination at such worldly, forward thinking, progressive minds? And Ballmer is an example of the product Harvard puts out and George Bush is an example of what Yale puts out!
it cracks me up that all these PC guys at CES are referring to their tablet products as "slates." LOL
[CENTER]It's not like the term wasn't originally associated (primarily) with Windows-based computers some 8 years ago, making the use of the term by these PC manufacturers more than justified.
"Slate computers are full-function Windows machines without a keyboard. The entire computer is built into a slate-like enclosure that is as thin and handy as possible. Since they don't have a physical keyboard, slates use passive or active pens for input. The pen is used both to replace the mouse or joystick for navigation, and sometimes also to actually enter text.
A bit of slate computer history
In the late 1980s, early pen computer systems generated a lot of excitement and there was a time when it was thought they might eventually replace conventional computers with keyboards. After all, everyone knows how to use a pen and pens are certainly less intimidating than keyboards.
Pen computers, as envisioned in the 1980s, were built around handwriting recognition. In the early 1980s, handwriting recognition was seen as an important future technology. Nobel prize winner Dr. Charles Elbaum started Nestor and developed the NestorWriter handwriting recognizer. Communication Intelligence Corporation created the Handwriter recognition system, and there were many others.
In 1991, the pen computing hype was at a peak. The pen was seen as a challenge to the mouse, and pen computers as a replacement for desktops. Microsoft, seeing slates as a potentially serious competition to Windows computers, announced Pen Extensions for Windows 3.1 and called them Windows for Pen Computing. Microsoft made some bold predictions about the advantages and success of pen systems that would take another ten years to even begin to materialize. In 1992, products arrived. GO Corporation released PenPoint. Lexicus released the Longhand handwriting recognition system. Microsoft released Windows for Pen Computing. Between 1992 and 1994, a number of companies introduced hardware to run Windows for Pen Computing or PenPoint. Among them were EO, NCR, Samsung (the picture to the right is a 1992 Samsung PenMaster), Dauphin, Fujitsu, TelePad, Compaq, Toshiba, and IBM. Few people remember that the original IBM ThinkPad was, as the name implies, slate computers."
It sort of makes me hope Apple doesn't come out with a tablet/slate. I could see good ol' Steve creating a few fabricated items to purposely leak to DELL, HP, or MS. They go and try to duplicate it and Apple comes out with the iFridge to beat everybody to the punch on refrigerator-computer integration.
1_ That is funny, made me laugh.
2_ Even though you jest, to be accurate Microsoft was working on a MS-Fridge years ago (saw it on TV) that keeps track of what's in your fridge and connects to the internet and a lot more.
I bet you any money Apple will not call their new mobile device iSlate. All these windows monkeys will feel stupid taking up the name slate. I would not be surprised if they simply call it Mac Touch.
I think you're joking, but that is actually very interesting to consider.
Both actually.
Fashions dictate pocket size, which in turn dictates the size of pocket computers. Although this will probably change a little once our lifestyles become completed centered around pocket computers.
Just imagine what would be possible if everyone still wore suspenders.
What the heck is Michael Dell thinking? A 5-inch screen is in no-man's land. It's not a phone and it's not the size of a tablet? So, what the heck is this supposed to be? It'll go down the tubes as another stinkin piece of Dell junk. The whole Dell logo is unappealing as well. I was forced to use Dell equipment at work. So, nowadays, whenever I see Dell, I feel repulsed by it. Whenever I see the word Dell anywhere, I cringe.
A word of advice to Michael Dell: Sell Dell, take your millions and enjoy life!
Does not look like it will fit in my pocket. (Maybe the guy has small hands if course) I do sometimes wish that touch was a bit bigger, but it almost looks like this thing is a bit too big, and I would have to put it in my bag, which kinda defeats the purpose. With touch i can look up the room I need to go to, or which campus my classes or meetings are at by just taking it out of my pocket and walking with it. If I have to stop to take this out might as well grab a laptop or a tablet with an even larger screen so I can see better.
Comments
Funny how clothing styles could affect the computer hardware market. Remember when everyone was wearing baggy pants? Well in many places the kids have switched back to tight pants. Some in my generation deride that look by mocking "girl pants" are being worn by "metrosexuals".
But the point being, now that pants are getting tight again, does this size of device stand a chance at widespread consumer adoption?
it cracks me up that all these PC guys at CES are referring to their tablet products as "slates." LOL
I'm a pretty big apple fan (Or I wouldnt be on this board :-p), but slate has been a term for keyboardless tablet for quite a while before the rumours of iSlate started showing up. Motion computing has used it for years for ex: (see bottom, "J3400 Mobile Keyboard
Easily converts the J3400 from a mobile slate into a notebook style for sitting...") http://www.motioncomputing.com/produ...let_pc_J34.asp
[url]
" 'They're interesting,' he (Balmer) said. 'But it's not like they're big numbers compared to the total number of smart devices in the world.' "
Which pretty much guarantees that Apple's version will take the world by storm. Retarded bloated sack of protoplasm.
Gordon
The last thing a company like Dell (or Microsoft, for that matter) should be wasting it's time with is talking about CONCEPT products.
When you've got folks like Apple, Google (via Android) and Amazon (Kindle) shipping REAL products that tip the needle, concept products just feed self-delusion that you are innovating, when in fact, what you are really doing is an exercise in puffery
Besides, the consumer is wise to the practice anyway, seeing how year after year, the auto industry comes out with concept cars that pretty much never translate into real cars. How'd that work out for GM?
Btw, the best piece I have read on the topic is Kontra's 'Why Apple doesn?t do ?Concept Products?.'
It's definitely worth a read.
Mark
Excellent piece, thanks for suggesting it. Required reading, I'd say.
Hmmm...
Funny how clothing styles could affect the computer hardware market. Remember when everyone was wearing baggy pants? Well in many places the kids have switched back to tight pants. Some in my generation deride that look by mocking "girl pants" are being worn by "metrosexuals".
But the point being, now that pants are getting tight again, does this size of device stand a chance at widespread consumer adoption?
I think you're joking, but that is actually very interesting to consider.
Not too keen on a 5" form factor. It's too big to fit in your pocket, too small for a dedicated bag. I think you need to stay iPhone size, or jump up to the 10" range.
Actually, 5" would be about the biggest "pocketable" size you could make. I'd prefer that to the tiny iPod touch's 3.5" screen.
Well, this confirms a huge market for Apple's new product.
I think this has more to do with some of the other tech companies diminishing Apple's launch of the tablet. I don't honestly think Microsoft or Dell expect to sell any of this junk, but they're certainly not going to let Apple arrive first to the party and appear to be the big innovator. No matter how superior Apple's tablet proves to be, it's still one of several - especially outside of these forums.
The iPhone really caught the phone industry with its pants down. But the PC industry is clearly not planning to let that happen here.
This was Dells answer to the iPhone.
They put in a larger screen because thats what people are bitching about "Needing"
They put in a 5MP camera....WITH flash because thats what people are bitching about needing also.
Hell they even stuck Android in there for some street cred.
And what did it honestly get them?
A phone that is too damn big to call a phone and too small to call a slate (as PatsFan83 mentioned).
And dont even get anyone started on how chunky the thing is.
For the size of the device they could have at least made it AT LEAST half the thickness. But then probably wouldnt have been able to fit the flash in or something stupid like that.
Im all for innovation but its starting to seem like a lot of these PC makers are just becoming cheap knock off cloners of apple products or just have no vision of their own.
This is the reason why i like the way apple have Steve to give them direction and not give the customer what they want but what they need.
If they didnt do this imagine how crappy the iphone would be with all the extras people are demanding be added (200MP camera with red eye reducing retinal laser scanning, 3TB of flash memory, fully capable HD IMAX projector etc etc, all squeezed into a no thicker than 18mm shell)
Dell staffers are remaining mum and refusing to let members of the media handle the device.
No one allowed to handle it probably because if they played with it and then reported what they experienced, it would be as well received as the Ballmer Keynote speech!
"This morning, I interviewed Ballmer and asked him about the market for tablet/slate computers. He made the excitement sound like empty chatter. He claimed to believe that there isn't a sizeable market for the tablet.
" 'They're interesting,' he said. 'But it's not like they're big numbers compared to the total number of smart devices in the world.' "
Yeah, bet that sizable market is right up their with the iPhone!
Didn't Ballmer go to Harvard?! Isn't that the place where the intellectual elite brainiacs from our society usually found? Aren't the rest of us average joes, or as Harvardites like to call us, teabaggers, suppose to be in awe and fascination at such worldly, forward thinking, progressive minds? And Ballmer is an example of the product Harvard puts out and George Bush is an example of what Yale puts out!
Didn't Obama graduate from Harvard Law?
Oh Crap! Our poor, poor, poor country....
it cracks me up that all these PC guys at CES are referring to their tablet products as "slates." LOL
[CENTER]It's not like the term wasn't originally associated (primarily) with Windows-based computers some 8 years ago, making the use of the term by these PC manufacturers more than justified.
"Slate computers are full-function Windows machines without a keyboard. The entire computer is built into a slate-like enclosure that is as thin and handy as possible. Since they don't have a physical keyboard, slates use passive or active pens for input. The pen is used both to replace the mouse or joystick for navigation, and sometimes also to actually enter text.
A bit of slate computer history
In the late 1980s, early pen computer systems generated a lot of excitement and there was a time when it was thought they might eventually replace conventional computers with keyboards. After all, everyone knows how to use a pen and pens are certainly less intimidating than keyboards.
Pen computers, as envisioned in the 1980s, were built around handwriting recognition. In the early 1980s, handwriting recognition was seen as an important future technology. Nobel prize winner Dr. Charles Elbaum started Nestor and developed the NestorWriter handwriting recognizer. Communication Intelligence Corporation created the Handwriter recognition system, and there were many others.
In 1991, the pen computing hype was at a peak. The pen was seen as a challenge to the mouse, and pen computers as a replacement for desktops. Microsoft, seeing slates as a potentially serious competition to Windows computers, announced Pen Extensions for Windows 3.1 and called them Windows for Pen Computing. Microsoft made some bold predictions about the advantages and success of pen systems that would take another ten years to even begin to materialize. In 1992, products arrived. GO Corporation released PenPoint. Lexicus released the Longhand handwriting recognition system. Microsoft released Windows for Pen Computing. Between 1992 and 1994, a number of companies introduced hardware to run Windows for Pen Computing or PenPoint. Among them were EO, NCR, Samsung (the picture to the right is a 1992 Samsung PenMaster), Dauphin, Fujitsu, TelePad, Compaq, Toshiba, and IBM. Few people remember that the original IBM ThinkPad was, as the name implies, slate computers."
Consider yourself informed... http://ruggedpcreview.com/2_slates.html[/CENTER]
It sort of makes me hope Apple doesn't come out with a tablet/slate. I could see good ol' Steve creating a few fabricated items to purposely leak to DELL, HP, or MS. They go and try to duplicate it and Apple comes out with the iFridge to beat everybody to the punch on refrigerator-computer integration.
1_ That is funny, made me laugh.
2_ Even though you jest, to be accurate Microsoft was working on a MS-Fridge years ago (saw it on TV) that keeps track of what's in your fridge and connects to the internet and a lot more.
I think you're joking, but that is actually very interesting to consider.
Both actually.
Fashions dictate pocket size, which in turn dictates the size of pocket computers. Although this will probably change a little once our lifestyles become completed centered around pocket computers.
Just imagine what would be possible if everyone still wore suspenders.
This was leaked some time back by a guy from vietnam who gave it three thumbs up
Agent Orange, the gift that keeps on giving.
A word of advice to Michael Dell: Sell Dell, take your millions and enjoy life!
it cracks me up that all these PC guys at CES are referring to their tablet products as "slates." LOL
They call them slates because that is what they are. That has been a generic term for this type of computer for years.
A slate is a tablet with no keyboard or a detachable keyboard, and Apple sure as hell didn't invent the term.