Scoble Grasping At Straws
In great efforts to help Microsoft sell more tablet computers Scoble says (site defunct):
Personally, why get this when you can actually get a Tablet PC that you can take off your desk and walk around with? For instance, the Averatec Tablet PC is about $50 more than the new iMac, but is a whole lot more useful.
Particularly in schools where you need students to actually take notes with a pen rather than with just a keyboard.
How is a Tablet PC more useful than the G5 iMac? the Averatec has a low powered AMD 2200 processor which pales in comparison to the 64bit G5, no DVD authoring capabilities, iLife like tools are missing as well (nothing out there for the PC is iLife like), no Firewire, low-end graphics card, small screen (12“), and 60GB ATA HDD – the iMac has a much faster 80GB SATA drive.
Mind you this is a poor comparison, the iMac is a desktop grade PC, where the Averatec tablet pc is just that a tablet, which uses slower laptop components to help conserve battery life and space constraints.
Lastly, pen based computing is for those who can’t type. And I’m willing to bet more and more kids know how to touch type, and can type faster than they can write with a pen, I know I can. I think thats the #1 reason why tablets have never interested me, niche market computer for those that can’t type. Besides holding 5.5lbs tablet PC while writing down some notes doesn’t sound like fun, having the screen propped up to a perfect viewing angle does.
Shame on you Scoble for your feeble attempt to draw attention from the new G5 iMac… if you picked on the iBook or any other notebook then you might have had some ground to stand on.
1 comment
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Matt Ranlett
I don't know - you're comparing apples to oranges here (forgive the pun). The intentions are different - a desktop needs power and a tablet will not replace it. It take a great big beefy notebook to really replace a desktop. But the reason to get a tablet is it's flexibility. Sure, you get great computing with a desktop, but with a tablet you get mobile computing. More than just a laptop though, a tablet is more flexible than a pad of paper. With a tablet, you can type up notes from class, then use the pen to circle things and draw diagrams. Do that with your laptop (quickly, don't talk to me about the drawing tools in Word). Try this one, stand up, walk 10 feet from the nearest table, and write an e-mail. With a desktop - impossible. With a notebook (and no surface to put it on) - very difficult. With a tablet, shove it into the crook of your arm and write with the stylus just like you would write on a clipboard. But tablets are more than just the addition of pens to notebook computers. You get, built into the tablet OS, voice recognition and speech control. You get many new ways to use your computer, some of which are just more natural than typing everything out. No matter how quickly you can type, many times you can't communicate the flow of an idea as quickly and as simply as you can with a drawing.
I don't think this is a Microsoft thing vs an Apple thing. I think this is an evolution in how computers are going to be used. We're already seeing that in the smaller form factors like PDAs. Now you have PDAs which can act as cellphones, music players, digital video devices, and more. I think we're witnessing a convergence of function into the small quasi-cellphone/PDA form. How long till you can make telephone calls on your iPod? How long till Apple makes a tablet? Seems like a natural choice for them since Apple's main focus has been how easy computers are to use. What can be easier than opening it up and tapping the screen a few times, rather than a keyboard.