Tablet PCs have been around for awhile, but until recently the technology has not been available to support the expectations of such devices. With the rumors swirling of a revolutionary new wireless tablet coming from 1 Infinite Loop in Cupertino, CA other companies have been racing to introduce their versions. Although Apple has not confirmed that such a device is in the works analysts expect them to reveal it later this month and possibly start selling it in the spring. The sudden rush of tablets will give us a great look at how human centered design interfaces have evolved and where they will go in the near future.
Below is a video showing some of the possible capabilities of Microsoft's Courier. I was pretty impressed by the demo- the motions and gestures used on the interface are movements that seem easy and intuitive.
There is a lot of buzz and speculation behind this new wave of tablet computers. Will this new way of interacting with our computers immediately be accepted or will there be resistance to change? Whatever happens, the introduction of wireless tablets will undoubtedly impact our computing habits and most likely change the way we live. Whether those changes will have the impact that Ben Kunz writes about in his BusinessWeek article are for you to decide and for time to tell.
I believe the Apple tablet will push toward the concept of e-readers into the next stage, past early adopters to becoming accepted by the general population. These tablets and e-readers have come at the perfect time for the struggling print industry. I believe that newspapers, magazines, and other content based services will have to quickly adapt to these new devices, as they will immediately accelerate the death of conventional forms of content delivery. The companies that can design integrated delivery systems and interactive content will be the firms that will emerge successful from this change in competitive landscape.
ReplyDelete