| You say it runs Windows 7 like that's a good thing. There's actually a lot of very good, very useful Windows software out there. Here's what I have on my tc1100 slate PC: - Skype
- Chrome
- Firefox
- Kindle for PC
- FBReader
- VLC
- Picasa
- KeePass
- Widcomm Bluetooth
- Dropbox
- Google Earth
- Pencil
- Evernote
- Squeak
Most of what I do, I do through Google Chrome and various web apps but I very much like the ability to install whatever Windows program I want.I own a new Macbook and just sold a 24" iMac. Still have a PowerPC 15" Aluminum Powerbook. Mac vs. PC is what Noam Chomsky calls "irrational jingoism." It's a marketing manipulation ploy. If you are for Linux because of FOSS philosophy, then good for you. If you are part of marketdroid-created jingoism, then I think that's a waste of time. Me, I just run useful software on good hardware. Without an OS tailored for it, a tablet is just a watered down notebook. Not true at all. Have you actually owned and really used a good slate PC? I can use this thing in situations I can't use a laptop or even a netbook. Just this afternoon I was talking with a coworker on Skype while lounging around and surfing on the couch and we were showing each other our projects with the webcam. The form factor is key, and Windows XP Tablet is brilliantly executed, even if it is designed for propeller-heads and not ordinary mortals. (Styluses are for propeller-heads like me.) It's not an OS tailored for a tablet so much as Windows XP with tablet support features bolted on. It still works well if you are savvy. I can do everything that the iPad is supposed to be able to do now, with hardware and software from 3 or 4 years ago. Granted, the tc1100's industrial design is phenomenal, which is why this machine has basically attained cult status. But I can also see the cracks in the execution that would have alienated it from the general public. Also, the ecosystem has to be there for the platform to really work. In the end, I'm bullish on the iPad, which I've preordered. |
I guess if the software you use works well with a touch screen then that's fine. I far prefer my iPhone to any Windows Mobile device I've owned. You can't just shoehorn a desktop UI into a touch-screen device without a keyboard or mouse without the experience being subpar.
I have not used a good tablet PC, maybe I should try one out but none have been that compelling to me. I'll probably get an iPad eventually, to develop for it if nothing else. It's too much like my iPhone and not enough like my notebook for me to jump at the 1st revision of a 1st gen product. In a year or two I'll get one when the kinks are worked out and the feature set has been fleshed out.
edit: While the exo pc and tc1100 look pretty nice I don't imagine many developers tailor anything for them. That will be the biggest strength of the iPad (at first anyway).