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Tablet Computing: A History Of Failure

Jay Yarow | Jan. 25, 2010 in Silicon Alley Insider

Tablet computing has a long history, and none of it is particularly great. From the Newton to the CrunchPad, tech companies have tried to sell a simple slab that can access the web, deliver email and maybe some gaming. On paper it sounds great, but the execution to date has been disappointing.

Check out 16 tablets through the years →

When Apple takes the wraps off its entry into the market this week, it’s expected Steve Jobs will produce a product that undoes over a decade’s worth of tablet flops.

How can Apple get it right, when others have gotten it wrong? Read the full article and see.

• Focus on building great software. The iPhone’s revolution was its brilliant software which made using the phone a pleasure. (The iPhone’s software serves as the base for the tablet, according to a report from Boy Genius Report.)

• Get the user interface right. So far, tablet computer has either been a bad extension of an operating system built for a desktop computer, or has required an awkward input device, such as a stylus. Apple’s multi-touch “gesture” based user interface may be a breakthrough.

• Redefine the tablet computing ecosystem. The Wall Street Journal reported a bunch of details about the tablet last week. The essence of the report: The tablet is supposed to be a new way to consume media, not just a touchscreen edition of your laptop. Apple can complement its hardware with digital movies, TV shows, magazines, books, music, games, third-party apps, and other media — which prior tablets haven’t done.

Right now, we picture it sitting on the coffee table — good for web surfing, reading and gaming. Or on the plane. It sounds nice, but it’s hard to envision that being worth $700-$1,000 to mainstream buyers.

So that’s the last detail we are all waiting for with the tablet — the price. We have an idea about what it looks like, how we might type on it, what media will be available for it, but we’re still not sure about how it’s going to be marketed or how much it’s going to cost.

Who is this thing for? Apple tells us on Wednesday. If it gets it right, then it has a success. If it gets it wrong, it joins the list of failed tablet devices

.Posted via email from practice (redux)

The ABA recently posted an article in its Law Practice Management (LPM) section with the following title – and I kid you not – “How ‘Pointless Interaction’ Helped Law Firm Communication .” Naturally, I was intrigued. I expected a study of some sort or statistics at least… but instead I got this:

Surveys of young lawyers’ attitudes show [that] they report feeling “isolated, overspecialized and dehumanized… So any initiative that treats them like individuals and communicates with them like humans will enhance morale and improve retention.

But what I really loved was this little nugget:

As the lawyers got to know each other, they warmed to each other, floated ideas and formed collaborative alliances.

Wow, what an enlightened concept! Talking to your employees leads to productive collaboration. I’ll be the first to admit that technology has greatly facilitated our job as attorneys – it is after all a reason why PracticeHacker even exists – but have we seriously gotten to the point where gadgets have replace actual human interaction?

Hmmm, well, I’ll think about that.  After I respond to the text message I just received.