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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)

According to this piece in the Silicon Valley Insider, the iPhone only picked up 5,000 subscribers in its first weekend on sale in China. China Unicom says it’s pleased with the launch of the iPhone however. Reuters reports that the phone should add revenue in the 4^th Quarter for China Unicom (China’s #2 carrier). Of course compared to the rip roaring success that Apple is used to, this was an underwhelming weekend. But consider that the iPhone gets no WiFi in China an can retail for as mcuh as $1,025 unless it is bought with a phone contract, in which it can also be free.

We're the ABA Damnit! We own you!

This was my 10th year at ABA Technology Show in Chicago. This year was particularly cool.  Here’s why:

Meeting The Heavies: To me, seeing people like Dennis Kennedy, Tom Mighelle, Bob Ambrogi, Jim Calloway, Kevin O’Keefe, Brett Burney, Andy Atkins, Jay Foonberg (!) and the rest of my pretend blog friends … I mean pretend LinkedIn friends … is like reconnecting with long lost relatives. Exciting and a little intimidating. But all of them were really great and down to earth. Except that Kennedy. Such a prima donna. I kid, I kid.

Meeting Canadians: Who can forget meeting the Great Librarian of Upper Canada! Beat that. Then there was Phil of the Future (my name for him), Steve Matthews (nice guy), Brett Burney (I think he’s Canadian), Dominic Jaar (vive la Quebec libre!), the boys from Clio (or as I called them, the Booth Babes), and a host of other talent from the Great White North. It was great to meet you all: now go back where the ice doesn’t melt until July.

Technology Becoming Accepted: This year for the first time in memory I noticed a preponderance of grey hairs and the careful gait of partners scoping out potential buys for their offices.  This was not the brash, flash-in-the-pan TechShow of the late-90’s in which the Internet was decried as a fad.

SaaS, Saas, and more Saas: Software as a service was all over the place, and by next year it will be pervasive. This year I was knocked out by the number and variety of kick-ass SaaS providers at the show including Clio, RocketMatter, and VLO Tech. Clio was my hands-down favorite for a number of reasons – I intend to use it in my own practice. Whatever your cup of tea, the idea of throwing away the IT department in favor of the Cloud is gaining traction fast.

Less is … Less: One lamentable fact about this  year’s show – there was less of it than I’ve seen in a long time. Another casualty of the economy I’d say, but we shouldn’t overlook the fact that many legal technology vendors have been slaves to profit instead of boosters for innovation and the slow economy is making it painfully apparent what a royal screw job they’ve been giving lawyers all these years. Many players couldn’t make it ? Good riddance to bad company.

Other than that however, it was a great experience as always and one that I heartily recommend to one and all. If you haven’t been to TechShow, go there. If you have, come back. A splendid time is guaranteed for all.

For more coverage see my SmallLaw Column in TechnoLawyer.

Check out Twitter coverage of TechShow.

As always, I’d love your thoughts. E-mail me at mhedayat[at]mha-law.com or tweet me @practichacker.

ttyl

The Blackberry iPhone .. I mean ‘Storm’

Love is a many splendored thing. How else could you explain the way cell-phone companies can say “I envy and desire you” with their eyes while throwing darts at pictures of the iPhone?

As proof, take the latest “iPhone killer” to emerge from RIM. Hot on the heels of the Googlephone,  the Blackberry Storm is Research in Motion’s  strike at Cupertino, California-based Apple and a sleek little number at that. Of course Crackberry fans have been ablaze with desire and this feature in Time Magazine did nothing to quench their gadget-lust.

Not that it’s a bad looking phone: on the contrary, it is sleek and boasts some innovative features (the ‘clickable screen’ is very cool for openers, and there are others). Then there is RIM’s ability to deliver the goods, which is legendary. Whether you use ‘push’ e-mail of the Microsoft Exchange variety or pop3 such as Hotmail, Gmail, etc., Blackberry will most likely get it to you faster than any other device, and sends replies without missing a beat thanks to RIM’s proprietary network. Even as a hard-core iPhone fan I must admit that the AT&T network is no substitute for Blackberry’s flawless delivery system.

So shine on you crazy diamond. Although we suspect that rumors of the iPhone’s demise are greatly exaggerated, the Storm is still a damn cool phone.

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