Q&A: Tablet PC Brings the Simplicity of Pen
and Paper to Computing
LAS VEGAS, Nov. 13, 2000 -- Last night in his Comdex/Fall 2000
keynote address, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates demonstrated a prototype
of a Tablet PC, a major evolutionary step in PC functionality and
usability. To find out more about the Tablet PC and the future of
tablet-based computing, PressPass spoke with Alexandra Loeb, general
manager of Microsoft’s Tablet PC effort.
PressPass: What exactly is a Tablet PC?
Loeb: First and foremost, the Microsoft vision for a Tablet PC is
that it’s a full Windows computer. It runs all of your familiar
productivity applications such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint, and offers
the same rich connectivity to the Internet that you expect from your
desktop or notebook PC. What the Tablet PC adds is the simplicity of pen
and paper. Because you can write on the screen, it’s optimized for
tasks that are very common in business computing -- like taking notes at
a meeting or annotating a document, or for immersive reading.
PressPass: So it’s not just a companion device or a digital
appliance?
Loeb: When we looked at what made the most sense for customers,
it was clear that a Tablet PC needed to be the primary PC. This means
that you can have your email and calendar, your project files, or even
complete databases with you at all times. And there are no compromises:
you don’t need to sync or port your Windows applications, and you
retain the full fidelity of data with no loss of formatting. At
the same time, we also see a great future for Pocket PCs, smart phones
and Internet appliances among users who need extreme portability. The
Tablet PC is designed to work well with all of those devices, but it’s
targeted at business computer users who spend some part of their day
away from their desks but could benefit from having their PC move with
them.
PressPass: What operating system will the Tablet PC run? Is it an
embedded system?
Loeb: What Bill Gates demonstrated at Comdex was the next version
of Windows, code-named Whistler. It’s not an embedded operating system
(OS) running out of Read-Only Memory (ROM)--Tablet PCs will have more
than sufficient RAM to run a full desktop OS.

Microsoft software architect Bert Keely shows a prototype of the
Tablet PC during Bill Gates' keynote at COMDEX /Fall 2000. |
PressPass: Beyond simple handwriting recognition, how will Tablet PC
users be able to work with what they write on-screen?
Loeb: Our handwriting recognition is impressive, but the initial
success of the Tablet PC is not dependent on "perfect"
handwriting recognition. We see great value in treating "ink
as ink" -- allowing people to revise, edit, and re-purpose their
handwritten notes after they’ve written them on the computer screen
using the stylus. We call it "treating ink as a first class
citizen," so that pen input is equal in flexibility and power to
input from a mouse or keyboard. We want the PC to adapt to the way that
individuals work, not the other way around. So that means allowing
handwritten notes to remain as ink, and then building in the
capabilities to make changes, and even index and search on ink while it
remains in ink format. And, of course, the Tablet PC will
support great conversion of ink to text as well.
PressPass: What kinds of things can users do on the Tablet PC that
they can’t do on a current notebook?
Loeb: Well, to begin with, you can balance it in one hand -- it
will be about the size of a writing tablet. It will weigh less than your
current laptop, and it will be incredibly useful when you are away from
your desk and in a meeting. Our note-taking application literally comes
up as a sheet of paper, and you just start writing. But what digital ink
offers in addition is the ability to move, highlight, save, sort and
search those handwritten notes. How many times have all of us had to go
back to paper-based notes from a meeting and scribble in the margin, or
draw arrows to show where we really wanted to insert something? The
Tablet PC allows you to actually manipulate that text -- you don’t
need to rewrite all the notes around it -- and it gives you some very
powerful new ways to share information and collaborate via email or the
Internet. The integration with your key productivity applications
extends the benefits of the paper metaphor in many, many ways.
PressPass: Microsoft and other companies have made forays into
tablets or pen-based computers before. How is the Tablet PC different
from earlier approaches?
Loeb: Three major things have changed. First, key
technologies -- such as battery life, display resolution,
handwriting recognition, and memory -- have all advanced
substantially. Second, we have the benefit of the experience gained
from the past. Relative to our own Pen Windows initiative in the
mid-1990s, for example, we've learned to look at the complete user
experience rather than simply building support for the pen into the
operating system. We are evaluating the Tablet PC from the customers'
perspective rather than from the OS developer’s perspective. It’s
not a computer science problem we’re trying to solve -- it’s a
customer problem. Third, the added component of wireless
communications makes mobility a key element in all future computing
scenarios, so the Tablet PC provides greater mobile
functionality to corporate computing.
PressPass: What wireless standards will the Tablet PC support?
Loeb: We’ll support 802.11 and eventually Bluetooth or any
broadly supported wireless standard. We’re excited about what wireless
connectivity can mean for real-time updates and collaboration -- not
only for the meeting you’re in at that moment, but for broader,
inter-group or inter-office scenarios.
PressPass: When will Tablet PCs be available?
Loeb: Our goal is to have Tablet PCs available in 2002. The
specific timing depends upon both our own testing and software
development, and also the design and production schedules of the
original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) that will be our partners in
this initiative. We are not in the hardware business -- the final
decisions will really be made by the OEMs. We expect that OEMs will
want to implement their own unique hardware designs. We’re excited by
the initial reactions we’re getting from OEMs.
PressPass: How much will they cost?
Loeb: It’s too early to tell. Again, each OEM will determine
its pricing strategy. But since they are full-function PCs, they’re
more likely to be priced in that range than as lower-cost appliances.
PressPass: Will customers buy Tablet PCs with a docking station,
external keyboard and even a larger monitor?
Loeb: That’s one scenario, but we expect many variations on the
basic concept of the Tablet PC.
Press Pass: How will application developers be able to take advantage
of the Tablet PC?
Loeb: As we get closer to finalizing the elements of the Tablet
PC, we will work with software developers to make sure they have the
information and support they need to make their applications
"pen-aware." This will allow them to take full advantage of
digital ink and pen capabilities and optimize their software for the
Tablet PC form factor, which is portrait-based and focused on a very
low-clutter user interface. We’ll have development kits and the usual
range of tools and technical help for the software community.
PressPass: How does the Tablet PC fit into Microsoft’s .NET
strategy?
Loeb: We think the Tablet PC will be a great platform for .NET
because it gives users the best of both worlds. Since it’s a fully
functional PC, it can run a wider range of software and services than
other mobile devices -- for example, a smart phone won’t be able to
host a SQL database, but the Tablet PC can. Yet, as a mobile device, the
Tablet PC still supports the .NET vision of making information available
to users any time, any place and on any device.
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