Tablet PCs have been around for a while. HP made a touchscreen interface for a desktop PC a few yearrs ago and no one cared. We already have ebook readers from Sony, Amazon, and more on the way this holiday season. So why does an Apple tablet spark such curiosity and desire? I think there are clues to be found in other consumer products that help us understand the demand for an Apple tablet.

First, the existing tablets. Take a laptop, then spin the monitor and lay it flat and you have the existing tablet PC. It’s large, it’s bulky, it makes no sacrifices for the sake of size, comfort, weight. In fact, like much about the Windows-based PC market, these tablet notebooks have everything. – which, I believe, is the problem. If you look at the PC market as a whole, there is a definite trend towards simplification and beautification. (Thanks, Apple.) While there has always been a demand for these computers, it’s been small, and the realities of a “non-touch”-based OS create complications for users that make this experience exactly like their work computers. People want different.

Next, the netbook market. Finally, people started to realize two facts about their computer usage – that they mostly used it for the Internet, and that portability was more important than 15 USB ports, jacks for every imaginable monitor type, five audio ports, slots for every memory card type, and the PCI card slot. Seriously, who uses the PCI card slot? For daily use, we need it to be small, light, have built in Wi-Fi and possibly 3G, and be capable of occasionally playing a game.

Now, have you ever seen someone with an iPhone? How many times during your conversation did they check their phone? Did they get an e-mail? Text message? Facebook or Twitter alert? Did they Google what you were discussing to see who was right? While I am an iPhone user, I also tend to find the average iPhone user dreadfully dependant on their device. Why does this matter? Of the iPhone users I know, the only reason they use a traditional computer for personal use is the convenience of more screen real estate.

With blogs, online magazines, feed readers, social media, iTunes, Hulu, and more, we are less tethered by our devices and becoming more accustomed to having all our media tethered to us. Think about never needing to carry another magazine, newspaper, book, iPod, or… dare I say… laptop for general travel again? With the App Store and touch interface of the iPhone, and the potential for a device up to 10″, it seems that the holy grail of portable media may finally be here. If you don’t believe it’s coming, remember the last time a device from Apple was rumored for this long and with this many detail leaks, we ended up with the iPhone. It’s not a matter of if, but rather when, and I’m downright giddy with anticipation.

(image source)

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