About Apple and tablet competition for their beloved iPad:
It’s a well know fact tablet PCs are hot right now. But this latest development in personal computing and entertainment is nothing new, no matter how amazing it may seem.
The latest tablets–including the iPad, the JooJoo, the HP Slate (to name only a few)–springs from over two centuries of research and development, starting with Elisha Gray, whose 1888 “Telautograph” (U.S. patent No. 386,815) is believed to be the forerunner to the modern tablet.
The first iPad in April 2010 sold 3 million in 80 days. During 2010, Apple sold 14.8 million iPads worldwide, representing 75 percent of tablet PC sales at the end of 2010.
By the release of the iPad 2 in March 2011, more than 15 million iPads had been sold- more than all other tablet PCs combined. In 2011, it is expected to take 83 percent of the tablet computing market share in the United States.
With the recently developments we saw in newer hybrids of tablets can Apple handle the competition or will they stay on top?
These newer kind of hybrid tablets straddles the line between laptop and tablet. It’s not like convertible laptops, which are generally Windows laptops with screens that rotate around and flip down over the keyboard.
These new hybrids are slate-style tablets running Android, but also Windows, that offers users a physical keyboard to get any typing work done efficiently. Even though keyboards add weight to the tablet, it provides flexibility that is worthy for many users.
Jung Dae Hoon, a Korean designer developed an award-wining concept which has an Apple vibe.
He designed a tablet with a chic cover coming with an independent keyboard, and stylus that acts both as a remote and a pen.
Unlike traditional convertible tablet, the keyboard is actually separate and is simply attached when the user wants to begin working on the physical keyboard.
There is also a webcam that is located on the top left corner of the LCD screen, different from usual positions of webcams that stares users directly in the eyes.
Since this is a concept, we have no clue whether it will make it to the market, or what manufacturer will be able to show it in the market but we sure hope it will.
What should one call this type of tablet then? A laptab? A keylet? A tabtop? A keyvertible? Let’s wait and see.
{Photo: techiser}
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