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Butler Lampson Microsoft August 4, 2004. Tablet PC: Revolutionary Tool or Etch-a-Sketch?. Butler Lampson Microsoft August 4, 2004. Why tablets?. Mobility Reading Pen Pointing Writing Sketching Gestures Make the computer natural. History. Dynabook (1968)
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Butler Lampson Microsoft August 4, 2004
Tablet PC: Revolutionary Tool or Etch-a-Sketch? Butler Lampson Microsoft August 4, 2004
Why tablets? • Mobility • Reading • Pen • Pointing • Writing • Sketching • Gestures • Make the computer natural Butler Lampson: Tablet PC
History • Dynabook (1968) • Workslate, TRS-80 (1982) • Lectrice (1996) – originally for reading; $8K • Pen Windows/ Go • Palm / Pocket PC • Win CE Clio Butler Lampson: Tablet PC
Alan Kay’s Dynabook mockup (1968) Butler Lampson: Tablet PC
Convergent Workslate (1982) Butler Lampson: Tablet PC
TRS-80 Model 100 (1983) Butler Lampson: Tablet PC
DEC SRC Lectrice (1994, $8k) Butler Lampson: Tablet PC
Lessons from past failures • A tablet must be a full PC. Why? • Must have volume to keep cost down • Users need to run full apps • Don’t want two >$1k computers • Don’t want to carry two bulky things • Lampson’s law: Devices must differ in size by 5x • Watch • Cellphone • Tablet/laptop • Desktop • Being a full PC is hard • And it’s a moving target Butler Lampson: Tablet PC
Slogans • The power of the PC, the simplicity of paper • Grab and go • Think in ink • Every laptop is a tablet • Tablet PC, the first computer good enough to criticize—Alan Kay Butler Lampson: Tablet PC
Prerequisites for success • Hardware • Display: ≥120 dpi, good viewing • Digitizer: ≥120 dpi, hover • Wireless networking • Ultralight laptop engineering • Cycles and RAM for handwriting, speech • Software • UI compatibility: all kbd, mouse actions • No changes to base platform • Handwriting recognition • Cleartype for reading • Decent scribbling application Butler Lampson: Tablet PC
Today’s tablets • NEC: Excellent slate, except for battery life • Motion: Good slate, part of good system • Toshiba: Excellent convertible Butler Lampson: Tablet PC
NEC Litepad(2003, 2.2 lb) Butler Lampson: Tablet PC
Motion M1400 (2004, 3 lb)—Grab and Go Butler Lampson: Tablet PC
Toshiba M200(2004, 4 lb)—Convertible Butler Lampson: Tablet PC
Natural UI: The guessing game • Computer UI: My way or the highway • Input is unambiguous • It’s your fault if the wrong thing happens • Natural UI: Ambiguous—machine must guess • What if it guesses wrong? • New requirements • I can tell what it guessed • I can undo any state changes from a wrong guess • I can say what I wanted in another way • Perhaps clunkier, but less ambiguous Butler Lampson: Tablet PC
Lessons from V1 Tablet PCs • The biggest threat to development: Creativity • Keeps people from focusing on essentials • UI design is hard • Even the best people need many iterations • Example: TIP • It’s easy to overreach • The guessing game is hard • Examples: Journal and OneNote • Microsoft doesn’t understand images • Why Tablet PC doesn’t integrate PDF • Importance of ergonomics—hard for OEMs Butler Lampson: Tablet PC
Hardware futures • Display • Quality: reflections, resolution, parallax, contrast • Size: smaller • New technologies: eInk • Digitizer • Cost • Calibration • Better integrated keyboard • Ride laptop evolution • Battery life • Weight—less than 2.5 lbs. • Rugged—especially for K–12 Butler Lampson: Tablet PC
Software futures • Pen • Gestures—proofreader marks show what’s possible • Math input • Sketch recognition • Ink annotation – auto reflow • Speech – audio input the biggest problem • Natural language commands • Display • Smaller: UI issues • Recruiting local projector, other screens • Camera/scanner – needs image processing • Seamless networking, disconnected operation Butler Lampson: Tablet PC
Vertical applications • Health care • Just what doctors need • Many system issues, however • Education • Are computers any good for education • Or is it just for cheap textbooks Butler Lampson: Tablet PC
Revolution through evolution • Changes are incremental • Market is still small: << 1% of Windows • Few tablet-specific apps • Mostly small tweaks to existing apps • But it’s a different relationship to the computer • Much more intimate • Much closer to the physical world • In the end, big changes Butler Lampson: Tablet PC
The future is bright, but cloudy • Tablet vs cellphone • Phone will integrate GPS, PDA, music, camera • Reading is unclear: screen size • Writing is even less clear: reading plus speech? • Tablet vs laptop • Every laptop a tablet? • Weight vs screen size vs power tradeoffs • Tablet vs people • Natural input • Computing at your fingertips Butler Lampson: Tablet PC