When Bill Gates unveiled the prototype of the tablet PC in 2002, he said, "The tablet PC is a great example of how computers are adapting to how people really work, whether they're taking notes in a meeting, collaborating wirelessly with colleagues or reading on screen. We're just scratching the surface of what is possible."

At that time, the media and industry people had mixed reactions. Some said that the product would not survive a year, while others sang paeans
about it and how it would revolutionize the way people used a computer.

Four years down the line, the euphoria seems to have died out. In fact, a lot of companies, which had released versions of tablet PCs in their portfolio, have now just kept it as part of their brand for namesake. So does this mean that the product has become redundant?

TABLET PCs: TAKE YOUR PICK

There are three different styles of tablet PCs available in the market currently: The convertible model: This tablet has an attached keyboard and looks much like a conventional laptop PC. The screen can also be rotated to 180 degrees and laid flat over the keyboard for a more comfortable reading and writing experience. The slate model: This has been designed to be slim and ultra-light without the weight and size of a permanent keyboard. Some models come with a detachable keyboard, and all include innovative docking solutions that offer access to a full-size monitor, keyboard, and mouse. The rugged model: This is a tough mobile computer with an industrial-strength shell and shock-mounted hard drive. Rugged models are ideal for people who use their PC in a construction zone, in military situations, or simply for those who need something ultra durable.

Yes and no, the debate goes
As in every debate, there are some who believe that the tablet PC has become redundant and is a grandiose dream gone sour. One of them is Rashi Peripherals, which distributes HP's tablet PCs. Said Rajesh Goenka. Divisional Head, Rashi Peripherals, "There are not many takers for the tablet PC. This product does not give any great functionality at the high price it comes at."

Sandeep Parasrampuria of The Best agrees with him. "Who will want to spend around
Rs 1.5 lakh for a product merely to be able to scribble on it?" This is also a reason why The Best has recently unveiled a product called Take Note, which is a digital pad, where a user can take notes, which are saved as digital images and that can transferred to a PC or a laptop. And given that this is priced around
Rs 10,000, Sandeep is sure that the adoption of this product will be much better than that of a tablet PC.

But at the same time, there are others who feel that this product has good potential, except that it has not been tapped yet. One of them is Vijay Seth of Third Wave Exim, which distributes Panasonic tablet PCs. "We started selling Panasonic tablets six months ago and already have witnessed good business in such a short span."

Added P Raghuraman, Country Manager–Business Notebooks, Hewlett-Packard India, "It would be incorrect to say that tablet PCs sales have not taken off. They have indeed shown robust increase in adoption in the corporate and public sectors. Defintely adoption in the education and health care verticals will help boost volumes up significantly."

Seth concurs and said that Panasonic tablets too have found good acceptance in certain verticals like defense, government, educational, manufacturing houses, oil and gas companies, power organizations etc. He notes that the tablet PC was meant for rugged use, but instead it was positioned at the masses. "This PC was meant to be a computing device for professionals to work on when they were walking or were on the move. The positioning of this product is vital for its success, which is probably why a lot of vendors failed to make a success of it. They simply did not position it to the right customer vertical!"

Stumbling blocks
One reason, according to most people in the industry, is the price of the product. Most tablet PCs come in the price range of Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 3 lakh. Paying this amount for just the benefit of scribbling on the notebook, does not go down well with most customers.

But Seth feels that price is just one aspect of the problem. He says that there are customers who will pay for a product, which will give them some value addition. And this is where most vendors have faltered. "Microsoft came out with a sturdy OS, but most vendors packaged it in a delicate casing, which does not serve the purpose," he noted.

He illustrates his point by mentioning the case of an educational institute in Mumbai that bought 300 tablet PCs, but which complained of a failure rate of 30 percent. This is because the students would use the products very carelessly and the casings would break or would get damaged.

This is why, Seth is positioning the Panasonic tablets only on certain segments like the military, construction companies, scientific research agencies, oil, gas and power organizations.

Raghuraman agrees with Seth about the necessity of positioning the product correctly. "The tablet PC adoption has increased in the corporates and government, where top officers use the tablet to increase their productivity. But the big volumes can come in if the adoption increases in two key verticals which are healthcare and education. While in education, both the student and the teacher can benefit from using tablets for taking notes on-line, in healthcare it will significantly boost the doctors productivity for both inputing and accessing patient data using a tablet," he said.

What is a tablet PC?
Microsoft defines tablet PCs as 'computers powered by the Windows XP Tablet PC Edition operating system, and equipped with a sensitive screen designed to
interact with a complementary pen'. These PCs are fully functional laptop PCs with either a swivel or
removable screen and handwriting recognition software. The pen can be directly used on the screen just like a mouse to do things like select, drag, and open files; or in place of a keyboard to handwrite notes and communication.

However, a word of caution needs to be added here. Unlike a touch screen, the tablet PC screen only receives information from a special pen. It will not take information from your finger or a piece of cloth. This was designed to ensure that incorrect data was not entered inadvertently. At the same time, it also means that you have to be
extremely careful not to lose the special pen or stylus.

The tablet PC can even be used while standing up, which is perfect for professionals on the move such as doctors, foremen, and sales managers. Some of the vendors who manufacture tablet PCs include Acer, Lenovo, Fujitsu, Panasonic and Hewlett Packard. 

VINITA BHATIA

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