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A Bitter Pill to Swallow: The Rise and Fall of the Tablet Computer.

The article discusses the development and demise of tablet computers. A history of tablet computing is given, noting that the first tablet personal computer (PC) appeared in the late 1980s and rose in prominence during the 1990s, only to succumb to obscurity shortly thereafter. The early development...

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Published in:Design Issues Vol. 24; no. 4; pp. 3 - 26
Main Author: Atkinson, Paul
Format: Article
Published: MIT Press Autumn2008
Subjects:
Pen-based computers
Personal computers
Computer engineering
Computers
New product development
Product acceptance
Marketing
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
Summary:The article discusses the development and demise of tablet computers. A history of tablet computing is given, noting that the first tablet personal computer (PC) appeared in the late 1980s and rose in prominence during the 1990s, only to succumb to obscurity shortly thereafter. The early development, proliferation, and disappearance of pen-based PCs is examined. Also discussed are various product failures within the computing field, noting the factors required for successful consumer acceptance of new technologies.