Term of the Moment
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Definition: Tablet PC
(1) For tablet computers such as iPad and Android, see tablet.
(2) The Tablet PC was the first Windows tablet. Introduced in the early 2000s when XP was the current version of Windows, the Tablet PC was designed like a portable writing instrument. Although anything on screen could be stored as an image, handwriting could be converted to text. Storage was a hard drive.
Microsoft's Own Tablet
Although meant to emulate a a pad of paper, Tablet PCs were not light and never caught on (see below). After SSD-based iPads and Android tablets emerged, Microsoft brought out its first solid state tablets in 2012 running Windows 8 (see Surface tablet). See Windows tablet, Ultra-Mobile PC and tablet.
Tablet PCs from Fujitsu and Electrovaya
(2) The Tablet PC was the first Windows tablet. Introduced in the early 2000s when XP was the current version of Windows, the Tablet PC was designed like a portable writing instrument. Although anything on screen could be stored as an image, handwriting could be converted to text. Storage was a hard drive.
Microsoft's Own Tablet
Although meant to emulate a a pad of paper, Tablet PCs were not light and never caught on (see below). After SSD-based iPads and Android tablets emerged, Microsoft brought out its first solid state tablets in 2012 running Windows 8 (see Surface tablet). See Windows tablet, Ultra-Mobile PC and tablet.
Weighing three to four pounds with 20 to 40GB hard drives, Tablet PCs emerged in the early and mid-2000s. The Fujitsu ST4000 (top) used a docking station for the CD/DVD drive, and the Electrovaya Scribbler (bottom) was the first Tablet PC that docked with a keyboard. (Images courtesy of Fujitsu Ltd., and Electrovaya Inc.)