I bet that even if you’re not that interested in gadgets, you must have heard all the talk going around this year about the iPad and tablets in general. It’s normal, as this relatively new kind of product has become so popular in past months that people can’t get enough of them, and statistics are seeing good times too, with sales numbers expected to skyrocket. In this post I’m going to tell you about some things regular folks don’t know about tablets: what they really are and how does a tablet PC work. If you’re a geek you could easily skip this post as there’s nothing here you didn’t already know.

    How old touch tablets and tablet PCs really are?

    Apparently, tablets are a relatively new concept, dating around 2001, when Microsoft made the format popular by defining it as a pen-enabled computer that was conforming to Microsoft specs and was running Windows XP Tablet PC Edition, a slightly modified version of Windows XP that added controls for touch input via a stylus and nothing more. At their roots, tablet PCs are regular laptops  fitted with a special screen hinge that allowed them to be rotated 180 degrees and then folded upon the keyboard, transforming in some kind of a paper notebook where you could draw/write with a stylus.

    How does a tablet PC work?

    By now you must have identified the elements that make a touch tablet PC different from a regular laptop: a foldable screen that supports touch input and a special OS that knows when you’re ‘touching’ the device. Those are the most important elements, because if one is bad the whole user experience will be affected. The screen hinge is the most interesting part and the one that could cause the most troubles if done badly. A bad screen hinge makes the screen rotate too easily and doesn’t ensure it stays folded above the keyboard for too long. A bad hinge can also break after fewer screen rotations and folding operations. If reliability is your main concern you won’t be too satisfied with a tablet PC.

    Advancements in tech and the change in consumer habits to buy new gadgets more often make now this problem seem less important, but I ensure you it still exists. Now back to the screen, another important part of the tablet PC story: screens have become more and more sensitive to touch input, not like they were the first time the concept was launched, when you needed a stylus and considerable pressure to ‘make yourself understood’. Now capacitive touchscreens ensure that even the lightest press is registered and multitouch function allow you to perform gestures with more than one finger, like pinch to zoom and two finger scroll. Touch technology has seen the most advancements in this field lately and new kinds of techs are around the corner.

    Don't confuse a tablet PC with a graphic tablet

    Don't confuse a tablet PC with a graphic tablet

    What’s next?

    Nobody knows, that’s the short answer and to tell you the truth, anyone who says they know what’s going to happen with tablet PCs is lying. Personally, I see a separation of tablets from mobile computers in terms of activities they’re used for. Tablet PCs will remain a good option for road warriors while the other types of tablets will be recreational devices used for browsing, social media, emails and media watching. So the choice of which type of tablet you need will be reduced to how you plan on using it: if you want to work get a tablet PC, if you like to play get a slate tablet.