The only tablet I wanted was the Microsoft Courier
I didn’t get excited when news of the iPad was released, and I didn’t get sad when other tablet computer concepts were tossed, but with the announcement that Microsoft will not be releasing the Courier, I have to admit that I’m quite upset. Speculators believe Microsoft wants you to wonder what they’re doing in lieu of the Courier, but I’m not curious, I’m just moving on.
What I was most looking forward to with Microsoft Courier over the iPad is not all the razzy jazzy app stuff, rather that it was designed to act like a journal or an interactive note pad that is web enabled. I like to hand write notes, I would love to print something from the web, cut out the picture or section I’m interested and tape in in my creative journal and I’d like to prioritize which project I’m working on rather than see all projects and all apps.
Microsoft Courier was designed to be more enterprise which is criticized by the Mac cult, but for those who are less impressed with gloss and sex appeal and more impressed with functionality and productivity, Courier was what I had hoped would be the best tablet on the market upon release.
Take a look back at why Courier was so awesome:
What tablet will be the next best now?
I currently own an HP and I’m not a fangirl or anything, but it is a good product that I’ve been loyal to for years, and with the resent acquisition of Palm, which has a promising and innovative web OS, I think the HP Slate will be the biggest competitor to the Apple iPad. HP tends to be affordable and add Palm to the mix and I believe they have a real shot at taking a chunk of Apple’s marketshare.
Companies better beware
Tablet technology is rapidly evolving to be less like a PDA and more like a laptop sans hinges, and as Benn has said before, companies (especially real estate companies offering search) will need to spend more time focused on offering custom experiences based on which product a user is using (laptop vs. iPhone vs. tablet, etc), and less time focused on 2007-esque efforts like getting employees to tweet from their phones.
The pace has picked up, people, and the companies to make it to the finish line will be the ones that are innovative, not the ones that are playing office with their investors’ money.
CC Licensed image courtesy of ndevil via Flickr.com
Dave Woodson
May 3, 2010 at 2:50 pm
I am on the looking for Android tablets, going to be more open, with greater variety and I am sure you will be able to print from them. The pricing will be spectacular, will do everything an ipad can just more.
Dave
Jason Berman
May 3, 2010 at 6:08 pm
Awesome predictions Dave. Just to be clear…..you predict….
1. Google will foster a greater variety of apps on their platform than the iTunes app store.
2. Android based devices will offer more for less. In fact, people will describe the difference as spectacular.
3. Open…ness. I presume by open you mean UI. Give me an example how an ‘open’ Android platform will help sell more real estate than a ‘closed’ platform? In fact, show me something the open Android system can do that a jailbroken iPhone OS can’t?
My prediction, Apple will grow this device just like it did the iPod & the iPhone & it will dominate.
Is it irritating to still be reliant on Windows?
Andrew McKay
May 3, 2010 at 5:56 pm
Guilty as charged more “impressed with gloss and sex appeal” and less “impressed with functionality and productivity”
Having said that the iPad isn’t here in Canada yet. For a non tecchie like me that has a Mac desk top now after windows kept crashing, the ease of synching desk, phone and lap top/iPad is a big plus.
Pat Hallesy
May 3, 2010 at 6:44 pm
Keep an eye out on NotionInk’s Adam notionink.in/adamoverview.php
I like the iPad concept and love my iPhone, but was hoping for the Courier to come out at a decent price. My next choice is the Adam. (I think it’s the one that’s supposed to be available in Windows/Linux/Chrome OS editions.)
Erica Ramus
May 3, 2010 at 10:02 pm
So why did they scrap the Courier?
Lani Rosales
May 3, 2010 at 10:10 pm
They’re not saying, but it’s their M.O. to be mysterious to let speculators create buzz on their behalf. Which they’re doing. Some are whispering that they are working on a different kind of tablet project, others have speculated that they never had all of the pieces in place to go to market. Regardless, I’m sad.
Erica Ramus
May 3, 2010 at 10:29 pm
Me too!
stephanie crawford
May 5, 2010 at 2:38 am
I’m on my second tablet – using the HP TouchSmart right now as my full-time pc. It’s okay – like the size, but wish it had a faster start-up and less heat. Previously I had a Fujitsu. It was similar to the HP; a little heavier and hot, hot, hot.
I played with an iPad the other day. I was impressed. I can see using it for presentations a little. But I mostly see using it to peruse blogs in bed (is that worth $500? i wish i had that kind of disposable income right now!). I think I’ll definitely have to have the second generation though. For that matter, I may drop my tablet and go MacBook Pro for my next laptop. All the cool kids are doing it. And after recently visiting a college campus where I saw all of two laptop pcs, i think mac will have world domination soon anyway.
roydevoll
May 5, 2010 at 1:07 pm
I love Apple because they take my user experience to a new level. I agree that they will grow the iPad and slowly release new features in a annoyingly slow trickle, but they are usually so refined by the time I get them, they seem so natural. iPhone OS4 is coming in the next month or so and to the iPad around end of summer. This will introduce multitasking, folders to organize apps, and improved business oriented features as well. They already sold over a million and have a app system in place (even if there are issues with it). I can’t think of a reason anyone designing a real estate app would have any problems being approved in the app store? I have several that work very well.
Courier sounded ok, but an app could be made just as easy for iPad as well that could accomplish the same goals. Microsoft will probably follow suit and go with something more like a tablet I think. The last cool thing I saw from Microsoft was Windows XP! (and don’t say zune, cause their market share is laughable. Hp slate is dead as well now! Probably just a redesign now that they have acquired Palm though. Android may be the biggest threat, but I don’t see them getting ahead anytime soon. I am unimpressed with their phones, probably will be with their tablets? Bottom line is that everyone else is behind on the entire tablet front. And with iPhone now passing up everyone as the smart phone leader in the US, I only expect the iPad to gain ground that much faster.