iPad Bill Gates: iPad Needs a stylus and a keyboard

[kjk]

http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/11/bill-...nd-a-keyboard/

Bill Gates thinks the iPad is OK, but lacking compared to his own vision of tablet computing. Speaking to business blog Bnet he said, "You know, I'm a big believer in touch and digital reading, but I still think that some mixture of voice, the pen, and a real keyboard-in other words a netbook-will be the mainstream on that."

So, those who want a stylus have a pretty big backer

[SCION]

Funny comment posted from the link:

"I wonder if Bill also thinks OS X needs a start button and a bunch of pre installed trial software."

[kjk]

Originally Posted by SCION

Funny comment posted from the link:

"I wonder if Bill also thinks OS X needs a start button and a bunch of pre installed trial software."

[dmaul1114]

Stylus I agree 100% as I've said many times.

Keyboard I don't need or want built in. Do it with a dock like the iPad or allow blue tooth keyboards etc. so the form factor isn't hurt by having a keyboard I'd rarely use.

[scottjl]

if i wanted a keyboard i'd buy a laptop. if i wanted a stylus i'd buy a tablet. simple.

[kc5cychris]

I too like the sylist, and agree I don't need the keboard attached. I was surprised that they did not use an OSx based system so that mac software would run rather than the phone OS. that is what took it off my want list..

[Bremen Cole]

Originally Posted by SCION

Funny comment posted from the link:

"I wonder if Bill also thinks OS X needs a start button and a bunch of pre installed trial software."

I'm not a Mac user.... but that's just funny

[scottjl]

Originally Posted by kc5cychris

I too like the sylist, and agree I don't need the keboard attached. I was surprised that they did not use an OSx based system so that mac software would run rather than the phone OS. that is what took it off my want list..

just fyi, the iphone uses pretty much the same darwin base as macos x.

as for a stylus, you can always use a meat stick.

[dmaul1114]

Originally Posted by scottjl

if i wanted a stylus i'd buy a tablet. simple.

And I will.

As soon as there's a tablet that does what I want with the form factor (size, thinness, weight), battery life and price of the iPad!

[scottjl]

and you can find yourself waiting quite a long time. as with most technology purchases, buy what is available today, or keep waiting for the "next best thing."

[SCION]

Originally Posted by kc5cychris

I too like the sylist, and agree I don't need the keboard attached. I was surprised that they did not use an OSx based system so that mac software would run rather than the phone OS. that is what took it off my want list..

dmaul1114 and I are on the same page when it comes to handwritten annotations as discussed on other threads. I too thought some (lite) version of OS X would be used for more functionality.

scottjl: Even something billing itself as a tablet doesn't come with a stylus. I thought I found the ideal solution for a netbook alternative with the Lenovo S10-3t netbook tablet. Same price as the iPad with touchscreen. Runs Windows 7, thought I could take advantage of using "ink" in Microsoft Office and OneNote...can't do it.

There are many user groups who would like a stylus for creating and interacting with documents in ink as well as for simple note taking in math and science where a keyboard won't do. Why this need is dismissed by many is baffling.

I have a MacBook Pro, I don't want a full blown 12" or 15" Tablet PC at a high price point just to be able to ink up documents or take handwritten notes.

[scottjl]

@scion, there was, it was called the newton, and it was laughed, mocked, and ridiculed out of existence. for the time it was an amazing product. but apple learned their lesson and many others aren't going to repeat the mistakes.

do you realize how few companies really do not innovate new, as in something new and different, technology? apple spends boatloads, microsoft spends quite a bit too, ibm has some amazing research labs (i've seen 'em). but most companies only innovate along existing product lines, developing a new motherboard with fewer chips that will save them some money. windows tablets, available today, are not going to be anyone's new legal pad because the OS support isn't there, even in windows 7. windows 7 is designed for a desktop/laptop/netbook, with a keyboard. any handwriting/drawing recognition layer is going to exist on top and basically try and fake keypresses back into your applications, a kludgy solution at best. a company would need to develop an operating system, from the ground up, that wholly supports handwriting recognition and drawing support, just like the newton had. the only two companies that could do that right now is apple (which still has the newton os in a dusty drawer somewhere) and microsoft (they have enough trouble with new versions of windows, let alone a whole new OS). it simply isn't going to happen.

ps. i had several newtons from the 100 up through a 2100 and they all worked very well for me. i used it for several years in both educational and business environments and it handled notes, drawings, memos, appointments, contacts, etc. just fine for me. sad that it had such a bad rep. every once in a while i dust off my 2100 and it still amazes people with what it can do and they wonder why there isn't anything like it available today.

[SCION]

Originally Posted by scottjl

@scion, there was, it was called the newton, and it was laughed, mocked, and ridiculed out of existence. for the time it was an amazing product. but apple learned their lesson and many others aren't going to repeat the mistakes.

do you realize how many companies really do not innovate new, as in something new and different, technology? apple spends boatloads, microsoft spends quite a bit too, ibm has some amazing research labs (i've seen 'em). but most companies only innovate along existing product lines, developing a new motherboard with fewer chips that will save them some money. windows tablets, available today, are not going to be anyone's new legal pad because the OS support isn't there, even in windows 7. windows 7 is designed for a desktop/laptop/netbook, with a keyboard. any handwriting/drawing recognition layer is going to exist on top and basically try and fake keypresses back into your applications, a kludgy solution at best. a company would need to develop an operating system, from the ground up, that wholly supports handwriting recognition and drawing support, just like the newton had. the only two companies that could do that right now is apple (which still has the newton os in a dusty drawer somewhere) and microsoft (they have enough trouble with new versions of windows, let alone a whole new OS). it simply isn't going to happen.

ps. i had several newtons from the 100 up through a 2100 and they all worked very well for me. i used it for several years in both educational and business environments and it handled notes, drawings, memos, appointments, contacts, etc. just fine for me. sad that it had such a bad rep. every once in a while i dust off my 2100 and it still amazes people with what it can do and they wonder why there isn't anything like it available today.

Thanks for the pat on the head.

[dmaul1114]

Originally Posted by scottjl

and you can find yourself waiting quite a long time. as with most technology purchases, buy what is available today, or keep waiting for the "next best thing."

This isn't a case of waiting for the next best thing.

My ONLY real need for a tablet is to read and mark up academic documents on a device that's light and easy to hold and read, hold with one hand and write with the other, gets reasonable battery life etc. I don't need hand writing recognition as I wouldn't do text entry. Just need the ability to highlight things, jot notes in the margin, take notes in a notepad program etc.

So I currently have NO reasonable options for that, so I have no choice but to wait.

And I'm in no rush. Print outs of PDFs work just fine, just annoying to lug back and forth between home and the office when working on a paper etc.

[Bremen Cole]

Originally Posted by dmaul1114

And I will.

As soon as there's a tablet that does what I want with the form factor (size, thinness, weight), battery life and price of the iPad!

I am starting to get interested in this tablet http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...&sku=T71-10110 and it is even cheaper at Best Buy dot com, but they are out of stock.....