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Tablet PCs have been recently been proposed as the big innovation in the PC arena. But the problem - as usual - is going beyond technology and into usability. Will people really accept something that is larger and more expensive than a handheld, smaller than a notebook, with a touchscreen but no keyboard? Will the devices be attractive per se, or will it be necessary to integrate them into a wider ecosystem? Of course, past experience tells us this last question suggests different potential winners (the PC camp in the former case, Apple in the latter).

Windows 7 will enable touch-screen control of PCs, and PC makers are introducing devices with this feature. This is an interesting topic since tablet PCs, precursors to this technology, were mostly a flop a few years ago. What will happen this time? In case acceptance will be higher, will it be because of better performance of hardware and software? Or will it be because consumers are now accustomed to using touch-screens on smartphones?

What is the perfect "personal device"? In the quest for a dominant design, now Motoral is looking for a TV tablet. Will it find acceptance in the market? This is probably a matter of market segmentation: "older" TV addicts having more money to spend will probably find it interesting. But younger people, raised on youtube and facebook might find it useless...

It's likely that some of the words such as "netbook", "smartbook", "tablet", etc. will sound funny and obsolete in the near future. However, it is always like this during paradigm changes. Industry is now trying to understand what comes after the PC, and no product architecture and usage process has yet emerged as dominant.

Another take on e-book readers. We definitely are in the fluid phase of innovation, with a flurry of competing alternatives coming out, sales growing, price slowly decreasing (but still far from the level acceptable for mass diffusion)... but absolutely no agreement on dominant design. Will it be black-and-white, or must we wait for color? Will it be dedicated readers or tablet PCs?

Apple ipad's launch has opened the door to a struggle competing in the market of tablet pc. First reactions seem to come from Samsung and Rim