All those lead to tablet PCs unsuccessful debut but starting last year there’s raising interest in bringing back tablets from the dead as hardware evolved, software too and starting prices seem to fall to ‘normal’ values. If you don’t believe in the touchscreen tablet growing trend just take a look at new releases from CES and you’ll see I’m true.

Now everything is OK once problems are solved, right? I believe not as one of the biggest issue, never addressed before is ‘why would I need one and what should I do with it once I get it?’.

That’s the biggest problem touch screen tablets have to solve: getting an answer to this question thus answering consumer’s need for a problem to be solved, if there’s such  a problem to begin with.

A touchscreen tablet

Where are tablets needed?

A good post rising a question wouldn’t be complete without trying to get an answer so I’ll tell you what my solution to the touch tablet/slate dilemma is.

Long gone is the time when computers were not personal as in more than one person used one and user accounts (boundaries) had to be set. When was the last time when you’ve lend your computer/laptop more than a few minutes to a friend? I bet you don’t recall or never did it.

Now back to tablets, they don’t have to be marketed as another personal device as users already have a desktop, laptop, netbook and netbook. Why on Earth would they need another ‘fully functional’ computer (well, not quite ‘full’ as you’ll need a port replicator to have all connections on a touch tablet). Manufacturers should present them as an alternate means to have fun with friends or family by sharing pictures, watch movies together, order stuff online, share an agenda and such. The models with mobile laptop stands included are especially suitable for family use as all you need is to lay it down on the table in the middle of the living room and start the fun.

Television sets were never ‘personal’, nor should touch tablets. They should be something a bunch of people share. What do you think, am I right?

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Modern product launch

Things have changed lately, as companies have started to ‘leak’ Beta versions, to give to users free of charge technological previews and release candidates (Windows 7 is one such example). Stirring a Buzz before the actual/official launch of a products is now an active part of the marketing process.

That’s a good thing because now users are involved from the development stage and companies can adjust/rethink their products before it’s too late for them. Of course, you must be careful to not stir a Buzz and then not be capable of launching the product in time, see Sony Ericsson with Xperia X1, which made everyone droll but it came too late, at about one year after the first presentation, in which time other manufacturers launched better products to market.

This is what I call making good use of the social factor that seems to drive the web right now.

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