VisiCalc's Dan Bricklin On the Tablet Revolution

snydeq writes "Dan Bricklin, the co-creator of the PC revolution's killer app, weighs in on the opportunities and oversights of the tablet revolution. 'In some sense, for tablets the browser is a killer app. Maps is a killer app to some extent. Being able to share the screen with other people — that it's a social device — also might fit the bill. I think that for tablets, there isn't and won't be one killer app for everyone. It's more that there are apps that are killers for individual people. It's the sum of all those that is the killer app. This has been true since the original Palm Pilot.'"

Backup material from Dan

[Anonymous Coward]

Just FYI: My comments about "social device" in the InfoWorld interview relate to the fact that a 10" tablet is easily usable by one person while a few other people watch. It isn't "between" you and them the way an open laptop is or a phone held in front of your face. The actions you are doing (tapping, dragging, pinching) are easily followed by the other person unlike a keyboard and mouse where what you are doing isn't as obvious or direct. I first mentioned this in http://danbricklin.com/ipad1.htm .

The "lots of apps is a killer app" comment (and the reference to the Palm Pilot which was based on an interview I did with Palm's head) comes from the essay I wrote in 2006, "When the Long Tail Wags the Dog" (http://danbricklin.com/tailwagsdog.htm). It explains why "There's an app for that" was such an important selling point for Apple.

Finally, more recently (a little over a year ago) I wrote "Is the Apple iPad really "magical"?" (http://danbricklin.com/magical.htm)

-Dan Bricklin

Re:No, its still an expensive toy.

[arth1]

Eventually the processor, the display, and everything else will be "good enough" for anything anybody wants to use a tablet for.

Some of the things I use computers the most for are writing books, software development and darkroom work.

I like to do these things when travelling too, but I can't see how a tablet would be well suited for either. Even with an external keyboard and mouse (and then, why not use a laptop?), the screen is just too small, if it's still going to be usable as a tablet.

Add that touch screens are not well suited to any kind of prolonged activity, no matter what it is. Remember the gorilla arm syndrome, and why tablet PCs failed the first two times they were introduced.

Re:No, its still an expensive toy.

[damnbunni]

A tablet is not suited to those things. However, those things are not what the vast majority of people use computers for.

Tablets are just fine for checking your Facebook, watching YouTube and Netflix, sending emails, and playing the sorts of games most people play.

I know a few people who have ditched their home internet and just have an iPad and a 3G wifi hotspot. It's all the computer they need, and it carries easily. Heck, it fits in a good-sized purse.

Re:No, its still an expensive toy.

[MozeeToby]

I still don't understand why no one has done a thin client tablet, with the real horsepower being a server, or even just server software, sitting on your home network somewhere. Most everyone has a desktop or laptop with multiple times more computing power than a tablet. Use wireless N to get the speeds you need for input and display and you could have 10 tablets for $50 each running off a single PC shoved in a closet somewhere. Yeah, no portability, but portability isn't the be all end all for many users.

Size Matters

[na1led]

A Desktop PC is like a big tool box, a laptop is like a tool belt, and a tablet is like a leatherman. What would you rather to carry around all day?

Not any more

[SuperKendall]

They are poor e-readers compared to digital paper systems

That was arguably true before the new iPad.

Now that is no longer true. The iPad is now superior to e-Ink, it has greater resolution, better color and much better touch interaction (which yes is important for the mechanics of reading on a text reader).

Re:No, its still an expensive toy.

[BoberFett]

For mobile computing the form factor just isn't there at a 10" screen. If I'm out and about, I'll be using my phone. The screen is small, but it's portable. If I'm at home want to get something done, I'm going to set my phone on the desk and link it wirelessly to a 24" monitor, keyboard and mouse.

The recent Ubuntu on Android demo is where I see things going. You bring your computer with you everywhere you go and use the touchscreen for convenience or use whatever input and output devices are around when you need more capability and a real OS.

Re:No, its still an expensive toy.

[mhajicek]

Speaking as a professional CNC programmer, I'd say the touch screen interface is lacking for the application. Most CNC programmers I know, myself included, use two of the largest screens they can get their hands on to maximize screen real estate. There's an awful lot of data that you have to get from the computer to your head. We also tend to use Space Pilots and the like for view control, and high end trackballs (or mice for some) for fast but precise selection (no, not that line, I meant this one!) I also prefer to set a bunch of hotkeys and use keyboard access to menu commands because then I can keep my mouse pointer close to the geometry I'm selecting, which makes it much faster. I can then get rid of most of the toolbars and free up more screen area. I think trying to do CAM on a pad would be an exercise in frustration.