Computers

They’re very smartly thinking that touch screens are the wave of the future so all OS from now on until the next major shift, will be touch screen oriented. This is coming out in 2012. The Windows Phone which is already starting to appear is using this interface. Most the reviews so far I’ve seen have been pretty positive.

I do think Windows 7 was the first OS they did that was mostly right. And I’ve enjoyed it. So hopefully this new OS will be even better.

Apple created a software called Siri. Here’s the demo. This is a crude version of what computers will be like in a few, maybe ten years, when you have an AI running them that you can have conversations with beyond what you see here. They will be your personal assistant and more. This is a great start though.

I have to give Apple credit for continuing to stay ahead of the pack. Their iPad is cheaper and better than any competitor so far. The new changes make it much more attractive to me as a consumer. Especially with the cover providing a stand. I’ve been looking at iPad cases people have been making. Some are really sweet. This simple cover, is an excellent addition. (It does cost $39 for the polyurethane version and $69 for the leather one. I think I’ll just get one of the cases I’ve been eyeing if I buy an iPad.)

Face it, the tablet computer is already becoming the next wave of computing. And about a year out Google Android based tablets are making the scene. It’s only a matter of time before they overtake Apple, as they are opensource.

I like this better than the iPad. Looks more manageable and it has the open source Android platform. It’s going to retail for $600 which is competitive with the iPad.

I love how a terrabyte will only cost you $100 now. Amazing!

Steve Jobs is predicting the tablets will replace the desktop PC. I have been saying this or years. Apple has sold 2 million iPads already.

“The transformation of the PC to new form factors like the tablet is going to make some people uneasy because the PC has taken us a long ways,” he said.

He revealed that he had started working on a tablet long before the iPhone – launched in 2007 – but switched to making a phone when he saw the possibilities of the touchscreen. Handsets are a much bigger market than personal computers. Apple has now sold more than 50 million iPhones worldwide in three years.

Worries that tablet computers were not suitable for word processing and other complex types of content creation such as photo-editing would be solved in time, Mr Jobs said, standing by his description of the iPad as a “magical” device. Tablets provided a more direct and intimate computing experience, he said.

I do think, however, it will only replace them for most people. Those who mainly use a computer to browse the web and email and such. There are companies readying tablets as low cost as $100. When good tablets cost that much, the PC will be on its way to obsolescence, except for people who do heavier kind of work on their machines, like graphic artists, programmers, etc.

The thing is, the appeal of something as portable as a tablet and so easy to use, will win over most people. Also, as a reading device, it will rule eventually. I do think it will be a great boon to comics. Though that won’t be immediate.

Times are changing in lots of ways.

UPDATE: This $199 tablet from Asus is a good example of what I mean. They will keep coming from competitors and the price range will make them very popular with people in this economy.

iPad + Velcro from Jesse Rosten on Vimeo.

Here’s an article on 5 potential “iPad killers”. One of them is the Microsoft Courier which I’ve added a video for below.

I don’t know if I like the dual screen thing or not, but it’s more like a book and can be folded. Here’s the concept video for the Google Tablet.

The Archos is more expensive but has more features and is also coming with a TV tuner, so it can be used as a TV as well. Plus it has a back stand.

UPDATE: HP’s Slate

When the iPad was coming out I said it was only a matter of time before open source versions by competitors came out running Google’s Android. And here it is, only a month after the iPad launch. The “WePad” has a bigger screen and usb ports, which makes it much more appealing to me.

All you techies, drool. I sure want one. I am sure a lot of future tech will be along these lines. Even smaller ones.

When I said last week that Google will soon have their own tablet computers (or manufacturers like Sony will make them and they will run Google’s OS), I wasn’t kidding. Here is a proof of concept video from Google showing how their system would work. And look! It has multi-tasking.

How soon can we expect this to come about? No idea, but I would say either this year or next would not surprise me. There’s a lot more on this subject at Tech Crunch.

UPDATE: I had this same idea, but I didn’t mention it in my ipad article. Oh well. I remember the flat tablet TV from 2001 when I was a kid. I have waited that long (since 1969) to see it become a reality).;