Eric Mack On-Line

Tablet PC vs PowerBook

Wednesday, April 6th, 2005

As my first act of Tablet PC evangelism, I tried to make a convert out of my colleague, Michael Sampson, today. I challenged Michael to cancel his pending order for a new Apple PowerBook and join me over on the "smart side." (And I don't even have a Tablet PC to show him yet! But that's another story.)

Michael's just posted his thoughts on our discussion on Tablet PC vs PowerBook.

Working together, we can help Michael make the right decision, before it's too late. :-)

[I'll try to get my friend Mike Hyatt to join in, too. He's transitioned from PC to Tablet PC to a PowerBook. A PC guy switches to the Tablet PC, then to the Mac. How does it work out? Enquiring minds want to know. At least I do. Last June, Mike told us why he bought a Tablet PC. Then, in February, he took the plunge over to the dark side.]

I know that there are likely to be passionate discussions on both sides. For me, it all boils down to productivity, and I think that Michael makes a good case for ... Or does he?

All kidding aside, I am very interested in the discussion that is sure to follow.

It's not too late to help!

Michael has not yet taken delivery of the new PowerBook, but its arrival is only days away. We must act quickly! Can you provide Michael with compelling new information to help him make the right choice?

Post your comments and links to information.

This should be fun.

Eric

PS In the event that Michael does give in to temptation and accepts delivery of the PowerBook, I'll be sure to blog about it. :-)

Posted at 17:53:23, PST in eProductivity Tablet PC

Discussion/Comments (6):

The Third Option

I think you should both pick up a Helium 2100:

{ Link }

All the cost-effectiveness of Intel with none of the hassles of Windows. Yes, it's Linux.

Posted at 04/06/2005 19:55:45 by Robert

Tablet rules !

I put in a few good words. I am using the M 200 for almost 1,5 years and can say that a tablet beats any laptop as it is a much more versatile device with at least the same performance of a laptop.

@ Robert : I bet Linux is no hassle at all ?

Posted at 04/07/2005 5:28:56 by Peter de Haas

What apps do you find most helpful?

Peter, what apps do you find most helpful on your Tablet? Which ones do you rely on in your work that make it such a powerful platform for you? M.

Posted at 04/07/2005 10:25:48 by Michael Sampson

Tablet PC to Mac

Eric,

I've moved from Linux to Tablet PC to Mac over the past 3 years. By far, the Mac is the most productive and satisfying experience of the three, although Linux is a close second.

Why? I think the primary reason is expectations. I expect a system to have bullet-proof reliability, even as I put it through numerous sleep / wake cycles and network changes throughout the day. I expect applications to NEVER cause underlying problems with the operating systems. I expect a rich command line environment that is remotely accessible when needed. I never owned a Windows system until the Tablet PC and have for years done all my computing on UNIX and UNIX derived systems.

The Tablet PC just didn't meet those expectations for me.

The Mac meets those expectations AND adds all the commonly used MS Office tools. I get a great mix of a computing tool that works as I expect and a tool for dealing with all the Word and PowerPoint out there.

It works for me.

Posted at 04/07/2005 15:46:10 by Dwight McKay

You are mixing two questions

You are confounding two distinctions - the operating system and the form factor. In the same form factor, an increasing number of people are finding Mac OS X to be more productive and stable for their needs. The rest just haven't tried it. If the tablet form factor works better for you than a standard laptop, then you are currently forced to by a Tablet PC.

But that's not a reason to buy a Tablet PC, let alone advocate them. It's a reason to wish that Mac OS X came in a tablet form factor.

Posted at 04/08/2005 5:39:18 by LBE

Tablet PC vs PowerBook

What I'm wondering is why Apple doesn't come out with their own version of the Tablet PC. Having a Tablet is definitely of value if you are sending and receiving faxes that need signatures on them but don't want to try to find a fax machine. That by itself is worth having a tablet.

Glenn

Posted at 05/10/2008 14:21:46 by Glenn

Discussion for this entry is now closed.