I just got back from the Windows Server 2003/Visual Studio .NET 2003 Launch Event here in Phoenix. The turnout was pretty good. I'm guessing that there were between 1000 and 2000 people. I'm not sure--maybe it was closer to 1000.
The Tablet PC wasn't a focus of the show, but it's interesting to go to an event like this in order to see how mainstream the Tablet PC has become, if it has. Here are some Tablet PC-related observations I jotted down:
1. Where are the Tablet PCs? I took the NEC. But I didn't see any other tablets in the audience or among the Microsoft employees. A few people came over to get a closer look at the LitePad. I got a lot of questions like: Can you develop on the tablet? Is it slow? How long does a battery charge last? People are still learning about Tablet PCs and aren't sure of their value.
2. Where's the WiFi? I saw a few notebooks, Palms, and iPAQs, but no WiFi for the show. I'd like to be able to follow along with the slideshow on my Tablet PC--marking up the slides as we go. There are lots of ways to do this. WiFi would facilitate it. And, of course, we could also answer email throughout the day. :-)
3. What was one of the busiest Pavillion booths? Ikon. No joke. Why? Because they had a couple HP/Compaq TC1000s, of course. The tablets were a hit. Ironically, the booth next to them that was starving for attention was...you guessed it...HP. They were promoting Windows Server 2003.
4. A Tablet PC SDK CD was included in the goodies bag. And a couple of the presentations mentioned the Tablet PC in passing--mainly from a mobility perspective along with Pocket PCs and cell phones. I guess I see the Tablet PC broader than this definition, but maybe this slot is as good as any.
Posted by Loren at May 1, 2003 04:00 PM