I've been considering writing down my thoughts about these types of devices for some time. I have strong feelings about them, having been involved in creating precursors to most of them, so I wouldn't consider myself un-biased.
Several years ago I was part of the team at Microsoft that launched the first version of Windows CE embedded OS, and the first devices utilizing that software. These devices were called Handheld PCs (or H/PC), were about the size of a box of bank checks (for those who remember what those are), and had small keyboards you could peck at but not touch-type on. These devices were meant to be used as a PDA and allow you to synchronize your calendar, contacts, tasks, and eventually email, with your PC. They weren't initially wireless, although that capability did get added shortly after these products hit the market.
These devices eventually lead to slightly larger devices, similar in size to Netbooks of today, ebook reading devices, and the forerunner of Smartphones. All of these early devices were running a version of Windows CE with applications appropriate to the device. They weren't perfect and they were more expensive than the market wanted so most of them dropped off the radar.
Fast-forward a decade and you have ebook reading devices that last weeks on a battery charge, have hundreds of thousands of ebook titles to choose from, and big players like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and even Apple competing for your dollars. The latest Kindle from Amazon is $139 for a WiFi-only version which just means that you need to find a hot-spot to download content. The only downside with the Kindle, or B&N's Nook, is the ePaper display they use which is only black-and-white, is limited to reading, and is somewhat slow to refresh the page. Compare that with Apple's iPad, which has a full-color display, has thousands of apps (mostly games), but costs as much as $599. Not exactly an "Apples" and Oranges (sorry!) comparison, but they do get compared all the time. Reading devices have come a long way since the pioneers like the Rocketbook, Cybook, or eBookMan. There are actually ~25 companies that offer an ebook reader today so the market is quite healthy but generally only for a few.
Speaking of the iPad, you can't watch anything on television today without catching one of Apple's iPad annoying commercials. It's the same tactic they used for the iPhone and you know how that's turned out. Pad devices have also been around for many years, at least from the 80's. Microsoft made a lot of noise, and spent a lot of money, pushing the Tablet PC but these devices ran full Windows which meant they were typically heavy and expensive. This was a pet project of BillG's so it was sacrilegious not to support it within the company. The problem was that users didn't see the benefit of using a stylus to scribble on this heavy device and more-or-less rejected them. Apple, on the other hand, took a different approach and based the iPad on their successful iPhone software. Microsoft could have done something similar by using their Windows Mobile software or even Windows CE Embedded which they continue to develop. So, despite the work that others did before them, Apple is lauded as the pioneer for introducing another "magical" device.
As for Smartphones, the market today is Apple's iPhone and Android (Google's embedded OS) variants from several vendors. It's interesting to note that Nokia is still the leader in the phone market, but only because they sell millions of feature phones which are less capable than smartphones. Rim's Blackberry is the only smartphone in the top 5 of all phone makers while Apple and any Android vendor is not. Reading the press about the smartphone market though, you would think that Apple invented the category and their only competition were a vendor using Android. Microsoft is bringing out their Windows Phone 7 software with several OEM partners and hopefully they will retain at least some of their share but there are no guarantees. Rim is still alive with Blackberry's and just announced their tablet device this week. Nokia is struggling, if you call being Number 1 struggling, as their Symbian-based (another long story) devices have not made any traction.
So, the market is quite active for these devices but they overlap in many areas. Also, it's unlikely that any user would own all of them unless they're uber-gadget geeks. Remember, most people still have a laptop as well as a smartphone or an ebook reader, or an iPad, so carrying around all of that crap is a pain. Yes, some are trying to use their iPad or smartphone to replace some or all of what they do remotely with their laptop, but the results are mostly negative. Pads and Smartphones aren't designed to replace a laptop so if a user needs to do something only a laptop can do, they still need to carry it. If they just want to read a book, check their email/Facebook page, or play a game, they have several choices to choose from.
Having seen my 2.5 year-old grandson manipulating his dad's iPod Touch device to play games, I wonder what he'll be using when he's 10, 20 or 30 years old. I'm pretty sure it won't look anything like what's available today and that's ok. Technology is supposed to help make us more productive, save us time, and hopefully a little happier so, as long as it's not an "Apple-only World" I'm fine with it. They didn't invent everything, despite what Steve Jobs says.
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