Free (or not) Tablet PC's?

Everybody is talking about tablet PC's. Dell is supposedly doing a big deal with Intel, there are rumors that Apple will be coming out with a "jumbo iPod'.

The idea is hardly new. We've had tablet PC's before, and they've gone nowhere - the computer marketplace generally gave them a big yawn. In 2003, I said

Microsoft is still pushing the tablet PC. Being out of touch with reality is nothing new for them: they ignored the Internet until it was about to eat them alive. Tablet PC's just are not selling, representing just a few thousand units per quarter worldwide. Bill and the boys thought this was going to be hot stuff, but it isn't, and I doubt it ever will be. It's a niche market.

Well, things have changed. Technology improved and Apple led the way with their iPhone and iPod Touch, once again showing the clueless folks at Microsoft how to create useful interfaces. Tablet PC's are poised for another run at the market, and it could work this time. Consider this from Why 2010 Will Be the Year of the Tablet at Gadget Lab:

The tablet will be free for consumers who opt into a contract subscribing to one or more digital media subscriptions, according to our source. That's similar to how telecom companies currently subsidize cellphones when customers agree to two-year contracts.

Oooh, free? Well, no, because we'll probably be looking at at least $60 a month in subscription fees and maybe even more, but "free enough". And maybe even a bargain if it's designed well and has the right capabilities.

Make it a Kindle/iPod with a browser, add RDP and ssh, a USB jack for external storage/backup and a bluetooth microphone/headset and even I might bite. Make it light enough and I might even ditch my cell phone - thereby offsetting the expense considerably. I'm not saying I'd jump, but I'd certainly be thinking about it.

There are no rumors of "free" on the Apple side. For me, a $700.00 Apple is a better buy than a free piece of Microsoft junk, but where's Linux in all this? There's support for these things, but the "free" ones will get their monthly fee anyway, so that could be a waste of money.

And then there's the Google card. If Google can convince someone not too afraid of Microsoft to use their Linux based OS, things could change radically.

But Google is only marginally smarter than Microsoft when it comes to the user interface, so I think I'd still happily pay the "Apple tax".