Wouldn’t it be cool if Tablets were equipped right out of the box with more real Tablet apps like these? Front and center you should see MindManager, TEO, OneNote, and so on.
I talked with an OEM at NECC about the issue of Tablets actually shipping with more real Tablet software, rather than the current set of apps. I mean Microsoft Works may be nice, but it doesn’t support ink and it’s not expandable, so there’s no way you’re going to see an InkGestures for Works or a TEO for an email client on systems loaded with this generic Windows software. Shipping with Microsoft Word makes far more sense on a Tablet because Office already provides ink features and it’s extensible.
I was told that part of the problem is that the software you see on the desktop is actually a profit center for the OEMs. They sell the desktop real-estate. That’s great for sofwtare with broad appeal and lots of marketing dollars. I asked, what about providing a link to a Tablet PC landing page on Windows Marketplace then. He said it came back to dollars.
Too bad.
I also told the OEM rep that many of us spend the first couple hours with our new Tablets pruning out various non-Tablet apps that the systems come prominently loaded with. The rep smiled. He knew what I was talking about.
It’s something that OEMs need to be aware of. The first-impression experience is becoming more and more important. Tablets need to continue to improve in this area–particularly with regards to the bundled apps loaded on the system.