Moribund PC market hails Tablet's entry

It looks and acts like a cross between a clipboard and a computer and comes loaded with expectations of single-handedly sparking some life into the slumping PC market.

Microsoft's Tablet PC will be available on November 7, but the hype is already under way in preparation for the launch. Yesterday, the software firm and several of its hardware partners showcased their version of the new portable computers, with Microsoft officials predicting that within five years the majority of laptops in use would be Tablet PCs.

'The Tablet PC is the evolution of the laptop. It's the next big thing in laptop computers. After November 7, if someone asks you if you have the best laptop available you will only say 'yes' if you have a Tablet PC,' said Alexandra Loeb, Microsoft vice-president responsible for the ultra-portable computers.

Tablet PCs are generally smaller and lighter than a conventional laptop, and use handwriting recognition and a stylus that writes directly on the screen. Despite the size and weight, they have the same features as most other high-end portables.

Microsoft provides the operating system and other software. At least 10 hardware makers are expected to launch a version of the Tablet PC in the coming months.

Last week, Stan Shih, Acer's chairman, said the product would help fuel a rebound in his company's sales during the last part of the year.

Acer senior director Campbell Kan said the company expected Tablet PCs to be the standard laptop within a few years. The company projects that up to 20 per cent of its laptops will feature the new design next year.

'In three to four years it will be up to 80 per cent,' Mr Kan said.

But not everyone is as bullish on how quickly the devices will catch on.

Even some of Microsoft's partners remain cautious.

Fujitsu spokeswoman June Chin said the Japanese computer maker did not envision Tablet PCs as a laptop replacement, but rather as an addition to its ultra-portable product line.

Legend spokesman Yang Xia likened the hype to the introduction of the first laptops and PDAs - both were launched with an expectation of killing off the desktop, but the predictions did not come true.

'The Tablet PC will just be another choice for the user,' he said.

Legend is expected to be the first mainland computer maker to commercially produce a tablet PC, which will offer traditional and simplified Chinese character recognition.

IDC research director Kitty Fok said Tablet PCs would initially find a small niche among corporate users.

'The introduction of Tablet PCs will result in a minor push in demand, but it will not be significant,' she said.

'It will replace some of the ultra-portable computers but I don't see them replacing hand-held devices.'

Ms Fok said pricing would hamper consumer sales, as the devices were expected to cost several hundred US dollars more than comparable laptops.

Some of the caution over Tablet PCs may come from over-hyped and under-performing devices of the past.

Handwriting recognition software has been around for decades, but the technology never caught hold with the average consumer, in part because it did not work very well.

Ms Loeb said a big part of the marketing effort would be directed towards winning back consumers who had had bad experiences in the past.

'It will be a hurdle. There is scepticism but we have learned from the bad experiences people had,' she said.