When the Microsoft Windows® XP for Tablet PC operating system was introduced in November of 2002, there was a lot of buzz about the "new" Tablet PC technology. While the operating system was certainly new, pen-based computing had been around since the early 1990s, and Fujitsu had been a major part of the story from the beginning. Since that time, extraordinary advances have taken place in improving the Tablet PC technology.

The slideshow illustrates the three waves of Fujitsu pen-enabled computers: early handhelds, Windows-based tablet slates, and convertible Tablet PCs. The first section will show how the early handhelds evolved into the Windows slates. The second section will discuss the emergence of the convertible form-factor.

During the first several years of its existence, the pen tablet market was primarily directed towards a "vertical market" (i.e., a market in which the manufacturer sells to industries with application-based needs that would benefit most from the product. In the case of the pen tablet products, Fujitsu primarily marketed to health care, insurance, and sales force companies who required the ability to customize the tablets with their project-based applications. That way, companies could be sure all of their representatives could share common data and interfaces.

When Microsoft developed Microsoft Windows XP for Tablet PC, they did for the mass market user what the various vertical market vendors had been doing for years for their customers. They created a standard platform so all Tablet PC users would have the same expectations, regardless of the hardware manufacturer.

When the Tablet PC was first introduced, it was still in the familiar slate form. Soon, however, it evolved into the popular convertible form-factor, which was discovered to be the ideal platform for the burgeoning education market.

Fujitsu has developed dozens of distinct generations of tablets (most of the early models are pictured above). Along with the model lines, we have released dozens of mid-generation refreshes, by incorporating such advances as wireless communications, optical drives, and web cameras.

Fujitsu has more experience than all the other Tablet PC manufacturers combined. Putting out any new product is largely an exercise in trial and error. Fujitsu conquered that learning curve long ago, and for the past several years has been devoted to incorporating innovations and improvements rather than fixing problems.

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