Windows 8 In Depth

Windows 8 on Tablets and Mobile Devices

Apple’s iPad was not the first tablet-format computer. Between the tablet’s debut on TV in Star Trek in 1966 and the release of the iPad in 2010, there were many attempts to produce a usable computer in the tablet format, with the power of a PC in a digital version of the venerable yellow steno pad.

There were small versions, notably the pioneering Apple Newton and the incredibly successful Palm Pilot, followed by a host of similar devices called Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs). This name captured the essence of these devices: they were personal, they were digital, and they did assist you. But they weren’t close in power to a personal computer. They never really grew up.

There were also many attempts ...