A tablet is a portable device with a touchscreen, resembling a stone tablet. Variations include booklet and convertible tablets. Most run customized operating systems and have lower specifications than notebooks. The iPad was released in 2010, attracting first-time users but criticized for missing features.
A tablet is a portable device that is usually flat and rectangular, with a touchscreen rather than a separate keyboard. The name comes from the fact that it resembles a stone tablet, such as those used for the Ten Commandments, rather than a tablet in the sense of a pill. The tablet is often referred to as a whiteboard for similar visual reasons.
There are several variations of the basic tablet design. A booklet is a computer that folds like the pages of a book. Usually in this configuration one “page” is used as a display and the other as a touchscreen keyboard. While a booklet format usually makes the computer look thicker, it has the advantage of not exposing the screens when folded, meaning there’s less chance of them getting damaged in transit.
A convertible tablet, or convertible notebook, has a touchscreen that can also be rotated and flipped up, revealing a traditional keyboard. This makes the machine look like a traditional notebook computer. The device can be used as a tablet when space is limited while retaining the benefits of a notebook. The main disadvantage of such devices is that the connection between the screen and the keyboard is more vulnerable to breaking.
Most tablets run a customized version of widely used operating systems. These versions are specifically designed to take full advantage of touchscreens and may include support for input devices such as a stylus or graphics pen. Generally, the computer will have lower specifications than a comparable notebook, so the operating system may be designed to reflect this.
The tablet has become the main target of a scheme dubbed One Laptop Per Child. This was initially aimed at providing low-cost laptops to children in developing countries. Scheme management later decided it made more sense to work on a tablet, as this could be done with no moving parts or access inside the machine, making it safer and more durable for a user base of children.
In 2010, Apple announced it was producing its own tablet, the iPad®. At the time, the release was expected to attract many first-time tablet users and in turn help the whole market grow as people became interested in the device but wanted a cheaper alternative from a rival company. Critics of Apple’s device said it was missing several important features such as the ability to run more than one application at the same time.
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