Tablet PC

The Tablet PC was the first Windows tablet. Introduced in the early 2000s when Windows XP was the current version, the Tablet PC was designed to function like a portable writing instrument. It included handwriting recognition for converting characters to text as well as the capability of storing handwritten words and annotations as images.

Since the Windows XP tablet was introduced, Windows tablets have come and gone, while iPads and Android tablets eventually prevailed. However, starting with Windows 8 in 2012, solid state Windows tablets finally became mainstream in contrast to their hard drive-based Tablet PC predecessors. See Windows tablet, tablet and Ultra-Mobile PC.

A Decade Before Windows 8

Tablet PCs were designed to emulate a paper tablet. In 2002 with a 20GB hard drive, this Fujitsu ST4000 weighed a little over three pounds. A docking station housed a CD/DVD drive. (Image courtesy of Fujitsu, Ltd.)

Electrovaya's Scribbler

In the mid-2000s, the Scribbler was one of the first Tablet PCs that docked with a keyboard. Containing a heavy-duty Electrovaya battery, the tablet and keyboard weighed four pounds. (Image courtesy of Electrovaya Inc.)