Tablet PC: The future’s bright . . a three year old’s immediate understanding and fascination can’t be wrong
If you have doubts about the long term viability of the Tablet PC operating system (and the interface generally), I suggest you do the following: give one to a 3 year old with minimal instruction. Then, stand back and observe.
I think you’ll be amazed at how quickly kids understand the tablet interface.
This is exactly what I did the other night with my son. I fired up my copy of Ink Art (courtesy of the free Experience Pack) and handed the computer and pen to him. At first, he looked at me in disbelief - “I get to play with this?” After I assured him that yes, he can play with dad’s favorite toy, his eyes grew wide and he revealed a giant smile.
And he dove right in.
He grabbed the pen and started inking immediately. He was able to use the pen to change drawing tools and colors, use the file menu (he knows how and when to pick file/new from practice on our desktop system), and navigate a dialog box or two.
Check out his artwork at right.
He does quite well on the desktop system, too, but he occasionally needs help with the mouse (he still doesn’t quite understand that you can pick it up and move it closer when you “run out of room” on the screen). No help needed on the tablet. He immediately understood the interface and needed no additional instruction from me. His amazement with the tablet lasted for over an hour… I finally had to separate him from it for dinner time (thanks Mom!).
He’s also a little uncomfortable with the desktop just because it sits on top of a large desk with the monitor at quite a distance from the chair. He often stretches across the desk while kneeling or standing on the chair. No such issues with the tablet. He can use it comfortably while sitting on the couch.
I think the pen is a natural extension of basic skills he and all three year olds have – drawing. He grabbed the pen like a crayon and never looked back (just look at that concentration!). He absolutely loves the computer and now asks me for it every night. I’ve been demoted to the desktop while at home (arrgh!).
This tells me that the tablet has a very bright future…with younger generations. I just hope we can convince enough adults to adopt the platform so it’s still around when the kids are ready and able to really start putting it to work.
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