Hi Walter, thanks for the nice things you said. I just posted a link to your cheap cases for the Sony U:

http://jkontherun.blogs.com/jkontherun/2004/12/cheap_sony_u_ca.html

First, thanks for a great site. I’ve learned so much here. As for this news item, clearly the Tablet platform is wonderful. So the lack of adoption seems driven not by rejection but rather by ignorance. Yes, more marketing push is needed b/c your average consumer 1) dosen’t know anybody w/ a Tablet 2) can’t feel assured looking at one for the first time that he/she could use it as easily as a clamshell laptop 3) can’t fall in love w/o an extended demo which they don’t get at Best Buy et al b/c there’s maybe 1 TPC on display locked down under some anti-theft bar that renders it inoperable, with the stylus missing anyway and w/ a know-little teenager there mainly to push service plans. Who’s going to pay a premium for an uncertainty when a cheaper sure-thing (conventional laptop) beckons? (A: only us tech aficionados, at least until they “get it” about the benefits.) I hope the breakthrough comes soon.

Wish it were so. The Best Buys in my neck of the woods sat on their Toshibas for months and flat out won’t carry them anymore. What’s more, they had to hide the pens because people stole them. The staff knew what they were doing with them (despite that their underpaid child labor is badly managed, they are enthusiastic here and inform themselves and actually give informed information), and did a good job talking them up. Then people bought Sonys and Compaqs. Disappointing.

I am sure because the Mini-Tablet I defined should be much lower priced than its big brothers. I would imagine it could retail for less than $1500 retail.

> I guarantee you if you stock them they will fly off the shelf. Honest.

You sure? I got an excellent deal on my tablet pc because it had been sitting in the store for a year (on demonstration, so people could play with it) and they couldn’t get rid of it. http://iboone.net/tablet.jpg I walked away with it for less than $1400 *after* taxes!

So true. I’ve been saying this since the beginning. Tablet PC fanatics get so excited about the mere mention of a Tablet PC be it on TV or by Google or some no-name blogger (I’m not referring to you, nor am I referring to anyone in particular) but they fail to see that it’s all about numbers and Tablet PC’s have yet to make a dent in notebook sales.

I am hopping mad about that too!