It’s still there. Click on Windows XP and all the table PC stuff is still there. They just didn’t create new webpages with regard to the tablet and Vista.

Bottom LEft sidebar
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-xp/default.aspx

OOPS, I meant to thank Byron for his comments in addition to thanking Trevor for his.

I don’t see integration of ink into Vista as a failure for the tablet marketspace. I see listing it as a feature as mainstreaming it into the OS which is the first step of mainstreaming it into the marketplace. Human habits change much more slowly than technology gets invented. PCs themselves took essentially a decade to go mainstream. Why should “tablet” functionality be any different?

@Trevor – thank you for your well thought out nicely articulated comment

I would say that the concept of tablet has to do more with hardware functionality. I can enable tablet features by owning a, let’s say, wacom tablet, or the excellent and price accessible HP tx series. But to make it a “special” os would not be functional. The same happens to Media Center. Remember that those became their own “version” of an OS just because it built on XP Pro at the time, both Tablet PC edition and MCE were XP Pro on disk 1 and the feature set on Disk 2.
I don’t think that MS has dropped the Tablet PC, they have included the features with the OS “version” that makes the most sense to have with Ink features. I do believe as I stated before that HP, Lenovo and now Dell have continued to “cash-in” on the digitizer/touch features. While others have slowly dropped the ball, like Motion and Toshiba.
I see the growth behind OneNote in regular business class workers as proof that Ink did make a mark.

I disagree strongly with Trevor.
I work for HP. Our “tx” series convertible tablet, is more affordable than any slate has ever been.

The economy of scale reduces price. People don’t buy slates in quantities that will make them affordable.

Convertibles are the form that keeps the platform alive.

The convertable form allows people to “test the water” before committing to a method of computing that they fear might not work for them. They still have a fully functional notebook if the don’t take to pen computing.

Most people simply don’t have 2 grand to throw at a device as an experiment.

The major computer companies aren’t in the business of being staunch “true believers” in a certain platform and making products for an enthusiastic minority until everybody else catches on.

People grumble about the lack of Tablet centric apps. The cost of tablets. The move to convertibles.

These things are market driven.

Remember, Keyboard Computing is mature technology. Pen Computing is still young. Pen computing simply will not provide a full solution for most people.

Convertibles provide a bridge to the world of Pen computing.
The strategy of integrating “TabletPC” into “Vista” as a feature of the OS makes sense in the same way.

You dont commit to a new “Tablet PC” OS. Rather a feature of Windows Vista is that it enables handwriting.

Similarly HP now calls all of its Tablets, Convertible “Notebook” PCs.

I work in HP Presales.
I frequently recommend Tablets to students who are looking for a regular notebook.

I used to ask “have you considered a tablet PC” and usually get a negative response.
It is better for me to say “did you know we have fully functional convertible notebook PCs that you can use to take both handwritten and typed notes?”

People see a Tablet PC, especially a slate as a more expensive less capable device that forces you to make compromises.

A convertable notebook is a capable notebook with the “added” feature of Pen computing support.

If the price premium for pen support is modest,why not get it? It becomes a no brainer decision.

Our tx2000 series has been our most popular tablet ever, using that strategy.

I would bet that the single tx2500 series sold far more units than the entire combined companies of slate centric Motion and Sahara, did this summer.

Similarly with MS. Make tablet computing a feature of Windows, rather than a separate entity.

As the masses buy these “notebooks” the demand for pen support in apps will skyrocket. This will make slates more practical for the masses.

Everybody, even slate purists win.

BTW I own, and wrote this on my Fujitsu slate tablet PC. Used to own a tc1000.
I have never owned a tablet that was not a slate.

I just recognize that my preference is not what most people want.

Personally I blame the convertable format. this has contributed in two ways

1)making tablets more expensive as you have to add a tablet sensor rather than remove the keyboard et al.

2)Everyone seems to get a tablet and then says I’ll learn to use the tablet stuff when I have time! they will never find the time so they’ll play ink ball a few times and give it up!

Tablet was the first new computer type since the 70’s and only a few of us get it. And the really annoying thing is they all give it up because the hand writing recognition is bad! They don’t get that you mostly don’t need to recognise you leave it as handwriting.

once I got a tablet I stopped using a keyboard altogether, it did wonders for reducing the RSI pain through 20 years of keyboard use and preserved an old skill. With a bit of luck touch will keep the platform alive until neural interfaces…

Very sad. It’s such a great platform, and as I’ve always said when griping about Apple– I’m all about having options, especially when it comes to interacting with my computers. I like touch. I like keyboards, and I even like mice, but the pen/stylus just makes things easier.

I found passing mentions of Tablet PC functionality at the dead bottom of the Vista Business and Vista Premium descriptions, and one decent mention with a graphic in the Ultimate description, but not in the Vista comparison chart. Only worthwhile description is in the big list of Vista features. Yep, just a feature now.

I think it has more to do with the cost of tablets vs. regular notebooks, than Ink.

Ink never caught on!