Why buy a tablet? Is it all hype?

[ipXpert]

I am just as excited about the new tablet as most of you are but after contemplating the return of my new X41 for a new Tablet, I couldn't really come up with a good reason for getting a Tablet.

What exactly are tablets good for? As for myself, I cant really think of an application that I would use writing on the screen for.

Is writing on the screen worth buying a tablet? I can type about 10 times faster than I can print with a pen.

Is the tablet bigger and heavier than the X40/41? The reason I like the X41 is because its like carrying around a nice size magazine. I really don't want anything bigger.

If any of you have some good ideas that would make me consider a tablet, please let me know. *I am a student and a small business owner.

[plucky duck]

I don't take notes or draw so to me it's pretty pointless. I prefer the regular X31/40s myself. I also prefer two hinges to the LCD over one.

[MSR_Steve]

My business partner likes them for the "wow" factor, but that's hardly a real reason to buy one.

[ManUtdFan]

I can imagine one important use for tablets - for example if you need to take notes (and need them to be on a computer), concerning things like math (equations, graphs etc. which are not that easy to do very quickly on the run, a tablet would be a big help since you can just draw what you want, as well as write/type if necessary. Also, people like architects, designers and so forth could make good use of integrated drawing capabilities, although they're probably not on par with a real pen and paper combo.

[emorphien]

If I could get a tablet cheap enough down the road, I might. For taking notes in class, typing is great because I can organize them and read later, but there's no way to draw diagrams or quickly take down equations. Being able to doodle on the screen would completely solve that problem. But since they are still pricy I'll stick to paper.

[DavidNZ]

I teach at a major University in NZ and have yet to see any students in my class with a tablet. (Very few even bring a laptop, come to think of it.)

In fact, walking through our main library, I don't think I've ever seen a student with a tablet. Most have (non-IBM) laptops (they tend to get specials on Toshibas here, it seems), and there are indeed quite a few who own their own laptops.

I, too, type faster than I write. Plus, making the screen touch sensitive means an extra coating, and from the Toshiba examples I've seen it just makes the screen harder to read.

Those interested might want to check out jkontherun.com - he's a blogger who also runs a tablet PC podcase. He's quite into them.

[LordGop]

I almost went with a tablet thinking I would really use its function, but I came to my senses and I now see that I would have never used it for what it was designed for.

[bhtooefr]

I use OneNote a lot on this Dell, and I could see how I could use a tablet - just quickly sketch table lines, sketch a diagram that goes with some text, etc., etc.

However, I could NEVER use a slate. I'm MUCH faster typing than I am writing. The X41T interests me, mainly because it's not just an IBM, but a convertible. Of course, I'm on an X2* budget (that's about the price range the school was looking for...)