The Tablet Prophecies

This episode of MashUp Radio with Peter Biddle features Steve “Chippy” Paine. Chippy is the well-known owner and editor of Carrypad and UMPCPortal, as well as the podcast MeetMobility.

Over the past year or so, the high stakes of the emerging tablet wars have been difficult to ignore. With more than 10 million iPads sold in 2010, analysts believe the market will only continue to expand, demonstrated by the 100 or so new tablets that were introduced at this year’s CES. Research firm iSuppli has even gone as far to predict that 57 million tablets will be sold in 2011 and 171 million in 2014.

Steve Jobs noted tablets may prove to be a post-PC device. “When we were an agrarian nation, all cars were trucks. But as people moved more towards urban centers, people started to get into cars. I think PCs are going to be like trucks. Less people will need them.” On the other hand, Microsoft chief strategy officer Craig Mundie said at a conference that he had no idea whether tablets would "remain with us or not."

Peter and Steve will discuss topics including:

• Tablet Predictions
• Tablets’ Effect on the Media Landscape
• The Tablet Wars

Steve 'Chippy' Paine has been researching and writing about ultra mobile computing since 'Origami' in 2006 but before that, he had a long history of Internet-related work. He remembers the days before browsers and has a usenet entry on Google Groups dated 1989! That was about the time he ran a full news server over a 9.6kbaud phone line. Yes, Ascii-art and all! He's in search of his 'Carrypad' mobile computing device and until he finds it (it may be some time!) his work can be found at UMPCPortal.com and MIDMoves.com Outside working hours he looks forward to sunny days and a cold KrystalWeizen in the biergartens of his home town, Bonn, Germany.