Bill Gates: Microsoft pursuing ‘a lot of’ tablet projects, pen-based input will be ‘mainstream for students’

Few people would’ve taken the news of the Courier’s demise lightly, and while Microsoft sought to comfort us, it’s never quite as reassuring as when you hear it from the progenitor himself:

“Microsoft has a lot of different tablet projects that we’re pursuing. We think that work with the pen that Microsoft pioneered will become a mainstream for students. It can give you a device that you can not only read, but also create documents at the same time.”

So yes, Microsoft ain’t quttin’ on tablets just yet, and don’t you even dare question the utility of the stylus. Bill Gates has been an unashamed promoter of pen-based computing for the longest time, and it’s fun to see that even cold hard facts are insufficient to shake his confidence. Having spoken out against the iPad’s lack of keyboard or pen input back in February, Bill has seen the American market gleefully embrace Apple’s touchscreen device, something he acknowledges by agreeing that “both in general and in the specific, Apple’s done a great job.” But he still expects students to be drawn to pen-friendly mobile devices. Well Bill, give the other Steve a call and get him to bring one out and we shall see, eh?

Bill Gates: Microsoft pursuing ‘a lot of’ tablet projects, pen-based input will be ‘mainstream for students’ originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 May 2010 05:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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