The Unabridged Project

The Unabridged Project is a digital archaeology initiative curated by the Digital Hub at Colorado State University, through the College of Liberal Arts. The project looks to chronicle and archive the evolution of the modern "tablet" "pad" and "e-reader" subcategory of computers. The Digital Hub is interested in the intersection and interplay of technology and the liberal arts in the realm of the digital humanities. Tablets, pads, and e-readers constitute a medium by which these interactions take place.

"Next-generation tablet computers, which have not been considered in previous studies of data collection methods, most closely approach the ease of use and simplicity of paper, while gaining the benefits of computer-based approaches."

Adam Wilcox et. al, Research Data Collection Methods: From Paper to Tablet Computers

Computers of the Future

From Star Trek's PADD terminals to the tablet computers of today.

Learn More

While authors and film makers in the late 20th century were dreaming of far-off, future worlds, one aspect of their visions seemed to remain constant: the technology that their characters utilized in their fantastic adventures. From Clarke to Kubrick to Asimov, Douglas, and Roddenberry, the agreed-upon idea seemed to be that humans would someday use flat, tablet-shaped computing devices to assist them in the functions of everyday life. Below is just a beginning list of more widely-known instances of tablet computers in early science fiction media.

1951: the Calculator Pad, Foundation by Isaac Asimov
1961: the Opton, Return from the Stars by Stanislaw Lem
1966: unnamed tablet computers, Star Trek: The Original Series, Gene Roddenberry
1968: the NewsPad, 2001: A Space Odyssey, by Arthur C. Clarke (and the 2001 film of the same name directed by Stanley Kubrick)
1978: unnamed tablet computers, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
1987: the PADD, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Gene Roddenberry
1999: the Datapad, Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, George Lucas

Palm Inc. Palmpilot

"The first wildly popular handheld computer", released in 1996.

Learn More

Initially, the team that developed the PalmPilot was tasked with creating improved handwriting recognition software for other PDA devices. During the development process, though, the team realized that they could create improved hardware as well, and began the design process for the PalmPilot. Its pocket-handy size made it popular with the general public, and it is considered by many in the industry to be the "first wildly popular handheld computer".

The PalmPilot also featured a stylus to be used with its LCD screen. The bottom third of the screen, called the "graffiti input zone", was where users could write their own notes to be interpreted by the device's handwriting recognition software. Both first-generation PalmPilots (the 1000 and the 5000) were capable of being upgraded to 1 MB of internal RAM memory. After its release, the PalmPilot became a challenger for Apple's monopoly on the medical industry, and eventually replaced the Newton for the favorite PDA of medical professionals.

Amazon Kindle

The first generation Kindle sold out in 5 hours during its debut on 11/19/2007.

Learn More

First released in 2007, the Amazon Kindle became the world's first widely-known line of e-readers. Created specifically for electronic books, the original Kindle could hold up to 200 non-illustrated books and sold out within 5 hours during its initial release. The device did not come back into stock for five months after.

The first generation Kindle also featured a headphone jack to allow users to listen to audio book files. With the release of the Kindle 2, users were given the option to use the device's text-to-speech functionality to listen to books out loud. The third generation of Kindle introduced the device's full keyboard and Wi-Fi capabilities.

In 2011, Amazon introduced the Kindle Fire, which was a step away from the device's strict e-reader roots and towards a more iPad-like tablet computer. While still allowing for digital and audio book downloads, the Kindle Fire features its own app store and internet-browsing capabilities.

Apple iPad

During the first eighty days of sale in 2010, 3 million iPads were sold.

Learn More

Apple's official debut on the tablet market occurred on April 3, 2010 with the release of the first-generation iPad. During the first eighty days of market availability, nearly 3 million iPads were sold.

The original iPad shipped with iOS 3.2, with the mobile operating system having initially been developed for Apple's first iPhone release in 2007. The tablet came pre-loaded with many of the iPad's now-staple applications, including Safari, Mail, Photos, Video, "iPod" (later changed to Music), iTunes, the Appstore, Maps, Notes, Calendar and Contacts.

Since the first generation was discontinued in 2011, there have been 5 new generations of iPads, along with a "mini" model (7.9 inches) and a "pro" model (11 inches). According to some statistics, Apple has sold 360 million iPads since the first generation's debut in 2010.

A really beautifully made appliance on or above par to Apple's iPad in design, apparence and build quality. The touch keyboard is also a very nicely designed piece and snaps on to the Surface RT precisouly and in exact confidence (unlike Apple's iPad covers). The tablet itself is holdable in one hand, like an iPad 2 (whereas iPad Retina is a little heavy).

Microsoft Surface

Microsoft's 2012 Surface introduced the idea of a "hybrid" tablet computer.

Learn More

The Surface was announced on June 18, 2012, by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. This announcement marked the first time that Microsoft would market a PC solely designed and distributed by the company.

The first generation of the Microsoft Surface came packaged with hardware that would become a staple for every further generation of the tablet: an attachable bluetooth keyboard that could be used to transform the tablet into a hybrid-style laptop. While both the iPad and Galaxy Tab supported keyboard functionality, the hardware had to be purchased separately and neither tablet had been designed around use of a Bluetooth keyboard, unlike the Surface.

Reception of the Surface was widely positive, with many reviewers appreciating the product's ability to function well as both a stand-alone tablet and a laptop when the keyboard was attached. Since the Surface's introduction, Microsoft has introduced many different iterations of the tablet into its line, including a Surface Pro (with included stylus pen), a Surface laptop (with touchscreen), and Surface Studio (a desktop with a swivel display and included stylus).

GRiD Systems GRiDPAD

Considered the world's first tablet computer, released in 1989.

Learn More

The GriD Systems GRiDPAD, released in 1989, was considered to be the world's first successful tablet computer.

The GriDPAD weighed 4.5 pounds and featured a stylus that was used to interact with the screen. The tablet was marketed with an emphasis on its bookkeeping capabilities, and the US Army commissioned GRiD Systems to build speciality GRiDPADS made of more durable material for military use.

Many companies would go on to use the GRiDPAD as a touchstone for their own tablet PC projects, including Jeff Hawkins, the founder of Palm Inc. and creator of the Palmpilot.

Mircrosoft PocketPC 2000

Released in 2000, this pocket-sized PC debuted Microsoft's mobile OS.

Learn More

The Microsoft PocketPC 2000 was released on April 19, 2000. The PokcetPC was Microsoft's first foray into the world of PDA devices, and was also responsible for the development of Microsoft's mobile Windows OS.

Unlike its predecessors, the PocketPC incorporated both handwriting recognition software and a QWERY keyboard for ease of text input. The PocketPC 2000 also had the capability for email retrieval and live messaging through Windows Live Messenger.

By the time the PocketPC line was discontinued in 2010 due to the announcement of a Windows smartphone, thousands of downloadable applications were available to be run on PocketPCs.

Android Tablets

Tablets running Android OS dominated markets in the early 2000s.

Learn More

Before the introduction of the iPad, tablets running Android OS were the most widely-used tablet computers of the early 2000s. As an open-source operating system, Android's OS could be customized for use on most existing tablet systems.

One of the first Android-based tablets was the Archos 5, a pocket-sized tablet with a 5-inch screen which hit markets in early 2008. The Archos 5 supported the Adobe Flash Player and had video, photo, audio and internet browsing capabilities, along with download capability for other mobile applications.

Android 1.0, the mobile OS used on tablets such as the 2008 HTC Dream, incorporated a web browser, Android application market, and instant messaging. Additionally, the OS offered compatibility with many Google functionalities, including Google Contacts, Calendar, Maps, Sync, Search, and Talk.

According to IDC, Android tablets held 63% "media tablet" sales in 2013.

Samsung Galaxy Tab

The Galaxy Tab's release in 2010 prompted a lawsuit from Apple.

Learn More

The original Galaxy Tab was released on September 2nd, 2010. It had a 7-inch touchscreen and came equipped with Wi-Fi capability and telephone functionality via earpiece. The tablet ran the Android 2.2 Froyo operating system at the time of its release.

According to Mark Spoonauer, the Editor-in-Chief of the technological review website LAPTOP, the Galaxy Tab was a serious competitor for the iPad at its release.

Early in 2012, Apple filed a U.S. lawsuit against Samsung, claiming that Samsung had violated Apple's copyright holdings on several design patents for the iPad. Apple claimed that the Galaxy Tab's design had infringed upon Apple's patent on "a thin rectangular cuboid with four rounded corners". Apple won the lawsuit on August 24, 2012, and was awarded $1.049 billion in damages.

Samsung Galaxy Fold

Samsung's foldable "phablet" faced a few kinks in its design on launch day.

Learn More

Samsung marketed its 2019 Galaxy Fold as "the foldable phone of the future". The phone contained two displays: a smaller 4.6-inch display that could be used when the phone was folded in two, and a larger 7.3-inch display that could be used when the phone was unfolded. At the phone's release, Samsung claimed that the phone could be folded and unfolded up to 200,000 times without breaking.

Samsung's troubles with the Fold began when they released tester units to a group of experts and online influencers a week before the phone was set to release. Many tester users reported that they were having issues with the 7.3-inch unfordable display, with some users reporting that half of the display had stopped working. After these reports, Samsung released a statement warning consumers not to remove a special protective layer present on top of the 7.3-inch display. Reportedly, many testers had tried to peel off this protective layer, thinking that it was a plastic screen protector present on many new phones straight-out-of-the-packaging. Mistakenly removing this protective layer, Samsung claimed, had damaged many of the test units.

Samsung delayed launch of the phone on April 22. The company has not announced a new launch date for the phone, though they have stated that it would likely be around two weeks after the initial delay.

Apple Newton

The iPad before iPads, released by Apple in 1993.

Learn More

The phrase "personal digital assistant" (PDA) did not exist before the Apple Newton, and was, in fact, coined by Apple CEO John Sculley while the Newton was still in development.

Like the GRiDPAD, the Apple Newton's first generation featured a stylus that was used to interact with the tablet. Apple's breakthrough handwriting recognition software allowed users to write notes on the tablet's screen, and the Newton would transcribe them with a fair amount of accuracy. The Newton also allowed for storage of contacts and featured a calendar app that could keep track of dates such as birthdays or user-inputted events.

The Newton was fairly popular in the medical field and was used to collect and organize patient data.

Modbook Inc. ModBook

A Macbook conversion and the only tablet to run Mac OS, 2007.

Learn More

While the ModBook might look like a present-day iPad, it has one significant difference--the ModBook runs Mac OS, and is the only tablet to do so. It was created in 2007, mere months before Apple would release its official mobile operating system, iOS.

Though it runs Apple's Mac OS, the ModBook was not created by Apple, and, instead, was manufactured by a company that named themselves ModBook Inc. The ModBook was a conversion of a Macbook laptop, using nearly all of the components, including the motherboard, of the original laptop that it was created from.

The ModBook debuted at the 2007 Macworld Conference & Expo as the first pen-enabled Mac tablet PC. It was well-recieved by Apple fans, who had been waiting for a portable Mac OS. The ModBook would continue to be the only available Mac-based tablet until the 2010 release of Apple's iPad.

Barnes & Noble Nook

Barnes & Noble released their competitor to the Kindle in 2009.

Learn More

The Nook was Barnes & Noble's response to Amazon's Kindle e-reader. Based on the Android platform, the original Nook had a six-inch display and a smaller color touch-screen along the bottom of the device that handled user input.

Unlike the Kindle, the Nook offered Wi-Fi and even networked (3G) internet capabilities at the time of the release of its first edition. The Nook could also recognize when it was being used inside a physical Barnes & Noble store, and offered users free book downloads and special content when in those locations. The Nook also provided a proprietary "LendMe" feature, which allowed Nook users to lend certain books to one other user for up to two weeks at a time.

In 2014, Barnes & Noble teamed up with Samsung to release a Galaxy Tab version of the Nook, following in the Kindle Fire's footsteps to release a more tablet computer-like device.

Samsung Galaxy Note

The first widely popular "phablet", released in 2011.

Learn More

The term "phablet", referring to a cellular phone that also functions similarly to a tablet, was coined in 2011 to refer to Samsung's Galaxy Note phone. While the phone retains all of the standard functionalities for a smartphone, its large screen and included stylus were meant to allow crossover between the two types of devices.

At its initial release, consumers and media outlets alike questioned the viability of a smartphone with a 5-inch screen. Their concerns were quickly quelled, though, by positive reviews about the phone's fast processor, convenient stylus, and the perks of having a phone with such a large screen. By August 2012, the phone had sold nearly 10 million units.

Since the original Galaxy Note's introduction, there have been nine more generations of the phone, with the last version of the Galaxy Note being released on June 27, 2018. Samsung's 2019 struggles with its Galaxy Fold series have left some Samsung consumers asking the company to produce a tenth generation of the Note phones.

The Future of the Tablet

Where do tablet computers go from here? What can we expect next?

Learn More

Science-fiction also has an answer for the question of what tablet computers might look like in the future. The Tony Stark of Marvel's Avengers franchise often does his own computing on massive tabletop-sized tablets. Lenovo's Horizon series seeks to emulate this idea, featuring a massive 21.5-inch touchscreen and the capacity to recognize 10 points of touch input so that multiple people can use the tablet at once.

Similarly, as Star Trek has grown and changed into the 21st century, so, too, has the franchise's ideas about what a tablet computer might look like. The series' 2009 reboot shifted the classic Star Trek PADD interface into a hologram-like display, turning air into a touchscreen for the user to interact with. While the development of this technology is still in its infancy in the real world, a team at the University of Tokyo have been working for the past five years in a project called the HaptoMime, which uses mirrors to reflect images into the air that the user can then interact with.

With the announcement and (hopefully) eventual release of the Galaxy Fold, it seems as though consumers may soon see more crossover between the smartphone and tablet markets. Paired with an increase in computing power and bluetooth detachable keyboards, the future of the tablet seems to be trending towards "phablets" and "hybrid" devices.