tablet computer, computer that is intermediate in size between a laptop computer and a smartphone. Early tablet computers used either a keyboard or a stylus to input information, but these methods were subsequently displaced by touch screens.

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The precursors to the tablet computer were devices such as the Stylator () and the RAND Tablet () that used a stylus for input into a larger computer. In Alan Kay, a graduate student at the University of Utah, promoted his vision of a small, powerful tablet-style computer that he later called the Dynabook; however, Kay never actually built a Dynabook. The first true tablet computers were Cambridge Research&#;s Z88 and Linus Technologies&#; Write-Top, which were introduced in . The Z88 accepted input through a keyboard that was part of the main tablet unit, while the Write-Top accepted input through a stylus. Weighing 0.9 kg (2 pounds), the Z88 was much more portable than the Write-Top, which weighed 4 kg (9 pounds) because it came with an internal floppy disk drive.

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Many other models followed the Z88 and the Write-Top, but tablet computers languished in sales until , when Apple Inc. unveiled the iPad, a touch-screen device with a display that measured 24.6 cm (9.7 inches) diagonally. It was about 1.2 cm (0.5 inch) thick and weighed about 0.7 kg (1.5 pounds). The iPad was operated with the same set of finger gestures that were used on Apple&#;s iPhone. The touch screen was capable of displaying high-definition video. The iPad also had such applications as iTunes built-in and could run all applications that were available for the iPhone. In partnership with several major publishers, Apple developed for the iPad its own e-book application, iBooks, as well as an iBook store accessible through the Internet.

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Other tablet computers such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab, the Motorola Xoom, and the HP TouchPad followed on the heels of the iPad. The tablet computer market exploded from a mere 2 million sold worldwide in to 20 million in . Smaller devices such as the Apple iPad mini and Amazon Kindle Fire also appeared, as well as &#;phablets,&#; devices such as the Samsung Galaxy Note that were midway in size between a small tablet and a smartphone. Sales of tablet computers peaked in with 233 million sold and declined thereafter, the decline being attributed to consumers not replacing tablets as often as smartphones.

Tablet

A tablet, or tablet PC, is a portable computer that uses a touchscreen as its primary input device. Most tablets are about the same size as a small laptop, between 8 and 13 inches (20 to 33 cm) diagonally. Many tablets, like the Apple iPad and Microsoft Surface, can connect to keyboards and use special styluses in addition to the touchscreen input.

Since tablet computers don't use mice and keyboards as their primary input methods, the user interface of a tablet is different than that of a laptop. For example, instead of double-clicking an icon to launch an application or open a file, you can tap its icon once. You can scroll by dragging a page directly instead of using a scroll bar. When you need to enter text, an on-screen keyboard appears for you to type on.

The touchscreens used by tablets support multitouch input, letting you interact with the tablet using gestures designed for multiple fingers &#; for example, zooming in on something by spreading two fingers apart or switching between apps by swiping with multiple fingers. Some tablets also support special styluses (like the Apple Pencil or Microsoft Surface Pen), which connect wirelessly and let you select objects on the screen, write text, and draw in apps. However, if you attach an optional keyboard and touchpad to a tablet, you can use it just like you would a laptop.

Some computers, known as "convertible tablets" or "convertible laptops," combine elements of tablets and laptops into a single device. A convertible laptop includes a built-in keyboard and touchpad like any other laptop but also uses a touchscreen display. It can fold open to function as a laptop, but the keyboard can also fold all the way around to the back of the screen. When fully opened, the keyboard and touchpad are disabled, and the convertible laptop functions instead as a tablet.

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