Probably not a market for us programmer types. But there's a huge segment of the population that just surfs youtube all day long. My dad just likes sitting in front of his computer watching crunchyroll, the only time he uses the keyboard is when he's doing his taxes
A touchscreen PC with no keyboard is extremely limited
I don't know about you, but when I browse the web, I actually don't type that much.
Mike Arrington was specifically referring to the need to browse the web from his couch. In browsing mode, you like to explore and click. Type? Not so much.
And intensive use of my iPhone has shown me that the screen is just a bit too small to seriously browse the web for more than 10 minutes at a time.
So yes, there might be a market there.
Sure, while browsing the web, you explore and click most of the time, but there are plenty of instances when you need to type: a query into google or a url into the address bar, logging in to websites, commenting on a blog post, responding to an email. These things will have people reaching for their laptops in no time. Even if these are specifically for browsing the web from the couch, why not just use a laptop? They even have built in stands (the keyboard) so that your arms don't get tired holding them up.
Also, I'd imagine that typing on a touchscreen tablet PC is considerably more cumbersome than on an iPhone, since you'd only have one hand available.
I can think of only couple niche uses:
- replacing a notebook for people who like to sketch ideas
- replacing a doctor's clipboard
- doubling as a wacom tablet (cintiq) for designers
A touchscreen PC with no keyboard is extremely limited in utility and ergonomically awkward at best. We're already carrying around android/iPhone devices and slim, lightweight laptops--what does a tablet PC add to that mix?
Unless a company completely reinvents the idea of the tablet PC, I think these devices are destined for failure. Maybe Apple has something up their sleeve?