Everyone is copying Microsoft's Surface | The Verge

Bill Gates always wanted a tablet.

Back in 2001 when the first real tablet PC running Windows emerged, Gates was bullish in an interview with CNN: “Within five years I predict it will be the most popular form of PC sold in America,” he said. Apple’s iPad won the tablet popularity race nearly 10 years later, but it hasn’t become the most popular form of PC yet.



Gates saw the value of a convertible tablet complete with a keyboard and a pen 15 years ago, but it’s not Apple that’s leading the industry forward with the idea of a modern tablet. It’s Microsoft.



We've seen some weird and wonderful two-in-one tablets over the years, thanks largely to Windows 8, but it seems the industry as a whole is settling on a combination of detachable keyboard, tablet, and some type of kickstand or adjustable hinge. Microsoft's Surface Book is a fresh take on the laptop, but Google, Apple, HP, Dell, and others all seem to be taking a lot of inspiration from the Surface Pro 3.



Everyone is copying Microsoft's Surface | The Verge