1. Tablet computer history
History
While some may argue that tablet computers have been around as
early as those introduced in the early 2000's, or even with Apple's
own Newton (1987-1998), the idea of a tablet style computer actually
goes all the way back to the 1800's. The first patent for an
electronic tablet used for handwriting was granted in 1888, though it
was an article written by Alan Kay in the early 1970's that best
conceptualized what a tablet computer was to become. The DynaBook
was to be a tablet-style computer aimed at learning and gathering
information. Kay envisioned that DynaBooks could connect wirelessly to
centralised information storages, and could "abstract" information
from those storages. It was about the size of a notepad, with a
hardware keyboard at the bottom, and a screen at the top (using
"liquid crystal", a brand-new technology back then). It could also play
audio files, record voice memos, and much, much more.
So far, it sounds like a tablet, but you are all wondering where the
stylus comes in. Apart from printing the word "stylus" in one the
illustrations, there's no further mention of it in the article. In fact
Kay takes it all a few steps further: he basically describes a
multitouch display. In 1972. That's almost 40 years ago.

3. • The first tablets, as we would recognize them, didn't come about
until the late 1950s and early 1960s. These "tablets" consisted of
a large computer terminal attached to a receiver pad, which
accepted electrical or magnetic input from a stylus. They were
extremely expensive to make and extremely heavy.
Over two centuries ago, Elisha Gray's 1888 "Telautograph" (U.S.
patent No. 386,815), became the forerunner to the modern tablet.
Over the years, as tablets became functionally more complex, they
also became more compact.

5. • RAND Graphicon, 1964
The RAND tablet, also called the Grafacon (for 'Graphic
Converter') was one of the earliest tablet computers and originally
sold for $18,000 in 1964 - The attached stylus sensed electrical
pulses relayed through a fine grid of conductors housed beneath the
drawing surface. source: ComputerHistory.org

7. • Atlas DEC PDP 15, 1972
Introduced in 1972, the tablet officially known as the Atlas DEC
PDP 15 was produced for commercial consumption by schools and
technology labs. It was obsolete by 1973, as new technologies and
platforms became available. The 'typewriter' attached to the
system produced a hard copy of the tasks performed.

9. • Apple Graphics Tablet, 1979
This $650 peripheral launched for the Apple II platform in 1979
which enabled users to draw on the tablet with a wired stylus pen
and transfer those creations over to their computer."

11. • GridPad, 1988
The GridPad was one of the very first portable tablet PCs
(it weighed 5 lbs, a feat for the time). The touchscreen
device was priced at $2,370 and reportedly inspired Jeff
Hawkins to create the Palm Pilot.
AST bought GRiD Systems from Tandy, which had
acquired it in 1988, ran into trouble in the mid 1990s.
When it collapsed, the GRiDPAD disappeared. source:
Technologizer

13. • NCR PenPoint, 1991
An early tablet that ran on the PenPoint operating systems for
tablets and PDAs. It cost a whopping $4,765. In 1991, the New
York Times said of the gadget, "The NCR Corporation has
introduced an intriguing pen-based 'notepad' computer that is truly
ahead of its time."

15. • AT&T EO PC, 1993
The 'PC' stands for 'personal communicator'. This $1,599 portable
tablet, which also ran on the PenPoint OS, came with an integrated
celluar phone, a modem and fax, a hard drive, speakers and a
microphone.
AT&T reportedly burned through $40-$50 million to buy Go, the
company that created the PenPoint pen operating system, and
Eo, its hardware spinoff. After the gadget flopped, Ma Bell
decided to refocus its energies on devices that packed similar
functionality into a more phone-like shape?which was a visionary
move considering that smartphones didn?t exist yet. But months
later, in July of 1994, it just gave up. source: Technologizer

17. • Apple Newton, 1993
In development for nearly 5 years before its release in
1993, Apple, Inc's first tablet, the Newton, was one of the first
PDAs (personal digital assistants) on the market.
Apple marketed the Newton poorly, and sold in low numbers. Later
models were vastly improved, but the Newton never took off." The
Newton line was discontinued by 1998.

19. • Zenith CruisePad, 1995
This super-slim portable tablet cost $1,399 when it was released in
1995. Troubled with financial woes, Zenith sold it's company and
assets to Korean electronics manufacturer, LG just two years
later, with all but the Zenith name scrapped.

21. • Fujitsu Stylistic 2300, 1998
Fujitsu released it's first and only production tablet in 1998, and
was one of the very first to offer a color touchscreen.
Developmental costs priced the tablet out of the hands of most
business consumers, and very few sold and production was halted
shortly after it's release.

23. • Compaq tablet, 2001
Bill Gates himself debuted this Compaq tablet PC at a tech fair in
2001, predicting that tablets would dominate the PC market within
five years. The device helped popularize the term 'tablet PC.'

25. • Microsoft Mira, 2003
The tablet-like Windows Smart Display (aka Mira) was a
touchscreen LCD monitor that connected to a PC via Wi-Fi. It was
released in early 2003 and, without much success penetrating the
market, canceled by the end of the same year.

27. • Microsoft Mira, 2003
The tablet-like Windows Smart Display (aka Mira) was a
touchscreen LCD monitor that connected to a PC via Wi-Fi. It was
released in early 2003 and, without much success penetrating the
market, canceled by the end of the same year.

29. • Axiotron ModBook, 2007
A sort of forerunner to the iPad, this tablet PC ModBook is a
MacBook that's been converted into a tablet PC, but was not
produced by Apple. Axitron charged $800 for the ModBook, but
the customer had to provide his/her own MacBook, bringing the
price closer to $2,000 .