Microsoft's tablet PC is built around a simple idea -- let people enter data by writing on the screen instead of pounding a keyboard -- but it's been launched into a market that's seen its share of ...

NEW YORK (AP) -- For decades, the tablet computer was like a mirage in the technology industry: a great idea, seemingly reachable on the horizon, that disappointed as hopeful companies got closer.

Now that Apple has released the market-leading iPad, with a barrage of other tablet computers and dedicated eReaders flooding the market, it’s worthwhile to look back and see where all of this came ...