Microsoft is pushing it as the next big thing in computing, but some large manufacturers are less excited about the Tablet PC. To be launched jointly this Thursday by Microsoft and development partners Acer, Fujitsu, Hewlett-Packard and Toshiba, Tablet PC purports to usher in a new era in personal computing, mainly by adding pen-based features. But not everyone is convinced. Notable holdouts include Dell, Gateway, NEC and IBM. "We've done some investigation and believe it's a fairly small market," Dell Australia spokesman Rob Small said. "Why would you spend all that money entering a space if you couldn't guarantee a return?"
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