Tablet computers-machines that mimic the traditional uses of pen and paper, letting you input data by touching a stylus to a screen-have been around for decades, but they've never really caught on with the public at large. The first tablet, introduced by RAND Corp. in 1964 and later marketed by Data Equipment Co. as the Grafacon, was manufactured at a cost of $18,000 and could be used only in tandem with large mainframe systems.

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