Image courtesy of Memory Alpha

TechRadar on an unusual “prior art” claim made by Samsung in their tablet legal tussle with Apple. However, even Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey” may need to take a back seat in fictional prior art.

Samsung: Kubrick invented tablets, not Apple

Kubrick’s movie debuted in 1968. Star Trek fans will probably remember the tablet form factor PADD (Personal Access Display Device) used in the 1980s Star Trek The Next Generation. But, there were also tablet type computers seen in the original series (TOS) too. You can see one in the photo segment here. And, I would be surprised if we couldn’t find tablet-like computers described in old Science Fiction or comicbook stories.

Memory Alpha PADD (section)

Image courtesy of Wikipedia.

And, while it was never built, Alan Kay’s Dynabook which is clearly an inspiration for today’s mobile computers. It is said to have been conceived around 1968.