Sony launch large tablet (at large price) as replacement to paper

With everything going digital the need for hard paper copies is on the decline. However, Sony believes that more can be done to cut down paper consumption. In fact, the manufacturer has created a new tablet to replace paper altogether. Billed as an ‘ultra-green’ alternative to paper, Sony’s APT-RP1 is also ultra expensive (for a tablet) at £580. 

With a 13.3-inch display packed with 1650 x 2200 resolution, the DPT-RP1 is the follow-on from Sony’s DPT-S1. With a precision stylus that attaches to both end of the tablet (for lefties), the no-slip surface has been designed to recreate the feeling of writing on paper. In effect, Sony has created a reusable writing pad that eradicates the ecological impact of physical paper.

Run on Sony’s Digital Paper App interface, the DPT-RP1 has already come under fire for only supporting .PDF files. Instead of being a big e-reader, the device instead allows users to access files, makes notes over documents and create notes as they would with a paper notepad.

The DPT-RP1 hits the shelves in Japan first on June 5. It is expected to reach the US and then European markets by the end of the year with prices a potential banana skin for Sony. With Apple releasing a much cheaper (and more functional iPad), Samsung bringing out its latest tablet and Google working to improve the Pixel C, users opting for the Sony’s digital notepad may take some convincing. The larger screen may convince some professionals to buy into Sony’s green ideology but at almost half the price, the new iPad still has a hold on the tablet market (and – don’t tell Sony – can be used instead of a paper notepad as well).