The inside story of how Microsoft killed its Courier tablet (Part 1)
Typically the form-factor seems to dominate discussions of the Courier, but the really interesting thing is that it was intended to be a content creation device. Contrast that with the iPad which excels at providing consumption.  We could have had two radically different tablet categories, each excellently tailored to one specific intent.  Microsoft really could have had a hand in shaping the landscape where now they're catching up.