Tablets can be separated into several categories, according to the presence and physical appearance of a keyboard. Slates and Booklets does not have a physical keyboard and a text input typically is performed through the use of a virtual keyboard, projected on a touchscreen-enabled display. Hybrids and Convertibles do have physical keyboards, although the virtual keyboard feature is typically also available with these devices.
Conceptualized in the mid-20th century and prototyped and developed in the last two decades of that century, the devices became popular in 2010.