HP has concede the tab warfare before it even engaged in battle by give notice the HP Slate labor . Since Steve Ballmer unveil the HP Slate prototype at CES — an attempt to slip the thunder from the impending announcement of the Apple iPad — the Slate has been the poster child and champion for everything the iPad is n’t .
HP of late engaged in a shammer merchandising campaign for the Slate — plunge videosdisplaying its apparently formidable potentiality . A leaked HP document discover a line - by - line comparison of the specification andfeatures of the Slate vs. the iPad . On paper , it appeared to amaze a reasonable challenge — especially for user who want or involve more utter PC execution .
In retrospect , though , the compare was not importantly unlike than what you might expect comparing the iPad against any Windows - base netbook — or at least touchscreen - enabled netbook . The primary deviation is that the Slate is a lozenge … sort of .
An early revue of an HP Slate prototyperevealed what many already suspected — the Slate is more like a slow , handicapped personal computer draw into a 2-dimensional - panel form element than a tablet twist . fundamentally , it is in fact a touchscreen netbook without a keyboard .
There is n’t necessarily anything wrong with that . Windows XP , and now Windows 7 - based netbooks seem to do admirably enough in most cases . They sure provide a more like experience to full - sizing desktop or notebook computer PC ’s , including USB port wine , Adobe Flash compatibility , and the power to instal and use the Brobdingnagian program library of computer software you are already intimate with and bank on every twenty-four hours .
Perhaps , though , that is ultimately why HP has terminated the Slate . possibly HP clear what the HP - faithful and Windows loyalists still abnegate — the iPad be a fundamental shimmy in peregrine computing thatdefies point equivalence with PC’sor virtually any other platform for that matter .
The iPad tab is a Modern class of gadget ; a gadget built on a mobile OS foundation and designate for a different audience than a Windows - base netbook .
To be clear — I love Windows 7 . I have used Windows 7 since before the genus Beta was even available to the general public and I make my living on a Windows 7 - based notebook . I ca n’t say enough good thing about Windows 7 , and I do n’t be after on founder up Windows 7 any time soon .
That said , I also love my iPad , and I have made the conversion to bank primarily on the iPad as my mobile computing gadget when I am out and about . It is smaller , thinner , lighter , often faster , and can still do about 90 percent of the same labor as my Windows 7 notebook , and 99 percentage of what I need while I am away from my desk .
The timing of the dying of the Slate seems serendipitous . HP invests $ 1.2 billion to buy Palm — Creator of the powerful and capable , yet only marginally successful , WebOS peregrine operating system , then decides to hold development of the Slate .
HP seems to be fork over a understood admission that the Windows 7 - based tablet is not a compelling gadget , and moving toward developing a more comparable “ iPad Orcinus orca ” base on the WebOS platform . That is consummate speculation at this spot , but its speculation I am unforced to put out there because it just makes sense .
Whether compete tablet gadget are built on WebOS , or Android , or perhaps even the upcoming Windows Phone 7 OS , it is tablet devices built on mobile atomic number 76 platforms and that embrace the tablet construct rather than trying to be a computing gadget shoved into a tablet that will ultimately vie with the iPad .
Of course , you could build a tablet based on a mobile O and still cater a photographic camera , or threefold cameras , and Adobe Flash reinforcement , and perhaps even a USB porthole or Coyote State computer storage batting order capableness . There is certainly still room for HP and others to admit lineament that can set their tablet devices apart from the iPad .
With the death of the HP Slate , and the harbinger termination of the hoped-for double - screen Courier tablet from Microsoft , though , we are leave with avoid in the “ iPad killer ” arena , and Apple faces small contention for the foreseeable future tense .
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