HP, Apple, ready to go head-to-head as tablets edge toward release
Published March 22, 2010
As Apple's iPad is readied for its first contact with retailers on April 3, competitor Hewlett-Packard is preparing its own tablet PC - known as the Slate - for the competition.
Phil McKinney recently told the San Francisco Chronicle that "the feedback that we got from our customer base is: I want to be able to browse, I want to able to watch movies, I want to be able to listen to my music, I want to read magazines and do books. So the Slate device can give you not only reading capabilities but also give you that rich media."
Much of the integrated marketing for HP's Slate has centered on the device's support for Flash, which is notably lacking in the iPad. The Slate's proponents say that this will be a "game-changing" difference between the two devices.
Tech blog Hot Hardware reports that the Slate will ship by September at the outside, and could possibly hit the marketplace much sooner.
Also waiting in the wings is Microsoft's Courier, which is a booklet-shaped device that features two screens and a pen-type interface.