Last year we saw the ill fated HP TouchPad that was quickly discontinued by the company and a fire sale started with remaining units quickly selling out. Now though there is news of a forthcoming HP Slate 8 Windows tablet that will focus on business.
According to an article on Channel Nomics the upcoming device from Hewlett-Packard will be a robust mobile device if the reported design and specifications are anything to go by, and will appeal to business and consumer users alike.
Plans for the HP Slate 8 went viral shortly after being leaked and the device will feature a 10.1-inch screen, which means it will be as big as the iPad. It will also have eight to ten hours of battery life along with touch and digital pen interfaces, and for business users it will include better integration with Windows based applications and networks.
This should make the new device more attractive to business users while be just as useable for consumers, and while there is no official word from HP about the Slate 8 it’s expected to be available during the third quarter in time for the busy holiday shopping season.
So far HP hasn’t said much about its tablet strategy going forward, which could have something to do with the disastrous TouchPad experiment that saw HP hoping that partners would push the WebOS powered device and take market share away from the iPad.
When the Slate 8 is expected to arrive it will go up against a variety of Intel powered Ultrabooks, but the idea has been dismissed by Apple CEO Tim Cook who said that combining a notebook and a tablet would be like “combining a toaster and refrigerator”.
That is not the view of many critics though as the idea behind the Ultrabook provides options that are not currently available in desktops, notebooks or tablets. Intel believes that we will see a big uptake in the adoption of all-in-one PCs with devices that share touchscreen interfaces in a single form factor.
There is a good chance that the HP Slate 8 will meet a market that is ready for its design and functionality, but will also have to take its place alongside a huge variety of other devices that consumers will be using while on the move.