Another tablet chasing the iPad
Does anyone else see the irony today’s unveiling of a tablet computer by Hewlett-Packard? Yes, this is the company that acquired the Palm computer but dropped the name “Palm” from the hand-held device.
Nice touch. Actually, the first WebOS tablet computer from HP is named the Touch Pad. I'm sure HP’s folks are hoping a lot of people touch this new tablet, which some are saying is the next in line to be an "iPad killer." (The line’s getting pretty long, seemingly almost as long as the line for Verizon iPhone buyers.)
The TouchPad is similar in size to an iPad. It has a 9.7 inch display, weighs 1.5 pounds, is 13.7 millimeters thick and will go on sale this summer. Pricing wasn't announced. Yes, the TouchPad has a front-facing camera. (But information leaking from factories in China have led Apple spies to believe the iPad 2 will also have a front-facing camera.)
I’m sure the HP Touch Pad will be an elegant, high-performing device. It will have other features the current iPad doesn't. For example, it will play Flash video, which is a capability Steve Jobs and Apple don’t plan to add to the iPad.
My crystal ball isn't working, but if the Las Vegas sports books ever start taking bets on which tablet will be the market leader next year at this time, I'd lay my dough on the Apple iPad. I'd go so far as to place a futures bet that the iPad — or future generations of the iPad, will remain atop the tablet computing sales tote board in two years.
Many people give the WebOS, which Palm developed and was the crown jewel in HP’s takeover of the company, high marks. The system's ability to run multiple programs seamlessly is still unmatched by the Apple iOS, Windows Phone 7 or Google Android. But how important is this feature?
Apple has sold more than 80 million iPhones globally in less than four years, and millions more will land in the hands of American Verizon customers in the next few weeks. Forecasts call for the iPad to occupy 85 percent of the tablet business at the end of 2011 and have 75 percent at the end of 2012, even though dozens, if not more than 100, competitors are lining up to compete.
For more on the HP TouchPad, see The Gadget Hound blog on Yahoo:
HP unveils WebOS-based TouchPad, minus “Palm” brand
http://yhoo.it/gIVHuc
Visit the HP website:
http://www.hp.com/#Product
The HP TouchPad
