Jul

HP Slate out Soon..But only for Enterprise Customers

Well here it is, some bitter news with the usual sugar coating on it. Coming to the sugary part of the news first, the Slate from Hewlett Packard that we have been awaiting for so long is finally coming. But before you start jumping for joy, we’re going to have to break the bad news –it won’t be for mainstream consumption but instead exclusively for enterprise. Yes, that’s true. And it sure will break a million hearts, just as it had happened in the case of the Courier device which Microsoft had so cruelly declared abandoned with nary a thought for all those who have been so anxiously awaiting its release. Now it’s HP’s turn to play spoilsport.

The news should also come as a complete surprise. It was just yesterday that we reported the existence of the Slate running the Windows 7 OS that has earned quite a bit of notoriety for being too heavy on the processor and the battery. Nevertheless, there still were many who were eager to see the Slate rip through the fortunes of the iPad. But not anymore.

The ominous piece of news was revealed by the Personal Systems Group Vice President of HP, Todd Bradley who while interacting with his colleagues at Fortune Brainstorm let it out that the Slate will be built entirely with the enterprise market in mind.

And as for its availability, its going to be around fall this year which is before the holiday shopping season. So its a clear picture that’s emerging, Windows 7 will be for the enterprise edition while its the WebOS that’s perhaps meant for the mass consumer segment. It will be interesting to note that the Android has already been ruled out and an Android powered tablet is not likely to materialize before the Gingerbread version is ready.

So let’s keep our finger crossed for the WebOS powered tablet from HP. And who knows, it might well turn out to be the real winner in the tablet PC wars.

Sovan Mandal (1917 Posts)

Sovan Mandal is the senior tablet and tech corespondent for goodereader.com. He brings a international approach to news that is not just applicable to the North American market, but also Asia, India, Europe and others. Sovy brings his own writing flavor to the website and is interested in Science Fiction, Technology and Writing. Any questions, send an email