Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Computing

After Buying Palm, HP Kills the Slate?

By
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Hot on the heels of Hewlett-Packard announcing a deal to acquire Palm—and even fewer hours after Microsoft admitted its Courier project will never see the light of day—reports have Hewlett-Packard shutting down development of its “Slate,” the Windows 7-based tablet device intended to compete with the likes of the iPad, and which Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer showed off as a central point of his CES keynote back in January. The Head of HP’s Personal Systems Group Todd Bradley pointedly dodged questions about the future of the Slate in a conference call about the acquisition, and a handful of reports from insider HP seem to indicate that the company has stopped development of the Slate in its tracks.

Lately, HP seems to have been focused on creating mocked-up video previews of what the Slate might be like if it ever shipped. In the meantime, industry scuttlebutt has had HP increasingly frustrated with leveraging Windows 7 onto the Atom-powered device, with the task of pushing a touch-oriented UI for all of Windows 7’s complex interface elements (designed for a keyboard and mouse) proving a daunting task. In the meantime, Apple is already a major market presence in the tablet arena with the iPad. HP had planned to being its Slate to market in mid 2010 for about $550, but few were expecting the company to meet that timeframe, putting HP’s “iPad killer” far behind Apple in the marketplace.

Recommended Videos

Other industry rumors have had HP working on Android-based portable tablet devices; however, with the company’s acquisition of Palm heavily based on the intellectual property of Palm’s webOS, many industry insiders are also expecting HP to step away from Android as part of its strategy to “double down” on webOS. That might mean a gaggle of webOS-based tablet devices coming from HP in the future—but not the immediate future.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Geoff Duncan
Geoff Duncan
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…
Do you need antivirus software on an iPad?
Security symbol on an iPad in a stand on a table.

Did you just buy an iPad for yourself or family member? If the plan is to use that iPad for emailing, web browsing, gaming, and similar activities, then you’re wondering if you should install antivirus software like you would on a full-sized computer.

The short answer is no, you don’t need antivirus software on an iPad. But why not?

Read more
iPad Pro M4 vs. MacBook Air M3: a harder choice than ever
iPad Pro with Magic Keyboard.

The line between the iPad Pro and the MacBook Air has always been slim. Despite being very different devices, they're the two 13-inch devices in Apple's lineup -- and with the updated M4 iPad Pro, they are more competitive with each other than ever.

There's a lot we still don't know about the M4 iPad Pro, but here's a preliminary look at how the two devices stack up against each other.
Specs

Read more
The 6 best iPad alternatives in 2024
Green OnePlus Pad Android tablet on top of space gray 11-inch M1 iPad Pro 2021.

When it comes to tablets, few brands are as universally praised as iPad. Apple has done an incredible job with the entire lineup, ensuring there's a high-powered device for every type of activity. However, not everyone has bought into the Apple ecosystem, and if you own a Windows desktop PC or Android smartphone, you may not be interested in adding an iPad to your collection.

Apple certainly dominates the tablet market with iPad, but there are plenty of great iPad alternatives to choose from in 2024. Whether you want something budget-friendly or just as powerful as an iPad Pro, there's bound to be something that catches your eye. Here's a look at the six best iPad alternatives of 2024, including products from Samsung, Microsoft, OnePlus, and more.

Read more