HP's Slate, iPad knockoff, with Flash (videos)

I think I agree more with Apple's philosphy.

Tablets are better for web access and light document creation. I think the footprint for a tablet device should mirror what Apple has done. I want something that boots up very quickly and is ready to go at a moments notice.

I want to be able to keep my main computer shut down until I need to do some heavy file management or heavy duty computing. I think so many people would be fine with a tablet class computer for day to day computing.

We shall soon see who offers the more attractive tablet-form device. In all likelihood, there is room for both devices at multiple price points.

The HP Slate was revealed before the iPad so not necessarily a knock-off. I have a suspicion about what was happening with their manufacturers though as the designs are very similar.

It seems very like the PC crowd decided to makes sure they knew what Apple was doing after the iphone took them by surprise and to make matters worse reveal that design months before Apple did.

From the two demos, I still prefer HP's implementation. I know that Apple's gestures will be more intuitive and smoother and the iPad will be a very fast phone as opposed to a slow laptop but the Apple demos keep showing the same basic tasks that people don't do anyway.

I don't think anyone will use maps on this, nor do I think people will sync iphoto albums. Calendars are better on your phone as you can have alerts, same with contacts etc and even games. So you basically whittle it down to the internet, ebooks and possibly movies.

That might be enough for some people but for me, I have books on my iphone and prefer movies on a large widescreen. So a $500 browser with no Flash video and requires a separate data contract just doesn't seem that useful.

Where the HP Slate falls down is not having an IPS display. I don't know for certain if it won't but it's not likely. That's the feature I like most about the iPad.

If iTunes is bloated than Flash is the Titanic. The sooner Flash dies the better. It's a buggy, slow, make-your-laptop-go-hot-like-fire technology. Flash is going the way of the dodo, and the sooner it does the better.

Yeah, but the only reason it exists is because Apple were rumored to be working on a tablet. It runs regular windows, which isn't the right choice for a tablet.

They said they could undercut the iPad price. It's not a laptop but a netbook. You can get a netbook for about $300. They can put on a touch screen for under $200 to undercut the base model iPad.

If it's an Ion 2 platform, it will be great for games and hi-res video playback.

The cost that has to be factored in is that the iPad needs you to own another computer. The HP works on its own.

I don't know if they can undercut iPad by much. I usually see the tablet / convertible tablet machines selling for at least $200 more than the same model minus the tablet input.

I think it would be a major mistake just to try competing first on price, for one, it can reduce the perceived value of the product.

HP will have tough time undercutting Apple prices without too many compromises on speed, screen quality, batery life etc. To match the iPad speed alone while running Windows 7 they need faster and more expensive processor. Apple can choose every processor they want and make the OS work on it. HP has limited choices, so just searching the web for the fastest/low cost/low power option out there will not work.

The leaked price is supposed to be $550 for what should, in theory, be device capable of things that the iPad isn't. It's supposed to use an Atom processor (which is more than enough to run Windows 7), but at that price I would seriously doubt that they can include an SSD of decent size. However, the possible ability to use a stylus makes it a much more appealing device to me. I love OneNote (there is no real OS X comparison, unfortunately), and being able to use a stylus to take notes is a big enough feature to sell me. With all that running, it won't hold a candle to the iPad's battery life, but I don't think it has to.

HP will certainly sell some units, but Apple's approach to build a consumption-oriented device with an advanced, purpose-built touch interface OS with (we hope) great battery life is probably one that will bring it tremendous success.

The iPad leverages/improves upon the great experience most have had with their iPhone/Touch (which in many ways were also a "test" for Apple to see how much people would embrace their concept of touch computing). With great desktop OS app synchronization, .Mac for cloud synchronization, Apple, as usual, has built a compelling set of overlapping products/technologies that combined make it difficult for competitors to match, because they invariably can focus on one or a few elements (ie, HP can do their best to build a great tablet, but they are stuck using someone's else's software, limited by not being able to control or optimize core functionality or capability. and left to the whims of Microsoft to fix bus, inadvertently introduce new ones, or change methodologies which might reduce stability, performance, or positive user experiences.

The build-out of Apple Stores also was incredibly important, not just to showcase and sell product, but to provide a strong, easily accessible support infrastructure for their growing line of consumer products - again, this is unmatched in the industry.

Google and Microsoft are be the long term competitors, since they are "strong" on the software side (jokes/realities aside), but they have the disadvantage of not having decades of experience designing and building HW systems (often with custom chips to optimize performance). But if they choose to invest heavily, they have the best chance of putting heat on Apple. Then again, Apple will have some long lead times

Apple's long term, product planning, and market stratgies should be a model for other companies. Even releasing the iPad one day before Easter, where invariably one excited iPad owner will bring the device to a family gathering to show others, is sublime as it is obvious.

Above it all, though, Kubrick's got one up on Apple - doesn't his tablet look an awful lot like a 16x9 screen?

The iPad will be a niche machine for artsy people!

For those who like to finger paint

(a joke obviously)

I think Schiller said at one point that Apple will and can lower the price to defend the iPad. The experince and how it just works is a huge Apple advantage that can not be copied. Now many people don't like the Apple way, but I think it will win out in the end.

Scripted? The word paranoid comes to mind.

What did I tell you about bringing perspective to these forums!