HP plans to beat Apple iPad price, Microsoft Courier still in works
Apple's iPad announcement has not deterred PC competitors, as HP's forthcoming 3G-enabled "slate PC" will reportedly be competitively priced, and Microsoft is still working on its unannounced Courier dual-screen tablet.
According to The Wall Street Journal, executives from HP intend to "tweak prices and features" soon on its upcoming Slate, which will offer a 3G data connection. The company had already intended to price their hardware below the starting $629 price for the 16GB 3G iPad, sources said.
The report also cited people familiar with Microsoft's dual-screen, touchscreen tablet, dubbed the Courier, in stating that the Redmond, Wash., software giant has a "secretive team" working on the unannounced device. Renders of the Courier leaked last September, showing a device with two color screens that folded together like a book.
"Although early designs leaked onto blogs last year, it's unclear whether the company will introduce the gadget," the report said.
The Journal said other manufacturers -- including Dell, Acer and Sony -- all have their eyes on Apple's impending iPad launch, set for the end of March, to decide how they might respond. The iPad has single handedly brought buzz to the concept of the tablet PC, which has been around for years but failed to generate significant sales for hardware makers.
"PC companies are eager for a piece of any tablet market that emerges," the report said. "With profit margins dwindling due to ongoing price wars, PC makers hope new touch-screen devices will sell for higher prices than mini-computers like netbooks, which have comparable components."
Weeks before the iPad was unveiled, Microsoft and HP partnered to tout the forthcoming HP Slate at the Consumer Electronics Show in early January. The device has a multi-touch screen and has instant-on capabilities. It was demonstrated running Windows 7 and being used for tasks such as reading novels.
According to The Wall Street Journal, executives from HP intend to "tweak prices and features" soon on its upcoming Slate, which will offer a 3G data connection. The company had already intended to price their hardware below the starting $629 price for the 16GB 3G iPad, sources said.
The report also cited people familiar with Microsoft's dual-screen, touchscreen tablet, dubbed the Courier, in stating that the Redmond, Wash., software giant has a "secretive team" working on the unannounced device. Renders of the Courier leaked last September, showing a device with two color screens that folded together like a book.
"Although early designs leaked onto blogs last year, it's unclear whether the company will introduce the gadget," the report said.
The Journal said other manufacturers -- including Dell, Acer and Sony -- all have their eyes on Apple's impending iPad launch, set for the end of March, to decide how they might respond. The iPad has single handedly brought buzz to the concept of the tablet PC, which has been around for years but failed to generate significant sales for hardware makers.
"PC companies are eager for a piece of any tablet market that emerges," the report said. "With profit margins dwindling due to ongoing price wars, PC makers hope new touch-screen devices will sell for higher prices than mini-computers like netbooks, which have comparable components."
Weeks before the iPad was unveiled, Microsoft and HP partnered to tout the forthcoming HP Slate at the Consumer Electronics Show in early January. The device has a multi-touch screen and has instant-on capabilities. It was demonstrated running Windows 7 and being used for tasks such as reading novels.
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Apple's iPad announcement has not deterred PC competitors, as HP's forthcoming 3G-enabled "slate PC" will reportedly be competitively priced, and Microsoft is still working on its unannounced Courier dual-screen tablet.
According to The Wall Street Journal, executives from HP intend to "tweak prices and features" soon on its upcoming Slate, which will offer a 3G data connection. The company had already intended to price their hardware below the starting $629 price for the 16GB 3G iPad, sources said.
The report also cited people familiar with Microsoft's dual-screen, touchscreen tablet, dubbed the Courier, in stating that the Redmond, Wash., software giant has a "secretive team" working on the unannounced device. Renders of the Courier leaked last September, showing a device with two color screens that folded together like a book.
"Although early designs leaked onto blogs last year, it's unclear whether the company will introduce the gadget," the report said.
The Journal said other manufacturers -- including Dell, Acer and Sony -- all have their eyes on Apple's impending iPad launch, set for the end of March, to decide how they might respond. The iPad has single handedly brought buzz to the concept of the tablet PC, which has been around for years but failed to generate significant sales for hardware makers.
"PC companies are eager for a piece of any tablet market that emerges," the report said. "With profit margins dwindling due to ongoing price wars, PC makers hope new touch-screen devices will sell for higher prices than mini-computers like netbooks, which have comparable components."
Weeks before the iPad was unveiled, Microsoft and HP partnered to tout the forthcoming HP Slate at the Consumer Electronics Show in early January. The device has a multi-touch screen and has instant-on capabilities. It was demonstrated running Windows 7 and being used for tasks such as reading novels.
kindles being given away for free and now this?
I think that's supposed to read "...that Apple creates"
iPad news and updates:
http://iPadLot.com
"PC companies are eager for a piece of any tablet market that emerges,"
I think that's supposed to read "...that Apple creates"
Very well said.
LOL HP et all know that they can't compete and never will be able to. Itunes is the gold in the ipad's success. Seems like Steve realized that any tablet is just a tablet and the thing that makes a tablet really work is the software and media ecosystem it lives in. (MMMM thousands of awesome apps we are all drooling already) Hmm somebody studied evolution and Biology. LOL No one can compete with Itunes at this point; most are still trying to compete with the device itself and/ or the pricing.
ditto...nicely stated
According to The Wall Street Journal, executives from HP intend to "tweak prices and features" soon on its upcoming Slate, which will offer a 3G data connection. The company had already intended to price their hardware below the starting $629 price for the 16GB 3G iPad, sources said.
"With profit margins dwindling due to ongoing price wars, PC makers hope new touch-screen devices will sell for higher prices than mini-computers like netbooks, which have comparable components."
Smart HP. Hoping for higher margins we will lower prices. If anyone challenges us in this (soon to be) highly competitive market we will lower our prices again.
My guess is that that the iPad will be more expensive but offer a superior experience. Status Quo.
Couldn't agree with you more. It has become kind of sad to see once-great innovators like HP adopt this kind of Microsoft-like strategy based almost entirely on imitation. It IS the ecosystem that makes all the difference, and the companies that just try to build cheap iPad lookalikes will not do well. They will fool a lot of people into buying a cheap knockoff, but the rest of us will actually be enjoying all of the superior benefits of the iPad. As Mark Twain once said, "The public is the only critic whose judgment is worth anything at all." I think once the "public" gets their hands on the iPad the attempts by other companies to compete are going to be a little comical. I want Apple to have strong competitors that keep them on their toes but the reactions of companies like Microsoft and HP to the iPad show that so far they just-don't-get-it.
Who wants to guess Maya and green screen?
My guess is that that the iPad will be more expensive but offer a superior experience. Status Quo.
So do you predict Mac-like market share as well?
It IS the ecosystem that makes all the difference,
I agree. That is why Apple chose to make the 'Pad an oversized touch - the touch has an existing ecosystem.
And that is also why so few folks choose Macs - the ecosystem just isn't there.
So do you predict Mac-like market share as well?
No, more like the iPod Touch share.
Do you consider company X selling millions of low-end, cheap knockoffs, with barely a profit being made to be more successful than company Y selling less but making more money than company X?
The report also cited people familiar with Microsoft's dual-screen, touchscreen tablet, dubbed the Courier, in stating that the Redmond, Wash., software giant has a "secretive team" working on the unannounced device. Renders of the Courier leaked last September, showing a device with two color screens that folded together like a book.
The biggest problem facing the WinPad is getting the shoehorned version of Windows it will run to perform adequately on the lighter duty processors. The second is getting the UI for this form factor right, which Microsoft has proven itself to be uniquely inept at doing after several tries now. The third is Apple's signal that they are prepared to be aggressive on price with the iPad.
Yep. I'm taking a skeptical view of Win7 tablets too. I would expect that the Android tablets will be the best ones for a long while, but my crystal ball has never been reliable.
At any rate, it will be a great year for gadgets.
No, more like the iPod Touch share.
Do you consider company X selling millions of low-end, cheap knockoffs, with barely a profit being made to be more successful than company Y selling less but making more money than company X?
It depends on your defininition of "more successful". I have little desire to banter about the definitions of words.