Apple iPad rival HP Slate sees demand fizzle at 9,000 units

http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/10/11/14/apple_ipad_rival_hp_slate_sees_demand_fizzle_at_9000_units.html

by evo_9 • 16 years ago

25 22 16 years ago

appleinsider.com

ericz• 16 years ago

I didn't expected such biased news would be upvoted on HN

mattmaroon4• 16 years ago

Then you must be new here.

mattmaroon4• 16 years ago

Predictable.

mattmaroon4• 16 years ago

It's pretty clear HP tried to distance themselves from the Slate starting the day they bought Palm. They showed it at CES and then sat on it for months, then released apparently the same thing they had shown at CES.

I think that's a big mistake. While I love WebOS, I have even less desire to buy it on a Slate than I do iOS. I don't want my phone but bigger, I want my computer but smaller. My guess is the first real competitor to the iPad will be the one that lets you run actual Windows and somehow programmatically makes everything touch-friendly.

glhaynes• 16 years ago

lets you run actual Windows and somehow programmatically makes everything touch-friendly

That sounds... difficult. :)

sudont4• 16 years ago

More like cognitive dissonance. Windows is built for a mouse, same with Mac.

If it coulda worked, Steve would have done an OEM and slapped Axiotron with a lawsuit.

mattmaroon4• 16 years ago

Yeah it does. I think it was their original goal though, otherwise they could have launched that thing many months earlier.

smackfu• 16 years ago

Exactly, the true rival seems to the Samsung Tab.

Not sure why the Apple sites are so fixated on the Slate.

megaman821• 16 years ago

I know these devices have a similar form factor but I think most comparisons should stop there. The HP slate is something that could be moderately successful being sold to businesses with few consumer purchases. The iPad is wildly successful being sold to consumers with few business purchases.

It will be more interesting to see if there will be consumer demand for HP's real iPad rival, the Palmpad.

mediaman• 16 years ago

Disagree about the iPad's business uptake.

I just ran into a fellow passenger on a flight who works for a startup in the Bay Area that makes portal software for corporate boards of directors (to securely share info about the company).

After starting as a normal web-based app, they now have three full-time iPad app developers devoted to their iPad app -- because these board members love their iPads and demanded a version be created for it. They have so much demand from corporate boards that their sales team is struggling just to keep up with inbound orders.

An anecdote does not suffice for data, but if gray-haired corporate board members are so nuts about it, there must be some sort of significant business demand.

sudont4• 16 years ago

There was a story on the front page two days ago about how insecure the iPad is, and how it's threatening corporate IT with uptake.

A colleague's husband's department (same corp, different company for him) actually has a fleet of ~30 iPads. They're cheapish, easy to dev for if you have an in-house mac shop, and popular with the suits. Not to mention easy to use with the corporate intranet sites thanks to webkit.

scrrr• 16 years ago

Fun-fact: 1/3rd of german parliament members use the ipad every day. The number is increasing, since they found out its paid for by taxpayers because its a device useful for work. They also changed a law that previously forbid using electronic devices in the assembly hall. Im not making this up. Steve Jobs is a genius and the ipad has business users alright.

daskrachen• 16 years ago

Do you have a source for this? I am German myself and I would love to spread this among my friends! This is awesome!

bryanwaite• 16 years ago

Is anyone else worried they'll use them like most people use their smart phones: i.e. Playing Angry Birds and wasting time on the internet?

rbanffy• 16 years ago

It's hard to imagine something that runs Windows 7 as an iPad rival. The iPad combines the tablet format with iPhone simplicity. Hint: you just can't rip the keyboard out of a Windows notebook and expect people love it.

Apple iPad rival HP Slate sees demand fizzle at 9,000 units

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