HP Slate: No iPad Killer (Video)

Remember the HP slate? That’s the tablet device Steve Ballmer was waving around during his CES keynote this year, and the very same one subsequently canned by the computer hardware manufacturer. Today we’re treated to a full four minutes of demonstration courtesy of YouTube user x313xkillax, showing off boot-time and web browsing.

The video starts off well, showing the slate’s 2 (count ‘em) cameras, SD card slot and USB port. The most interesting, and without doubt ludicrous button ever placed on a consumer device is a CTRL-ALT-DEL key! That’s right folks, when your shiny new HP Slate crashes you just need press one button to kill it. Terrific!

Is it real? Engadget seems to think so. If I hadn’t seen the thing power on (which happens in a spritely manner) I’d be shouting ‘FAKE’ from the highest mountain I could find, but considering you see the hardware running Windows 7 as HP initially planned – and Endgadget’s belief it’s legit – it might just be real.

Watch the video and let us know what you think – could this have been an iPad killer?

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0IiKaa8v9M]

To answer my own question… No

The issue I see with all the ‘iPad killers’ (I do hate that phrase!) is that they seem to be aiming for a different market. Apple’s focus is to get the iPad into as many hands as possible, which is borne out by its competitive price. This means making it as user friendly as possible, sometimes at the expense of losing some of the bells and whistles other manufacturers seem desperate to include.

Take the HP offering as an example. Putting a full-fledged desktop OS on there may give the device more possibilities than Apple’s offering, but could this cause confusion? Possibly. What about that USB port? Can you plug a printer into it? What about a USB 3G dongle? Will the device have drivers for these or will they need to be downloaded? Will they even work at all?

These are all questions Apple doesn’t want the user to have to ask. In Apple’s eyes at least, choice feature bloat equals user confusion and that’s a bad thing.

10 Comments on “HP Slate: No iPad Killer (Video)”

  1. GoBlo

    Crtl-alt delete is just used to bring up the task manager you complete idiot.
    Gone are the days when Windows actually crashes. Derp derp!
    This feature has been on Tablet Pc’s for eons.. because it’s convenient to launch the task manager when.. you don’t have a keyboard!
    DERRRPPP!!!

    1. Oliver Haslam

      Ahh, this feature has always been on Tablet PCs?

      The vast majority of high-street shoppers don’t even know we had Tablet PCs 10 years ago. Sticking to that formular isn’t going to sell iPad numbers.

      Having said that – I still believe TPCs will rule the business sector.

  2. Bigmouth

    PS: A stylus is not a sign of failure, and comments like that just confirm that the author has little experience with tablets. A stylus is a MUST to make this a true productivity tool. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve taken handwritten notes on my lifebook, then searched them using OCR technology — or even converted them into text.

  3. Bigmouth

    Dear HP, please release this tablet. I promise, I will buy it. Long have I waited for a tablet with a capacitive screen and full OS.

    One thing I will NOT buy is a toy with a crippled phone OS. I have NO interest in the WebOS. Please get that through your heads.

  4. Cumpadi

    Mr. Oliver….you might need to first understand who is target mkt prior to posting such ridiculous material….If you had take a minute to understand the target mkt you would’ve realized that the Slate is being produced to for the consumer world to go against the Ipad….that will be what the HP PalmPad (webos) is for…the Slate is geared for Enterprise…that is why it has a Ctr Alt Del key you moron…all about access and security….

  5. Javajolt

    If this is the Hp Slate, HP is in deep trouble. I hope their WebOS tablet is better than this.

    What has happened to “Macallan”, by UIcentric that is/was suppose to overlay Windows 7 on tablets?

    I would never buy any apple product since I DO NOT want jobs thinking for me or making decisions for me once I plunk down my money. he is NOT the morality police nor my father.

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