You read that right folks. According to AppleInsider, HP’s internal projections pointed to an anticipated demand of just 5000 pieces, with a total of 9000 required. Not quite the stellar numbers that you’d expect when a company claimed a device is selling quicker than it can be made. Compared to iPad sales numbers, which AppleInsider reports hit over 46k A DAY at one point, it’s actually pretty dismal.

The Slate was unveiled at CES 2010 by an over-excited Steve Ballmer, and was hailed as the first of a new generation of tablets, expected to drag the Windows Tablet PC into the world of multitouch, finger-based devices. Sporting Windows 7, HP’s Slate was expected to be the standard-bearer going forward. Unfortunately for them, Apple beat them to the punch with its iPad, and millions of tablets later the market is firmly in Apple’s grasp.

Can hardware selling just 9000 units really be a success? Will HP bounce back with a new Slate, perhaps sporting an OS from recently acquired Palm? Watch this space.