HP confirms Windows 7 slate still alive, but uncertain
updated 01:35 pm EDT, Wed July 21, 2010
HP says Windows tablet in evaluation
HP partly supported the recent discovery of the Slate 500 on its site today by confirming that the Windows 7 tablet is still in existence. A Personal Systems Group representative said the Slate is in "customer evaluations." The spokesperson cast some doubt on the device's future, however, as HP is making a "determination soon on the next steps" rather than simply moving ahead.
The news diminishes talk that the tablet had been killed outright but also clouds its future. HP is known to be developing the webOS-based PalmPad and lately has been promoting its virtues over those of a tablet with a desktop OS.
Microsoft has been counting on HP to prop up its commitment to tablets but has been stymied by the lack of progress on the Slate. It was unveiled by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer at CES but hasn't moved any closer to a release in half a year. The lengthy wait has left Apple largely unhindered in the tablet market, where it sold 3.27 million iPads in just its first quarter. [via Engadget]
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What they really meant...
What the HP spokesperson said:
'The spokesperson cast some doubt on the device's future, however, as HP is making a "determination soon on the next steps" rather than simply moving ahead.'
What the HP spokesperson meant...
"We know Microsoft is desperate to save Windows in the mobile space. We will milk them for tons of money, because we're negotiating from a position of strength. If Ballmer wants to save face after demoing our HP Slate with Windows, he's gonna pay. Big time."