HP's slate was supposed to challenge Apple's iPad for tablet supremacy, but now it's reportedly headed for the scrap heap.
An unnamed source tells TechCrunch that HP axed the project after souring on Windows 7 as a tablet operating system. HP hasn't officially commented on the report.
The HP slate started making waves in January, when it was shown briefly at the Consumer Electronics Show. Later, as the hype over Apple's iPad grew, HP began talking about the slate in further detail, revealing Flash support, USB ports and cameras on the front and back of the device. In those ways, the slate was everything the iPad isn't.
But as HP peeled back the layers on this device, cracks became apparent in the facade. A spec sheet that leaked to Engadget revealed that the device would last five hours on a battery charge -- fine for a netbook, but half the endurance of the iPad. An early hands-on report on the slate panned its long Windows load times and extra bulk when compared to an iPad.
Reading all of this, it became clear that the combination of Windows 7 and Intel Atom was holding HP's slate back from greatness (TechCrunch says HP may abandon Intel for its tablets as well). The device was too much like a netbook without a keyboard, lacking the fast startup and long battery life that seem essential for tablets. Though TechCrunch's source could be wrong, I wouldn't be surprised if HP was looking to reboot its tablet concepts.
The report comes as HP announced that it will acquire smartphone maker Palm for $1.2 billion. HP's announcement showed lots of enthusiasm for Palm's WebOS operating system, raising the possibility of a WebOS tablet. TechCrunch thinks Google-powered devices are more likely, as they reported another rumor in January that HP was also working on an Android version of the slate.
I'd be happy to see either an Android or WebOS tablet from HP, but we'll first have to see whether the company confirms that its hyped-up Windows 7 slate is actually dead.
