Windows tablet HP Slate misses the point to tune of $800
Hewlett Packard has launched a Windows 7 tablet and most of its numbers leave the iPad standing. Including, unfortunately, the price.
The Slate 500 has a whopping 1.8GHz processor and 2GB of memory, both of which leave the iPad trailing in its wake. It’s also got an 8.9″ screen — within a finger’s width of the iPad — and 64 GB of on-board storage, matching Apple’s top model.
But here’s the kicker. It costs $799. That’s virtually EIGHT HUNDRED DOLLARS. That means that when you throw out the 3G models (the Slate 500 is Wi-Fi only), HP has produced a device that is a hundred bucks more than Apple’s most expensive model.
That this price is insane is all to do with the difference between on-paper value and real world attitudes. On paper, the Slate is much better value than the equivalent iPad model: it’s got virtually all the same features, better specs, and most of the things that critics argued were missing from the iPad such as cameras (front and rear), USB, and a memory card slot.
The problem is that people judge consumer devices by how well they meet their needs, not by their raw specs-per-buck ratio. Every person who passed on the iPad because they thought it was overpriced and they’d have been paying largely for the Apple brand is instantly out of the picture when it comes to selling the Slate.
That leaves the seriously rich and the business user, which seems to be the primary audience for the Slate. The problem is that although they could probably afford to spend $800, they don’t have any reason to do so. If you’re looking for a machine to take on the road and use for serious work (in which case rejecting the iPad makes perfect sense), you can get a notebook. If you want something smaller, $800 will probably get you a top-quality netbook with a gold-leaf coating.
The punchline is that the Slate runs Windows 7. Straight-up Windows 7. Now that’s a perfectly competent computer operating system, but it gives potential buyers absolutely no reason whatsoever why they would want a touchscreen tablet over a traditional keyboard/screen combination.
In pricing the Slate at $800, HP appears to have put so much effort into why buyers should get it instead of an iPad that they’ve clean forgotten to answer the question of why people should get it instead of a computer.
Related Posts:
October 22nd, 2010
I am afraid that it is the author that has missed the point. I am typing this on an iPad 64g wifi now. The points are: 1-instant on…BIG. 2-long battery life 3-very convenient to carry and use. If hp’s slate will run all standard programs while meeting the above requirements, they may have a winner. The battery life is a concern. They show 5 hours. Then there is the question of how well the touch interface works. If it works reasonably well, then they may have a winner. I love my iPad, but the ability to run standard programs could eliminate the need for my laptop entirely. I am a service technician. I read PDF docs, use spreadsheets, I use a USB to serial adapter for talking to machinery. I use telnet to do the same. I use straight USB to do that as well. I do service tickets and signatures . I can do (and do) the PDFs and the service tickets and signatures on iPad. I am working on getting the telnet working. Yet, I have to have the laptop for my diagnostics etc. This Slate has the potential to do it all for me.
October 22nd, 2010
Windows 7 Professional, BTW, not Home Premium. Which is part of the price difference. HP has already stated the Slate is geared towards business.
Look at functionality. It has an Atom CPU & runs normal Windows. Which means it’ll run any Windows app. No special versions needed. No vendor lock-in from an app store. No worries about whether or not a technology like Flash, Silverlight, or a decent JVM is available.
For target markets, consider the healthcare industry. They have government mandates that are forcing them to go paperless for their medical records. My doctor already lugs a laptop around from room to room with him; I could see a sub-2 pound tablet being a godsend for folks like him and the price is far better than, say, a Sony Z series.
As a consumer, though, it doesn’t quite work for me. The screen needs to be a little larger & have higher resolution. I’d give up a little battery life for a dual-core CULV CPU instead of an Atom.
I think it can easily be successful & compete with the iPad for corporate sales where a few extra dollars up front doesn’t matter. But I doubt it’d ever be more of a niche player for regular consumers. Maybe if they replaced the SSD with a regular hard drive & lopped $200 off the price.
October 22nd, 2010
“It cost $799. That’s virtually EIGHT HUNDRED DOLLARS.”
Wow! Really?
October 22nd, 2010
I paid 700 for the iPad 64 wifi. I paid $40 for the apple case. I paid $30 for the dock………..not much of a price difference. I really want to get my hands on one to try it. If it works well, I would buy it and give my wife my iPad.
October 23rd, 2010
This “article” is indeed very “blorge”, onomatopoetically speaking…
October 29th, 2010
The HP Slate has a digital pen that will make it the best note taking slate released this year, including the iPad and Galaxy tab. THAT’S why some will pay $800 for it because there’s no other device under $1000 at this weight that supports a digital pen with an operating system that can drive it like Windows 7. OneNote on this device should be pretty awesome.
Another failed article from a person who’s never seen a Tablet PC.