HP May Have Nuked its Android Tablet Plans
HP may be shelving its Android tablet project to focus on its webOS tablet.
Various reports are indicating that Hewlett Packard (HP) has delayed its plans to bring an Android-based tablet to the market during Q4 2010. Sources close to the matter said that the company has "shelved" the project for now with no indication that it will be resumed in the immediate future. So far the reasons behind the delay are unknown.
It's possible that HP is currently focused on its Windows 7 tablet. It was previously believed that HP had also shelved those tablet plans as well, but after its logo was listed during Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer's Worldwide Partners Conference keynote earlier this week, it's now believed that the HP tablet isn't dead, and that the company is pushing to get the device ready for a Q4 2010 launch.
It's also speculated that HP has turned its attention to the future webOS slate PC currently in development at its just-assimilated Palm. The latest rumor surrounding that particular device is that it has a planned launch date of Q3 2010--meaning just around the corner. HP also previously stated that it was "doubling down" on webOS, increasing its research and development spending for the platform.
If that is indeed the case, then HP may not be working on Windows 7 and Android tablets at all, focusing entirely on webOS products. That would make sense given its recent purchase of Palm, and would also explain why HP was virtually non-existent during Ballmer's keynote save for a simple logo.
Sure if the Win 7 tablet was equally cheap and equally fast I would buy instead! What gives?
Wouldn't surprise me in the least if OS free tablets come to market and you install your own, the same way you can put Linux on a PC.
Whether HP planned it or not, it does look like they are well positioned to enter the multi-touch tablet market from almost any angle. I doubt we'll see an OS free tablet from anyone though, that would have super limited appeal. Why put any money into marketing and manufacturing something that less than 1% of the market would even blink an eye at and just steal sales from the rest of your line?
You could say that a Windows tablet is the base for a universal one. As long as you have the ability to reinstall the OS there will always be someone who partitions the drive and pops Linux on it, so webOS and Android wont be far behind.
Developers don't like it cause Android is the new Mac OSX. They don't want to make a god out of Android just like apple did a few years back.
but still android FTW!