HP: Our WebOS Devices Will be Similar to iPad
HP's plans for an iPad rival are still on track for the new year.
HP has already told us it will one day put WebOS on pretty much any mobile device it produces. However, despite the company's lofty ambitions, we've actually heard very little about its WebOS plans other than we can expect a tablet-like device early next year. This week the company spiced things up just a smidge by revealing their WebOS tablets will be "similar to the iPad."
Apple's popular iPad has been dominating the tablet market since it launched in April, and the post-iPad market has been filled with promises of slates from more manufacturers than we care to count. Some of the prototypes we've seen have been quite similar to the iPad, so it's no surprise to hear the folks at HP-Palm are planning their own slim-line slate.
Check out what HP's Peter Helm had to say about the company's tablet plans in an email to the Palm developer community:
"Now that we are officially part of HP, we are going full speed ahead with our applications initiative. Our proprietary operating system, webOS, is now the OS that will be used in HP's mobile devices. This includes mobile handsets as well as tablet-style devices similar to the iPad. We will accordingly leverage Palm's ability to innovate and the scale of HP's vast install base and distribution network previously unavailable to us."
It's not heart-stoppingly exciting stuff but at least we know HP is still planning to produce WebOS tablets. It could also mean that HP isn't planning on following Dell and Samsung into a market of tablets with displays that are a little on the small side (the 5-inch Streak and the 7-inch Galaxy Tab). What size do you think is optimal for a tablet? Let us know in the comments below!
Source: Engadget

They probably don't want Apple to be the only one with a hot item raking in big bucks. A cheaper one with a good interface that leads to an app store they control would probably make some good money if they can pull it off.
With the Android type pads and others coming out, they want a piece of that pie too.
Hopefully they don't mean they will launch an underpowered tablet that lacks support for the most used technologies of the web ;-)
But what if you wanted a device that wasnt bulky, made of cheep plastic, and had a short battery life. What if you wanted something very light for lightweight browsing, and watching video on.... The Netbook sure wouldnt be the right choice.
You've missed the whole point of why the iPad is successful, and that is MOST consumers (not Tom's readers) want a very simple easy to use device, to surf simple web pages, read their email and watch a show or two, and the iPad is a PERFECT fit for that. This is why Apple is selling millions of them per month, not because Steve Job's is a ninja assassin mind controlling everyone with hypnotic drugs.
Because you can use the 10 hour battery in a 1.5lb form factor?
Because a netbook is dreadfully slow, and an iPad has a matching CPU/GPU/OS package?
Because multitouch makes sense in a mobile product, than a touch pad and a keyboard? You can use an iPad while walking. Using a netbook while walking is cumbersome.
A typical netbook has a superior CPU (such as Atom which is comparable in computing power to Pentium 4). So you cannot call it dreadfully slow. Also netbooks are also light and some have a similar battery life.
I think your missing the point. A net-book runs a full-blown desktop OS that is not optimised for it. The OS on the iPad is optimised for the hardware and designed to be responsive, even if its running on what might be perceived to be inferior hardware.
Its the simplicity and ease of use attracts 90% of the users. A tablet with a full desktop OS might appeal to us, but it would just confuse and annoy 95% of normal users who simply want it to work.
I think your missing the point. A net-book runs a full-blown desktop OS that is not optimised for it. The OS on the iPad is optimised for the hardware and designed to be responsive, even if its running on what might be perceived to be inferior hardware.
Its the simplicity and ease of use attracts 90% of the users. A tablet with a full desktop OS might appeal to us, but it would just confuse and annoy 95% of normal users who simply want it to work.
Bigger! I don't need an over sized phone. I need a screen that I can actually read.