HP fires first shot in slate wars

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HP fires first shot in slate wars

Hewlett-Packard unveils Slate product while analysts expect Apple to build 5 million iPads in first half

By CAROLINE GABRIEL

Published: 10 March, 2010

READ MORE: Hewlett-Packard | Tablet | Windows Mobile

The 'slate wars' are about to break out, at least in the marketing departments of the device makers. In the emerging tablet category, Hewlett-Packard has assumed the mantle of key challenger to Apple, and unveiled adverts for its Slate product a day after the upcoming iPad featured in its first TV ad during the Oscars ceremony on Sunday night.

HP previewed its own advertising campaign on its blog, and stressed that the Slate would support Adobe Flash, one of the most famous omissions from iPhone and iPad. However, unlike Apple, HP does not yet have a firm shipment date for its tablet, just promising "some time in 2010". The Wi-Fi iPad will turn up in US markets on April 3, with 3G/WLAN models and international shipments following later in the month.

The Slate will run Windows 7, but in fact the blog posting by Phil McKinney, CTO for HP's personal system group, gives away little information about the product. Other tablets will soon appear too, including a "whole family" promised by Dell, and a range of Android devices.

Despite this competition, Apple plans to build at least 5m iPads in the first half of this year, according to a research note from avid Apple watchers FBR Capital Markets. Citing production checks, analyst Craig Berger raised his estimate to the high end of his previous forecast, of 4 million to 5 million units.

FBR also increased its estimates for first quarter iPod and Apple PC builds, to 9.3 million and 1m respectively. However, it cut the number of iPhones it believes Apple will make in the first half, from 7.5m to 6m. And on a sequential basis, iPhone and iPod builds are both set to decline by 50%, says the report, a steeper fall than for desktop and notebook shipments (33% and 43%). The falls are related to seasonal trends, and the lower impact in PCs compared to mobile gadgets reflects a faster than predicted recovery across the PC market.