HP to Reenter Tablet Market with Windows 8

[MacRumors]

Among Apple's early competitors in the tablet market, HP gained a significant amount of attention as it initially sought to build its niche around webOS, which it acquired along with Palm in early 2010. HP introduced its webOS-based TouchPad in early 2011, launching the device on July 1 of that year only to exit the tablet and smartphone business just six weeks later.

HP then successfully sold off its backlog of TouchPads at $99 fire sale prices, announcing that it would make webOS an open source project.

The Bangkok Post now reports that HP has decided to reenter the tablet market, this time taking advantage of Microsoft's forthcoming Windows 8 platform in a fresh attempt to make an impact in the rapidly-growing tablet market.

Restarting production is a strategic move aimed at capitalising on the extraordinary growth in tablet sales, chief executive Meg Whitman said yesterday at the Global Influencer Summit 2012. [...]

Todd Bradley, the executive vice-president for printing and personal systems, said HP's Windows 8 tablets will come equipped with cloud-based technology, enabling users to share and store content online between different devices.

Apple continues to dominate the tablet market two years after the debut of the original iPad, with its shipment share even rising to 68% in the first quarter of 2012 as early momentum from Amazon's Kindle Fire seems to have faded.

Google's Android operating system has had only limited success in the tablet market, led by Samsung's Galaxy Tab offerings, while Amazon's heavily-customized Kindle Fire implementation of Android has also attempted to stake a claim to the market. Other competitors have had less success, with webOS falling by the wayside almost before it got started.

Microsoft is the latest entrant into the tablet market since Apple reinvented the segment, banking on its Windows 8 products to bridge the gap between PCs and tablets. The company showed off Windows 8 last September and earlier this year revealed its plans for bringing Windows to ARM processors in a further effort to blur the lines between desktop and mobile. HP, the world's largest PC manufacturer, could play a key role in working to spread Windows to the tablet market, but it remains to be seen whether Microsoft will have success with its efforts.

Article Link: HP to Reenter Tablet Market with Windows 8

 

[Dr McKay]

I'm pretty set on a Nokia tablet, I hope the Nokia Tablet concept that looks like a Lumia are true.

 

[Apple Knowledge Navigator]

HP products are usually pretty good (if cheaply made), so it'll be good to see what they come up with.

 

[50548]

Meg's limited IQ is gonna lead HP to yet another disaster...as if Fiorina wasn't bad enough. Re-entry? Only if it's to crash and burn...

 

[Peace]

This gives me hope that this touchpad I have might be able to get Windows 8 installed on it.

 

[saving107]

I'll definitely buy one (or two), but I'm going to wait at least six weeks to do so.

You never know, history might repeat itself.

 

[celo48]

They did not learn their lesson.

 

[iScott428]

Weekend Weather Report:

Heavy HP downpours expected nation-wide. Experts are reporting they see no direction of the storm and it seems to be spinning out of control.

Some residents, in areas already effected, say the torrential downfall of HP stock appears to be endless.

 

[parish]

Windows 8? So that'll be a FAIL then

 

[AustinIllini]

This gives me hope that this touchpad I have might be able to get Windows 8 installed on it.

I fully expect HP and Microsoft to provide no support for the touchpad

 

[markintosh]

Welcome to the party

Too bad there's no beer left

 

[Kwill]

HP is seeing "extraordinary growth in tablet sales" exclusive of its own involvement. Its prior foray had no effect on sales one way or the other. At this point there is nothing to suggest that the future attempt will differ from the past -- though the hardware may be faster.

 

[r.j.s]

Windows 8? So that'll be a FAIL then

Why? Windows is familiar to the average person, unlike WebOS was with the TouchPad.

 

[rjohnstone]

Their Win 7 tablet was pretty decent on the hardware side.
Way too pricey though.
The problem with it was Win 7 was never meant to be used in than form factor.
Terrible user experience.

 

[NAG]

I fully expect HP and Microsoft to provide no support for the touchpad

It's kind of been HP's track record recently. They show off the Windows 7 Slate. They throw it under the bus and buy Palm. They throw Palm under the bus before they even release the TouchPad. And now we're supposed to believe they're going to actually put their support behind a Windows 8 tablet? Really? The company habitually gets cold feet and I have no reason to believe that will change with yet another CEO swap while everything else about the company remains the same.

 

[Analog Kid]

It pains me to watch HP implode like this. Such a great and storied company suffering from such mis-management.

I hope Apple continues to make sound, long term, business decisions and never (again) becomes a vanity posting for CEOs.

 

[Consultant]

It's kind of been HP's track record recently. They show off the Windows 7 Slate. They throw it under the bus and buy Palm. They throw Palm under the bus before they even release the TouchPad. And now we're supposed to believe they're going to actually put their support behind a Windows 8 tablet? Really? The company habitually gets cold feet and I have no reason to believe that will change with yet another CEO swap while everything else about the company remains the same.

Agree. They seemed to only have short term goals, not long term plans.

 

[velocityg4]

Hopefully this will have a stylus and finely accurate touchscreen so I can use cursive and draw diagrams. That would be the ultimate for note taking. Also I do hope it is x86 so full Windows programs can run without waiting for an ARM/x86 hybrid version.

 

[GFLPraxis]

Pretty sad; going from having such a potentially unique product in a new category to joining the herd. HP's just maintaining that they will run the same course in the tablet market as they are running in the desktop market; fighting with faceless desktops for margins.

 

[Torrijos]

Great! Another money bleeder for the old unimaginative guard ^^.
I can't wait to live in a world where some of those fools aren't part of the consumer market.

Still at least Microsoft came up with an interesting OS design, but...
We'll have to wait months before the first real product HIT THE SHELVES, and then there is the wait for good softwares using properly the touch paradigm.

What I love is that for a long time people said of Apple that they produced toys, but I wonder what you call a hardware platform that doesn't offer good software?

 

[timlopez]

This article is wording it like HP was entering the tablet market to compete with Apple. Truthfully, they had the concept announced a few weeks prior to Apple announcing the iPad when HP announced the HP Slate. Sure it wasn't that great of a device, but HP did show interest in this market back before the original iPad was announced.

 

[kajoob]

HP shareholders simply wanted to dump hundreds of millions of dollars of corporate capital into a large fiery pit, but the board felt that a Windows 8 tablet would be a more efficient way to fritter away that much cash.

 

[gwelmarten]

Good to hear - I was disappointed to hear the news when they left it!

 

[parish]

Why? Windows is familiar to the average person, unlike WebOS was with the TouchPad.

I was thinking more about MS's previous forays into a mobile version of Windows.

Plus when I see the UI on those Luminas it makes me think "Toys R Us. My first Smartphone"

 

[b166er]

how is this a "strategic" move? I am not seeing any evidence of strategy at all.

This is the tech world equivalent to the US suddenly deciding it would be a good day to go back to Vietnam.