Jan Zdarsa Microsoft has confirmed that it was indeed working on a tablet called the Courier, but also said that it never officially announced it and has no plans to build it yet. HP is shelving its HP Slate tablet project for a change.
Microsoft is currently struggling with fine-tuning its Windows Mobile 7, and coming up with the new software they presented at the Microsoft Courier concept in a short period of time didn't seem entirely likely from the beginning. Microsoft thus carved out a fair bit of attention during the hype surrounding the iPad, but that's about it. At least in the near future, it will not bring a real product to the market. Microsoft just announced that this was one of the creative projects, but they don't plan to put it into production.
The fate of the HP Slate is also changing. Previously, it was supposed to be a device loaded with powerful hardware (such as an Intel processor) running Windows 7. But everyone asked - how long can such a device last on battery power? How comfortable (unpleasant) will Windows 7 be using touch controls? No way, the HP Slate in its current form would be a step away, and they certainly realized that at HP as well.
This week HP bought Palm, the company behind the interesting WebOS operating system, which unfortunately did not take off at all. You may remember the Palm Pre being talked about a year ago, but the device just didn't catch on with the public. HP is therefore probably reassessing the strategy for the HP Slate, and in addition to changing the hardware equipment, there will certainly also be a change of the OS. I assume that the HP Slate will be based on WebOS.
What was said earlier is confirmed again. Others may try their best, but Apple currently has the best starting position. For three years, they worked on an operating system based only on touch control. The Appstore has been operating for two years now and there are many quality applications on it. The price of the iPad was set very aggressively (which is why companies like Acer are not considering the tablet). And the most important thing – iPhone OS is such an easy system that even the smallest and older generations can control it. Others will fight against this for a long time.
And there we are. Those who most criticized the iPad for its "limitations" themselves admit that a tablet PC with a full-blooded OS and "inflated" HW equipment simply has no chance. Whether it's battery life or ease of use/intuitive control…
Mom, I have to study a lot today. A lot to learn. :)
And if this isn't a win, I don't know what is...
That's what I call good news. :) That was a constant reminder that the iPad is useless, let's wait for HP Slate or Courier and then this. :)
In my opinion, this is a shame, as this way Apple will not be forced to inflate it much more in the next generation iPad. Defacto will wait to see what the rest of the world comes up with. Until then, they won't significantly add to endurance, etc.
I would dare to say that you are not right... it would not be Apple's style :-)
that's stupid, because if that were the case, they wouldn't even release an iPad (if they had to wait for what the "competition" would come up with)