Official: webOS Tablet coming in 'Early 2011' 153
by Dieter Bohn Thu, 19 Aug 2010 6:53 pm EDT
Title says it all, folks. In their earnings call today, HP responded to a question about whether or not tablets (read: iPad) were hurting netbook sales. In reponse, HP publicly confirmed that a webOS Tablet is coming in the timeline we were expecting, saying they will release "a webOS-based product in Early 2011." Hearing that in an investor call is quite a bit nicer than hearing it was said in an HP all-hands meeting.
Excited? Think they'll call it the PalmPad?
153 Comments
Did they say anything about a new phone?
No, because who wants WebOS on better phone hardware when we can have touchscreen printers?!
Hopefully this would be great, but I fear that WebOS won't have enough Apps to pump this one up. HP PalmPad Impressions: http://bit.ly/awWFPw
WebOS doesn't have a lot of apps but the app catalog is still growing and a lot more games have come out with the last PDK release because it makes it easier fir developers to make games. I personally would love a WebOS tablet or a phone the is about the size and has the specs of the Galaxy S phones. If HPalm doesn't have a decent phone by Nobember, which is my update date I will just get an Android and then a WebOS tablet later on.
My translation of
Agreed. WebOS is the only OS right now than can run iPhone apps natively. It's already been proven that iPhone games can be ported in less than a day, so I won't be surprised if most of the top selling iPhone apps get ported once full camera and microphone support are added to the SDK. Other mobile OSes have to have a considerable amount of work done to apps to make them work, but webOS seems to be more hassle-free. The only reason iPhone is big is because of the App Store. Once webOS 2.0 is out and Android matures a little more the app game will be over. I mean, take iPhone's apps out of the equation and what are you left with? Soon webOS will be boasting a massive app catalog with more variety because developers don't have to worry about ridiculous rule for app submission, like apps that duplicate the function of the stock apps.
LOL, I love all the comments here about phones and about how they are shifting resources away from phones.
First, they answered the question they were asked.... and earnings call really isn't the place to drop new smartphone hardware even if they already have a projected launch date.
Second, this is HP, not just Palm any more. HP has plenty of resources to be developing more than 1 WebOS based item at once. Them mentioning the tablet doesn't mean they have no resources to develop phones as some people are saying in this thread... it means they have enough resources (money and workforce) to pursue all their plans for WebOS.
So I will be sitting back and seeing what they do with those resources. Those of you that will, enjoy your complaining... I'll see you here when I am proven right by HP.
Well said. People freaking or getting huffy because a phone wasn't mentioned. What was it that Rahul Sood said about HP talking a lot about technologies in general all the time but only talking specific tech when it was ready for release. IMO, that's the idealapproach (and HP's profitability sure suggests it works).
Well said. I just don't think people use their brains before they start typing.
damn skippy!!!
I will wait... But releasing devices after the 2010 holiday shopping season is going to hurt existing base for webOS.
I think it will take longer to get a tablet running webOS out.... Than a new smartphone.
here is to hoping for a smartphone release by black friday!
I don't think it's not that people think before comments. I think it's general frustration of being ignored by a company that will soon be asking for my hard earned money to support their earnings call for the 4th fiscal quarter (hopefully). What would be wrong with them saying, "we are working on a new mobile webos product that will boost earnings." No announcement, just acknowledgement!
hey i am with you. thanks for pointing that out to the complainers.
A new webos phone wont come out till webos 2.0 is released.
I will buy a WebOS tablet. In the meantime, I am quite happy with my Pre over-clocked. More new apps everyday stable and does what I want! I can wait for a new one. Get it all right.
+1
What he said! The overclocked Pre (Uberkernal and Govnah running Screenstate 500/800) with WebOS 1.4.5 smokes right along and is very stable for me. I'd love a new phone with a bigger screen, microSD card slot, and (dare I dream) a landscape keyboard option, but for now I'm still lovin' my Pre. A couple of minor hardware issues aside, I can wait for a new phone.
HELL TO THE YEA!
cool
..yes I also want to hear abt phones asap...like b4 the Epic gets here
I sat next to a Sprint marketing management guy Wednesday night at a KC game and he had a few great nuggets to share.
Some sort of official phone statment due from Palm in first ten days of September is expected. Device release will be near term, not quarters away.
Palm/HP committed to carriers to have no major gaps in hardware, O/S, key apps or primary API's before release.
Commitment to battery usability and build quality.
Key development (WebOS 2) began back when Rubi committed all resources to R&D and sought a buyer, not when HP signed on.
Pressed for whether WiMax was on board he would not say anything other than it would be a comfortable and functional balance. Odd response I thought.
He did have what appeared to be an Epic with him, but was using Pixi actively. Said Epic should be great and might upset the Evo users. It is a "more Wimax compliant and is fast". He mentioned they (Sprint) might upset Evo users with the contract they're likely to attach to it. No hint what would possible put a bee in their bonnet.
Pressed him on Wimax vs. LTE on future build out, he said not his area, but chatter was about how fast could LTE be rolled out if they and Clear pulled the wimax plug.
Nice guy, he really appreciated seeing a nicely appointed Pre come out of my pocket.
Wow, that's some solid reconnaissance! Thanks for the info.
Wish I had something specific to grab hold of. Took about 3 hours to comp together what he shared. He affirmed new device very soon, but was adamant that the Epic was a solid device, especially if Wimax is available. But he seemed like a WebOS fan and felt people were happy that HP was going to make the next release more complete and capable.
Wow--great story and I want to believe it. Did he give any clues as to whether the new phone will have a design similar to the Pre's?
Didn't ask anything about that. I'd assume next device has real keyboard, but the battery, slider action and small keyboard were all serious setbacks for Pre, so it sounds like if the slider is repeated, it will be much more robust.
Hmm. Guess we'll just have to wait and see, then! Thanks for the reply, and I hope you and your source are right about an announcement soon.
Finally official word on an upcoming product. That's good stuff. Still, I kind of share a view with ballstjer. I want info on new phones!
any mention of toasters or chairs though?
+1
ya what about our WebOS toaster!? Screw the phone who wants a new phone anyways? Lol...
I want my WebOS toaster with cool pop tart apps and animations and the ability to make my printer print out updates on how my toasting is going every 5sec over the wifi's.
lmao... A phone should be announced shortly especially if the Verizon rumor is true.. I won't shift to big red but I'll know Sprint will get it around the same time or a whole few weeks later.. I give it til Holloweenie.. If nothing on a new phone I might entertain the thought of the Evo.. Used one te other day on 4G in Chicago here and it's not as nice as WebOS but it's nice enough to last me until my next update a few months later.. Then maybe a new Palm device and I'll just put one of them on the second line seeing Sprint is affordable to have 2 phones to yourself.. Lol
i got a samsung fridge with a touch screen display.
think someone could help me root it and get webOS on there?
Palm will own CES again!
I seriously doubt it!
Sure they can. Even their detractors are fixated on what Palm/HP does next. They suck you in here every day. So they can surely suck-in the suck-up press at CES when they have innovation to offer. All the cloud based services, WebOS 2.0 new devices, reinventing printer interfaces...they're not taking a product into CES, they're taking a portfolio!
Thanks for dropping in again and validating our belief that Palm/HP success continues to terrify and consume you.
i will get it if it cost the same as a netbook and cheaper than a laptop and i hope that it has a good battery life . yes we need a phone fist before any tablet and if they can throw a discount for us losers that stayed with the phone and didnt switch to the fun android
so.....March 30th
HP's financial year begins from November...
they mean 2011? or Q1 in 2011?
I hope for their sake it's profitable. I however have no interest in a Tablet and if i did i'd get an ipad cause it's got a shitload more app support. But like i don't want a tablet.
Same. Palm would have to greatly improve the interface and features of many of its default apps and get Flash and Netflix before this tablet would be worth an ounce of my time.
i can't remember where i saw it and it may by tipb but it was a question about "do you still use your ipad as much as when you bought it." or something like that. suprisingly a lot said no because they just used their iphone 4. But i think the point is interesting that it may be an impulse by that gets less use pretty quickly. But i don't need one. And the thing that is appealing about a tablet is the shit load of audio production companies that are making ipad apps like amplitube the guitar amp software, reason (i think), and tons of beat machines, sequencers, recorders. Like i can email anywhere. so unless there was a massive jump in regular apps a tablet without them wouldn't enter my analysis. But i don't need to like everything and if they can make a profit they should be going all for it. i say good luck.
bm, you value the fluffy apps, but not the ability to run various multi-media formats to turn the slate into a great pirate device? Well, the Ipad will probably fit better with your interior decorating!
I don't care about a slate. bottom line. but ok...
yeah fluff apps like, etrade, ameritrade, espn scorecenter, cnn, cnbc, hulu, amplitube, Reason, pianist, yahoo, synth, guitar bloomberg, bbc, Adobe ideas (a photoshop program), iwork, ibook, SunVox, guitar tab toolkit, mixer, groovemaker, midisynth, iElectribe, studiotrack, bento, guitar lab, shazam. Don't know those apps? Google em. Fluff apps? Currently an HP slate wouldn't offer even close to their caliber of apps or functionality. Fluff app? Try again.
i'm not some 15 year old hacker geek that cares about a pirating device. I'm a grown.
Interior decorating?
Webkit is strong, just run them as site, no need for "crAPPs".
What are you talking about? What does webkit have to do with anything? Sorry i don't get your point. Regardless. you've said fluff apps. i've listed a bunch that aren't. Most of as yet would not be available on either an android tablet or a webos tablet. And you've responded with webkit? what does that mean? That's a browser isn't it? Are you saying run these in the browsers? If so you clearly don't get it. these aren't just rehashes of websites. They are software. And if i have to run something on website you can do that with any phone. That's not a selling point. it's not a way to differentiate your tablet from others to say it lacks an app but try to use a website that can be used on every platform instead. Regardless, these aren't all just a bunch of websites they are amp modelers, recorders, audio production suites. So again. Try again. here's a hint. Unless you can say, these apps are available or are currently in production for webos you don't have a response because as i write this you can't do those things on any other tablet.
right now the way android and the iphone got the smartpone market that might not be there best interest, for as carriers concern. don't get me wrong, i want a new phone too.
Phone is the steping stone for most people, I have no interest in a slate until I'm satisfied with the phone. If the biggest tech company wants to shy away from Apple and The Google ganh, I can shy away from HP. They will make a new phone, their O/S is superior, it would be mindless and wastefule to run and hide from inferior O/S's.
it's not running away. it's playing it smart. People thinking android and iphone is the way. how are they going to counteract that. you must have a damn good marketing strategy.
I have twenty years in marketing and HP has all the components needed to push into phones and do well. They don't have to be #1 or even #2 any time to make money or consider a effort a success and I dont think they really want to be there right now anyway based on Hurd's statements. HP is building a portfolio of wireless based products and right now, the media attention goes to phones, that's where the press is and its a product we can all relate to. Slates are just plused phones or lightened computers using borrowed technology from sister products.
They have WebOS, the most acclaimed O/S on the market. Making decent hardware will be easy for them, they wont cut corners like Rubi did. They have the money and marketing know how to develop the missing apps and API's and properly advertise and support new phones. HP will start the push in a couple weeks with the phone announcement, and if they can start to build market share without selling the farm, they will continue to evolve their phone products and consider how hard to leverage it's growth. If it falls on its face the way Palm did, then they'll let that part of the market slide since it pays the poorest margins of wireless products.
HP didn't get where they are by bowing to little companies like Apple and Google. They played hard ball with Dell, Gateway, Acer, Apple, IBM and Toshiba and dozens others, and they won. Playing conservative because other products have a head start, they wont give up and surrender. You will see. Lets talk in September jackson2815, HP is an innovator, droid and iphone are well executed copy cats. CES always loves innovation, and techies love complete devices that stand alone.
This is in response to your last paragraph...
What did they win at? Selling a bunch of cheap PCs at the cheapest prices for the most sales? Or is it selling over priced inkjet cartridges, that at one point was providing HP with over half their profits.
Apple doesn't and has NEVER played in the bottom of the barrel markets that HP competes for.
Let's compare quarterly numbers: HP had a revenue of $30.7 billion and a profit of $2.3 billion. While Apple had $15.7 billion in revenue, BUT had a profit of $3.25 billion. So, Apple was able to make more profit than HP with only half the revenue. That's what happens when you sell all those cheap PCs. If HP were a baller, as you put it, they wouldn't sell their stuff so cheaply.
Ballers like Apple sell their stuff at a premium and laugh all the way to the bank. No matter how much lipstick HP puts on their laptops to make them look like the MacBook Pros, it's still just another generic Windows laptop.
Please tell me the last time HP was an innovator on the level of Apple that has produced the iPod, iPhone, iPad, and iOS.
You can say a lot of things about the iPhone, but a copy cat it is not.
Fanboy TOO much?
>>You can say a lot of things about the iPhone, but a copy cat it is not.>Fanboy TOO much?
Just a little thought. Hp could be the next brand for desktop publishing. And why? Apple and Adobe aren't in the best days in terms of relationship and HP now have the Z workstations that responses to the SoFly statement about cheap PC's. (Those Z workstations are used now by dreamworks in they 3D animation movies) Adobe could give up on wasting energy on Apple because their arrogance of not allowing flash to iphone ou ipad. Could CS5 would be the last adobe product on Macs? About Apple innovation, Apple don't really innovates, they get many ideas and place them in a single package with design.
Yes, desktop is slowly moving away from Apple. Very long way to go, and more as a result of Windows and Mac gaining more and more similarities in hardware and O/S function.
InDesign gaining share over Quark and heavily supporting PC based assets is eroding Apples strangle hold. For the end-user, it's still an Apple world, but a lot of the prepress world is jumping at PC hardware for cost concerns, more power and better network interaction.
It's a shame, desktop publishing was the saving grace for Apple in the "dark days". Now they appear to more dependent on the "Ipod demographics". This makes them less "nichy" and more of a mainstream company and they will have to push against the general market to see future growth and maintain margins.
I like your quoting system, so I will use it.
>>I was told all these things, two years after having all of those abilities, and many of them were not new at the time.>HP is largest, on market cap.
Agree on the market cap, thanks for the correction.
You really added to my case ont the copycat thing though. Thanks.
Yeah, Apple copied all those failed tablet manufacturers. Right! LOL!
If it makes you feel better in your world that Apple copies everyone, feel free. The rest of us in the real world know that Apple does things their OWN way.
Anyway, I think you have it confused... It was Apple that said "Microsoft, start your copiers" at one of their Macworld shows. Not the other way around.
Predogs i definitely stand 100% with you when you say that they're copycats, and also when you said hp know how to market, but what we must understand is the flip side of the coin. Sprint, At&t, and Vz has priorities with there favorites phone makers. Second, the fan-base of android, blackberry, and iphone is growing everyday. So how are they going to convince the phone carriers and the consumers market on this one. I'm not saying it's impossible, but it'll definitely be a challenge.
By the if there decision to come out with a tablet first, i'm buying that. And if they decide to come out with the phone, i'm buying that too
Fair enough. I dont really need or want a slate, but will buy one to support the fanchise AFTER they bring out the WebOS phone that shows a better blend of my Treo and Pre.
If you want to pick up the slate, good on you. But, business-wise, I don't think HP sees Apple or Google as the 600# gorilla yet for phones. HP wants to impact the market, but not looking to take it over. There is not much they can do to get Iphones out of people's hands. And the Android kids seem happy to chase large screens and big app stores, so for HP to displace RIM a bit, get back some former Palm walkoffs, and get a solid market share going with business users, that is what they'll be looking for in the next 24 months.
If you've been in marketing that long, why the heck didn't contact Palm in June of 2009 and stop them from doing so many stupid things?
Seriously, I agree with your post!
Original Palm's headaches started back around 2007 when they stopped evoloving Garnet. Then they either spend too much energy on Foleo and not enough on phones, OR they didn't follow through on Foleo, just as the netbook craze took off. That was it for the Palm/PDA company.
New Palm (Orange as a call them) was Elevation Partners trying to leverage old Palm's next and last dream of a new generation phone. They abandoned old Palms key assents and values and tried to out-Apple Apple.
They cut corners on hardware, they couldn't get all the capabilities into the phone that it needed, they had terrible ads, and they cut off their core users by dropping the PIM support and not grandfathering the power apps Palm users were dependent on.
So, I'm not sure where any one person could step in and correct this double barreled self-assualt. Orange did ok considering their their shortcomings, with WebOS actually being a very usable foundation for future devices. It won me over about six months ago, I was the first guy in line to take a different device on upgrade. Back in February, I got to spend two weeks with a droid. It's ok, but it feels limited and plain after the glitz of the hardware wears off.
I can appreciate this type of logic! Thank You!!
So let I Get this straight... you mean that HP (who had the Slate Tee'd up before the acquisition of PALM), won't be delivering a new Tablet until 2011, which means PALM, (who never had solid plans for a new Phone before the acquisition)won't be getting one till at least Summer of 2011 right? I mean a simple timeline of events dictates that to me.
Anyone care to comment? Help me out here..
I'll comment.
As usual you've demonstrated you have no idea what you're talking about.
It would appear that way.
LOL, moops, you read one of his posts?
lol.. What?
The WebOS Tablet is set for early 2011, which doesn't sound like it will be delayed all that much. They also have not said anything about a phone, so we have no idea what the schedule looks like at this point.
When it comes right down to it, HP just bought Palm, so they don't want to mention the cell phone industry until HP and not Palm have had involvement for a full quarter.
Right now, HP is still learning about how Palm has been working so they don't sound like idiots if people ask questions about the cell phone industry. What would be worse, keeping silent about cell phones so questions about the Palm purchase won't be asked, or mentioning some stuff going on when you personally don't know the details and then looking like a fool when you can't respond to simple questions?
yeah, I wouldn't really use a tablet. This is good news though, its reassuring that I should be able to pick up a new palm phone as soon as I'm finished with recruit training for the navy.
do you want garbage in short time or great quality in a loger distance.
Apps, useful apps would make this a killer tablet. Agreed, I need a new phone because even though I love my Pre I need more...lol
YAWN. Call me when they announce the new phone.
+1000
a tablet is extremely good and all and I already know I'm going to buy it...however a phone would be really nice too
So, they finally realize they have completely lost out on the smartphone market (way too far behind) and want to invest their dough in getting a tablet out to compete at the ground floor with the iPad.
Sounds like they are relinquishing the smartphone market to Android and iOS. What a pity...
And they might have to do the same for this tablet because Android is about to release several tablets from multiple manufactures at around the same time...that includes hp.
I see no sign that HP/Palm "realizes they have completely lost out on the smartphone market", nor do I agree with the second part of your statement.
I seriously doubt they spent over a billion dollars only to build a tablet, especially since they already had tabs using windows and android already in the works.
There WILL be new WebOS phones, guaranteed. You can also be sure that they will be doing their best to get them out ASAP, to have as much momentum as they can build for the holiday season, especially since they are missing out completely on the back-to-school season.
I am no longer a bleeding-edge early adopter. I save myself allot of hassle (and money) by waiting for the growing pains to work themselves out first. I've only had my phone for 4 months and i am very satisfied with it. I've had no issues with the hardware or the software. The people i know who are on the bleeding edge cannot say the same.
The flow of new apps is steadily increasing, and the HP bucks should be having their impact felt soon enough. Patience people. Considering how far behind they are right now, HP has more to gain by getting it right than they do in rushing.
cool, I'd like a new phone too but I'm not gonna be a jackass about it like some other commenters
how does it make you a jackass to demand a phone that is LONG overdue. the true jackasses are people who settle for any crap that HP shoves in your face.
nothing wrong with demanding more from Palm. and besides, this is PREcentral not HPTabletCentral
Should this site not report on Pixis either? If Dieter & Co. changed the name of the site to WebOS|central would that make it better?
Don't get too wrapped up in the name of this site- 'A rose by any other name...' you know. It has demonstrated itself to be as much (or even more) about WebOS as any particular piece of hardware that runs on it.
Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. I'm personally confident that we'll hear about a new phone from HP/Palm before too long (weeks, not months from now), probably to coincide with WebOS 2.0.
"HP responded to a question about whether or not tablets (read: iPad) were hurting netbook sales. In reponse, HP publicly confirmed that a webOS Tablet is coming"
So they didnt ask whats the next webOS device and they said "a tablet". They answered about what they were asked. So I dont understand why some people could go nuts about not mentioning a phone in a question about laptops.
Because they're either a) Idiots. Or b) Trolls bent on twisting everything into bad news.
HP is probably not going to mention smartphones in their earnings reports because they don't want to scare investors. I think going into the "crowded smartphone market" is something HP investors don't necessary want to do. I think that's why Hurd generally stayed away from talking about smartphones (even though they plan on diving into the market).
Or they didn't address it because nobody asked and nobody asked because it's widely expected (and generally accepted) that a new phone will be out by the end of the year. Tablets are the hot market to talk about, even though it's a far smaller market, so the tablet question got asked.
I'm not sure what I'm more excited about - the next WebOS phone or a WebOS Tablet? I think it's both.
Makes sense why QuickOffice is on the move with WebOS. Palm is setting up the game pieces for the tablet. This will be a good competitor to Apple's iPad. Dare I say, even better than the iPad?
Still waiting patiently. Go Palm!
cannt wait to get my hands on one... :)
I'm excited, looking forward to webOS 2.0, PalmPad, and the next Palm Pre 2, Pro, or UberPhone!
Sorry, I couldn't resist and this weeks news from Quickoffice and AngryBirds...the news from primetime developers just keeps getting better and better!
Loving life and webOS Rocks! Sorli...
+1!
Kudoes for being positive! The tablet is exciting news, even if I won't get one myself (though a stylus input could change my mind). 2.0 will be out by years end, new hardware is sounding imminent (albeit short on any official info or details) and lots of great devs jumping on board. Perhaps most exciting is HP's enthusiasm for the OS and to keeping it as open as it has been.
Good point...Stylus...I'm an old Wacom user and still can't figure out how useful a slate, PalmPad, are iPad would be without a stylus?
Hopefully Palm/HPs R&D realize there are designers who want more then Apple notions and are pushing to make a portable device that provides both touch and pen interfacing or at least gives the option for both?
Has anyone else tried using a touch only iPad for detailed work...makes me beg for a mouse and maybe that's what the iPad is missing...a device that can be used in Production. Either way, HP could make the pen input optional like Apple now does with their $20 remote controls.
I also love HP openness, Apple and Google keep closing doors that stifle innovation and thanfully developers are beginning to notice. Palm has set the footprint for a great OS that makes it easy or at least easier for developers to move their apps over to webOS and it is amazing how many groups will take these opportunities seriously. Why not, when it takes only minor time and effort to move item like: Radiant, Sparkle, Cosmic Nitro, Raging Thunder 2, and Galcon (who wrote about his porting from IOS to webOS in 3-days).
Looking forward to more apps and simply wish I was a better developer. Sorli...
I think they don't want to make the same mistake that Palm made. Namely, having too long a wait between announcement & delivery. That wait allowed competitors to catch up and even deliver before Palm. & it totally killed te buzz from CES. I know why Palm did that tho. They had an aging OS that was nearly totally irrelevant. They needed a miracle. While their hardware is aging now, they are not in the same boat as they were then. If they didn't have a homerun at CES, tey would have died quickly and had fewer suitors with quality offers like they had when they had an awesome OS bargaining chip & not just IP.
Love it. I hope to have a phone before then, but I will pick this up for sure. I hope it comes with a cheap Sprint data plan.
Excited? No. Who the hell actually uses these things? Wake me up when there's a new phone.
Hope Its Better than the ipad
I just don't see the usefulness of a tablet. Anything I can do on the tablet I can do on my phone, and it fits in my pocket. Anything else I would want to do would require a laptop or netbook.
I agree completely... Unless there's wacom input, then I might mess my pants.
Cool! I'll buy a webOS tablet ... and a new webOS phone, too, if/when they produce another one!
Announced at CES, released in June. (Please no.)
Start with apps......
I think that they should keep the codename on release and simply call it the Hurricane. PalmPad sounds stupid and clearly identifies it as a knock-off of the iPad. It needs a name that makes it sound like a great device and PalmPad does not sound like a great device. Hurricane sounds powerful and fast and if you want to compete with the iPad then you better be powerful and fast...and look good to boot. Of course, I am also going to keep my fingers crossed that the PDK continues to bring great apps to the WebOS platform and a lot of them...because no one is going to purchase a slate device that doesn't have a lot of great applications.
Any name that incorporates "pad" will just sound derivative and desperate. HP's marketing team will surely come up with a name that will make this new WebOS tablet stand out and differentiate it from its competitors.
Wow. Only 30 different companies are coming out with tablets over the next couple of quarters. Amazing considering that less than a year ago nobody was sure anyone really needed them.
They bought a smartphone company last month and phones didn't come up?
time will tell if they were focused on the right thing at this point.
convertible 10 in netbook is what I want.
All you complaining about them not mentioning a phone. Do you really think it would be fair for them to announce or spill the beans on a new smartphone without "Ruby"?
They also said Adobe Flash would be here back in 2009...
HPalm doesn't make flash, that's Adobe's issue. Ditto DataViz's Office suite.
I think HP is going to bring out a new phone asap because:
1)It's upper management's job to grow the company and smartphones are an untapped market for HP. While there are reasons why HP might think twice about the smartphone biz, their need to grow makes it irresistible.
2) People are increasingly using their phones to do what they used to do with computers. That means people won't be buying as many PC's and laptops and HP needs to have phones for them to buy.
3) HP may have be the last company to notice smartphones, but the fact that Apple is now worth more than Microsoft has to have given them a thought or two about the future.
Im worried by this... I have been waiting for a WebOS tablet and I will probably buy it, but odds are good that apple is going to release a revamped iPad in March / April 2011 since they seem to refresh iOS products every 12 months. Releasing a startup PalmPad at the same time as the next iPad is asking for weak sales. They should have it out by early Feb at the latest if they want to get a good number of units out before the next iPad hits.
Hopefully HPalm understands that their Pad needs to do a few key things to compete with iPad. 1. It HAS to have complete wireless connectivity with some HP printers. 2. It has to have a good office suite, and 3. It has to support Hulu / Netflix / FLASH! Apps will come when units sell, and these few key things will help the product sell... also a >$400 price tag would help but seems unlikely.
I will throw my hat in the ring, and just echo what many have already said.
I could care less about the tablet (in fact I just bought a netbook today), I want to see a new phone, end of story.
Whenever someone says "I could care less," (vs. "I couldn't..."), my first thought has always been "then why is it you don't?"
Couldn't have said it better myself.
And on another note, HP is supposed to be working on webOS netbooks as well... my form factor of choice would be a netbook/laptop where the screen section can detatch. Much better IMO than an iPad-style dock or the current convertible tablets where the screen swivels. Granted, many users will say "I already have blah blah blah"... there are plenty of other users in the market now, and those who have something now will want to upgrade sooner or later.
From a usage standpoint--I'm posting this from my Pre because grabbing that was faster than booting my laptop. And it's great to have the Internet on a pocketable device. I'd love to have something in between, though, for faster typing and less page scrolling.
Two form factors come to mind for me:
1 - Tablet with a kickstand and BT keyboard. No detaching needed.
2 - Laptop with a detachable lower chassis that includes an optical drive, additional I/O ports, etc and keyboard. Upper chassis is the tablet (multi-touch display, RAM, SSD, battery, selected I/O ports (display out, USB/FireWire, headphone, BT)
Optional stylus support would be nice.
I need a new laptop for school. Starting in january.... Lets make it november/december HP.
PALM!!!! Give a release date for the Palm Pre 2... You've upset my mother!!
LOL I miss those vids.
i think it's interesting that their first announcement is NOT a phone.
enlightening. And judging from the sentiment in the thread. Not the smartest move. but good luck to them.
I don't think they have "announced" anything. They answered a question from an investor if I'm not mistaken. There has been no real announcements yet.
I think it's interesting blackmagic continues to have an alternate interpretation of everything. Good thing he's not a troll. He's just not the sharpest tool in the shed.
i find it interesting you're so desperate that you follow all my posts with your trolling looking for arguments. i said nothing other then wish them good luck yet you insist that i've said something out of line. i know you're a fan boy and sorry. i couldn't care less about you're opinion. you're not objective in anyway. You'd buy whatever they put out and you're worried about hacker tools and that kind of stuff that normal consumers aren't. Good for you. The title says official. The first line is that says it all. They don't have to have a press conference to announce. They just have to say they are doing it. That's an announcement. feel free to scroll back up to the other lame response you gave about fluff apps. respond to that. i know you can't find most of those apps on other platforms. And it's not trolling to say exactly what the majority of posts in this thread said, "I have no interest in a tablet of any kind."
They answered a question, provided no product details. Not an announcement.
Rubi mentioned WebOS 2 in 2010, no details. Not an annoucement either.
Raise your standards. In the bm world they maybe announcements, but for most people thet're just peeks at the road map, with no insight on the destination.
i'd beg to differ. I think you're parsing sing words. An announcement doesn't have to be a formal press conference like Steve Jobs does. It just has to be a statement. And they gave it. Seems the author thinks it's official enough. Regardless given their prior statements about phones and their reluctance to answer questions about new phones it think it's quite telling that the first device they will confirm is tablet and not a phone.
WebOS in it's current state is not really ready for a tablet. What this means to me is that there are significant changes/improvements coming to the os. This is good news all around. The only issue is see is timing. Hopefully they'll get the device right, including 3rd party partners. Phones, if there are any, will benefit from these improvements as well.
+1
I hope you're right...and throw a couple of usb ports on it also!
Yes..++2 on that notion. HP should provide everything they can provide in their tablet running webOS without overwhelming the system. Especially interfacing and the other things Apple's iPad will never offer including ports, SD interface slots for expansion and data import (photographers dream to demo and offload shots), and heck bring back the infrared (dual) ports for quick info exchange that I miss from Palm OS and provided remote control capable tech out of the box to interface with my future 60" HP Slate Capable TV.
I suspect it's all on the way coming and 2010 and 11 should be very promising! Sorli...
Photographers don't need to "dream to offload shots to an iPad like device...they can already do it.
http://www.pdngearguide.com/gearguide/content_display/reviews/e3iee0aa73...
Your link...didnt work for me, but direct interfacing is not possible unless Apple has recently cut slots in their iPads for expansion and interfacing? PDN guide do reference the iPad as being very useful for photography, but also think it misses the boat when:
Sure, the iPad has some serious photographic liabilities. For one, there's no built-in card reader and no USB so you'll need an ugly and overpriced Apple connector to transfer images directly from your computer. And yes, there's no built-in camera (yet) but do you really care about that?
the whole article can be found here: http://smal.in/PDNGearGuide (wow it is hard to share large links, but this worked)
Either way, thanks for the link and reference PDN gear site that I've never browsed. Sorli...
It's a wireless transfer of photos. Lots of photographers are using the iPad in just that way.
Sorli: What you describe sounds way too sexy for HP. I could be wrong. Also, remember that the more they cram into it the longer it will take to make it all work properly (and the more bugs it will likely have) and the more it will all cost. I don't know if the "I-want-the-absolute-best-and-be-damned-the-cost!" crowd of IT millionaires is the demographics they are trying to go after.
I wish them good luck they are going to need it with the new Ipads, several Android tablets even hp's own Android tablet coming out soon....I won't be buying one not interested.
Three words: native touchscreen keyboard
Exactly what I was just thinking.
I would so love this for my birthday!!! having a really good night :)
I'd say the # of people that want a new WebOS phone is way > than the # of people that want a WebOS tablet, so why are they focused on answering the question no one cares about and ignoring the one everybody is asking?????? Come out with a AWESOME new & imporved WebOS 2.0 and some kick azz phone hardware, make existing Palm people happy and generate some extremely positive buzz, THEN put out the PalmPad & the printers (that the phone and pad can print to) for that 1-2-3 knock-out punch!
I agree with you kinda...I'd love a new phone, bjt then my Palm Pre on Sprint Rocks and continue loving webOS everyday with more updates like 1.4.5 and sooner then later 2.0 keeping my device in motion. I have anumber of clients being forced to upgrade their 3g and 3gs iPhones with IOS 4 mucking things up across the board. Palm check, webOS check, and hardware still usable check! I know many have had problems with their Pre, but then so have I, and I suspect most of us love keeping our units already paid for and continue to extend make more useful as software is upgraded.
For that matter, how bout HP require all cell carriers to offer tethering so I can then extend my Sprint Pre even further and use it as internet interfacing for my future PalmPad, laptop, or otherwise. Sorli...
this will be good. and i will get some of that goodness!
Duplicate...
You know, if they had made this announcement a couple of months ago, I might not have gone ahead and bought an iPad. They now have no opportunity to pick me up as a tablet customer since I've already invested in the unit, accessories, cases, etc. The reverse side is if/when they come out with a Pre successor, as long as it can use the Touchstone and all related accessories, they have me as a customer there.
I'll tell you what potna. There is a place called ebay where people will buy your used shit. I'm sure if you bundled your iPad and its accessories into a nice little package, someone will buy it. Your resale value will probably be pretty high, since it is an iPad. Come on back man!
The only way I see these cards looking good on this device is in portrait mode because it would be hard from this picture to shretch those cards to fit in landscape mode...unless they keep two cards side by side. Most likely you will have to keep flipping it to get card mode. Don't need or want a tablet but I will be checking out the many Android devices also even hp's...after all I own both.
A WebOS tablet that can control all your appliances & surf the web is what they're going for it would seem.
Ok so where do I start queing to buy one. Maybe HP needs to open some HP stores so the Palm fans can que up and the media can come and see us.
Why so many tablet haters? The wife and I were going to get a netbook for general around the house Interwebs surfing. I have a convertible tablet from work and I hate it. We hoped a netbook would be a more convenient replacement for a standard laptop. Then we used a netbook and found the small keyboard to be essentially useless and did not like the small screen. A tablet should be the perfect blend of screen size and portability, especially with a virtual keyboard.
To each his own.
I dig the idea. Too bad they waited until I'd bought the iPad. It'd take quite a product to get me to also get the webOS pad.
This one is definitely on my radar!
I'm getting tired of hearing about tablets. But you know what? I'm getting tired of people complaining about a new phone also. The Palm Pre is awesome. Still better than a lot of the phones and has the best OS out there. As far as tablets, Why do we need a tablet? An oversized phone without the phone, just like the stupid iPad. If I were to ever WANT a tablet, Id get one that is comparable to a laptop computer, not a device that just runs apps. Whats the point? My Phone does that. The Windows 7 Slate is going to kill all the other tablets out there in my opinion.
Whooooo Whaaaaaaa!!! I knew I was saving my money for a good reason!
How about the complete quote:
"You'll see us with a Microsoft product out in the near future and a webOS-based product in early 2011."
HP is really fracturing themselves. An Android e-Reader, a Win7 tablet in 2010, and a webOS tablet in 2011. I guess they are really covering all the bases.
When you are bigger than the entire ballpark, covering all the bases ain't that difficult...
Not to mention that they have had these products in the works for awhile now, with significant investment in time and money. Why throw it all away?
i worry that if HP doesnt hint at a phone more blatantly, people are going to leave webos when their contract is up. Once people switch, its hard to entice them enough to switch back in 1-2 years. what are they going to do with their paid for already apps?
The dumbphone era is almost gone, now you have to nurture people along and help them grow/expand their use of a smarphone.
When I had a dumbphone i would jump carrier almost every time b/c i was not invested in any 1 carrier really....Now, I sit with my Pre and hope that my investment of paid apps will pay forward...
I myself have a 3 year contract, and I am pretty sure most people have at least 2 years. If there is no new WebOS phone by then it will be safe to say WebOS has died....
Story today at PCWorld:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/203822/hp_tablet_hobbled_by_lack_of_webos...