As a follow-up to our article about cheap imitators, we now direct your attention to a not-quite-so-cheap, very real competitor: Hewlett Packard is seeking to trademark the name “PalmPad.”
HP’s recent purchase of Palm, and its WebOS, would lead one to think they have opted for a WebOS-based tablet, rather than the Windows 7-based tablet (called the Slate) that they presented at the Consumer Electronics Show in January.
According to Jack Gold, an analyst at J. Gold Associates, there’s a need to move to market fast to compete with iPad’s success. ”It’s likely that HP will put a PalmPad on sale within one to two quarters, and before year’s end.”
“Can HP put out a device quickly that will [have] high enough performance [in the processor] to compete with iPad? That’s the $64,000 question.”
Good post. I used to be a Palmist and I’m intrigued to see what transpires from the HP/Palm marriage.