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Digital News Report – Although Steve Ballmer did not reveal their own tablet, the CEO of Microsoft did tout a the new Hewlett Packard (HP) Slate tablet. Tablets are becoming the rage and Google and Apple are rumored to be working on their own content-rich tablets.
Apple’s Tablet is expected to replace their iPod, laptop, and maybe the iPhone. So far, neither Apple nor Google are saying whether they are producing a tablet, but neither company can ignore the future inroads the Amazon Kindle and Sony offerings are making. Google’s tablet is rumored to include their Chrome Browser.
While Apple is expected to make the announcement at a January 27th event in San Francisco, the word is that the Slate has lowered the bar for Tablets.
Ballmer liked it because it was running MS Windows 7. But Tony Bradley with PC World calls the Slate “underwhelming.” This new device is expected to transform the computer, book, magazine and newspaper business forever.
Whether “slate” or “tablet”, there is no doubt that the new computer may look flat in the future. Besides Apple’s “iSlate”, Dell is also coming out with their slate. Expect numerous companies to offer their version over the next year.
Sam Lee