HP Skewers Apple's iPad With Slate Demo Videos

Hewlett Packard is poised to challenge Apple and its hot new iPad with the HP Slate. Slate won't be available in time for iPad's planned April 3 launch, but HP is wasting no time taking aim at Apple with a pair of subtle, but unmistakable jabs at Apple's personality and the iPad's lack of support for Adobe Flash.

A pair of videos, since shared and re-posted all over the blogosphere, surfaced on HP's Voodoo Blog just a few hours after Apple aired a surprise TV commercial for iPad in primetime during Sunday's Oscar presentation.

HP debuted Slate, a Windows 7-based tablet, at CES in January.

"With this Slate product, you're getting a full Web browsing experience in the palm of your hand," wrote Phil McKinney, vice president and CTO for HP's personal systems group (PSG). "No watered-down Internet, no sacrifices."

McKinney introduces the first video, which is a demo of the Slate that appears similar in style and tone to Apple's iPad ad. Like the iPad ad and similar ads Apple has used in the past for its iPhone and iPod Touch, HP's demo shows two hands holding up the Slate's screen and showing off some of its various features. No precious Apple-style indie rock here, rather, cranking beats on the soundtrack, as McKinney points out when he urges viewers to "Enjoy the short clip (and the techno soundtrack)."

The second video is a less oblique stab at Apple, taking aim at what some perceive to be one of the iPad's biggest drawbacks: no Flash support.

McKinney: "A big bonus for the Slate product is that, being based off Windows 7, it offers full Adobe support."

HP has not yet confirmed specs or a release date for Slate, but it joins the growing ranks of PC makers -- including Dell and several Chinese manufacturers -- planning to release new tablet PCs.

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