HP Slate: An "Open" Competitor to Apple's iPad?

This video shows that the Windows 7 on HP Slate can offer similar features to the Apple iPad. Further, this device is a full computer running all of the Windows 7 applications you use everyday without restrictions. (And if it runs Windows it will probably run Linux without a hitch too.)

Flash content is fully enabled. Putting all of the video on the web into the palm of your hand. This is a major distinguishing factor for the Slate. It is true that HTML 5 is already running and available to YouTube users. I might add that I have used the HTML5 version of YouTube on my iPad simulator and it runs quite nicely. Still, Microsoft is yet to release an HTML 5 compliant browser. This means that developers will continue to be dependent on Flash (or other browser plug-ins) to provide in-page video content for browsers as old as IE 8, at least.

By the way, IE 6, which was released in August of 2001, just had a funeral and most web content providers would still gasp at the idea of not offering a suitable video option for that browser. If history is an indicator, it will be 2020 before we can actually deliver video content over the web without relying on a plugin. (Also, Steve Jobs doesn't just hate Flash he hates all plug-ins, just read the iPhone SDK TOU)

It is good that this device offers so many options because there is no question that the HP slate will need to differentiate itself from the iPad. Apple is open to reducing the price of the iPad if demand lags, so undercutting the iPad is not an option for HP.

Finally, while on paper, or even in a video, this tablet may look like more than a match for the iPad, I recently had a chance try out the Windows multi-touch experience. It was slow, awkward, and frustrating.

In the end the key factor may be usability. If this Windows 7 tablet frustrates users back onto their laptops, the product could have a short life.

The real competitor to the Apple iPad could just be Google's coming Chrome OS...