HP TouchPad Vs. Apple iPad

HP's TouchPad tablet went on sale Friday for $499, the same price as the iPad.

The TouchPad is the same size as the iPad, with a 9.7-inch screen. What makes the TouchPad stand out in the jam-packed tablet field is its operating system: It runs on webOS, a rare alternative to the duopoly forming around Apple's iOS and Google's (GOOG, Fortune 500) Android.



An HP executive forecast at a conference in April that the TouchPad tablet computer will be the "number one plus" product on the market.

But early reviews for the HP tablet were mixed. Walt Mossberg at All Things D proclaimed the TouchPad "simply no match for the iPad," decrying its poor battery life and lack of apps.

Laptop Magazine rated the TouchPad 2.5 stars out of 5, praising the screen's "crisp and bright images" and dual speakers that "blew us away." The review criticized the tablet's 1.6-pound weight, saying "we felt the strain on our arm when trying to use the slate one-handed after several minutes."

Engadget called the TouchPad "somewhat chunky," noting that HP can beef up the apps over time but "what won't change is the hardware ... [it] leaves you wondering why you'd ever be compelled to buy the HP when you could have the thinner, lighter alternative for the same money."

Ars Technica said the TouchPad doesn't beat the iPad, but it's "the best second-best tablet." HP is indeed gunning for the market leader, Apple, which sold 14.8 million iPads in 2010. But other competitors are coming up fast -- dozens of tablets are slated for release this year.

Would-be rivals have struggled to match the iPad's sales. RIM's PlayBook debuted in April to lackluster reviews, while Motorola's (MOT) Xoom -- the first to run Google's tablet-optimized "Honeycomb" 3.0 version of Android -- has sold sluggishly.

The 16 gigabyte TouchPad costs $499, and the 32 GB version is $599. That matches the cost for the Apple (AAPL, Fortune 500) iPad, Samsung's Galaxy Tab and Research in Motion's (RIMM) PlayBook. A version with 3G Internet connectivity through AT&T (T, Fortune 500) will be announced later this summer, HP said.

HP (HPQ, Fortune 500)'s tablet is being sold through several retailers, including Best Buy (BBY, Fortune 500), Staples (SPLS, Fortune 500), Amazon (AMZN, Fortune 500), Office Depot (ODP, Fortune 500), Walmart (WMT, Fortune 500), Sam's Club, and OfficeMax (OMX, Fortune 500). The TouchPad will be available in the United Kingdom, Ireland, France and Germany a few days after the U.S. launch. Later in the year, HP will ship the table to Italy, Spain, Australia, Hong Kong, New Zealand and Singapore

HP Opal 7-Inch WebOS Coming in August

HP recently announced the TouchPad which is their first ever WebOS tablet. WebOS is an amazing operating system and a massive challenge to operating systems like Android and iOS. At the moment, Apple iPad is ruling the tablet world but that doesn’t mean others can’t try their luck. Android entered the tablet game last year, and Android tablets are not famous like Apple iPad but they are still growing gradually. HP TouchPad is here to take down both Apple iPad and Android but it’s not an easy task. So now it looks like HP is planning to increase their WebOS tablet army because we heard a few months ago that HP is working on a 7-Inch tablet and it was codenamed as HP Opal and we also heard that it will be out this September. Opal will feature a 7-Inch display with resolution of 1024×768 and its design and dimensions will be similar to Galaxy Tab. HP didn’t tell anyone about this tablet so far but now some more information is out about this upcoming tablet.

Taiwan Economic News is reporting that Inventec Corp. which is a major Taiwanese contract manufacturer of personal computers, they will be making tablets for HP, and orders for HP TouchPad are around 400,000-450,000 every month. They are further reporting that HP will also launch 7-Inch tablet sometime in August and Inventec will be making both of them. HP is also Inventec’s largest buyer of notebooks, so no wonder HP has chosen their trusted partner for the tablets too. Inventec is planning to ship more than 20 million notebook and tablets this year.

Hopefully, HP will soon reveal their next WebOS tablet probably in August, so who’s looking forward to it, anyone?