CES 2010 : HP Doesn't Say When It Will Launch Slate PC (But It Will Be In 2010)

A Hewlett-Packard spokesperson would only confirm to Betanews this morning that the unnamed 'slate' PC demonstrated by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer during his keynote address to CES 2010 yesterday evening, was not a current entry in the TouchSmart series being demonstrated to consumers by HP at the show this week. Rather, it's a completely new product that will likely have a new brand and a special campaign, and its availability is only being slated for "this year."

With a number of other PCs being unveiled yesterday for near-immediate availability, including the convertible TouchSmart tm2 tablet/notebook (available January 17 at $949 MSRP), it would appear the earliest product cycle that the HP "slate" would make is the back-to-school timeframe. That would peg a product announcement for around August. Expect the price point to be premium.

"We're talking about something that is almost as portable as a phone and as powerful as a PC running Windows 7," stated Ballmer yesterday, in introducing the HP "slate" along with two other models. "The emerging category of PCs really should take advantage of the touch and mobility and capabilities of Windows 7, and are perfect, perfect for reading, for surfing the Web, and for taking entertainment on the go."

Ballmer's comments indicate that HP's rollout will be timed to coincide with a concerted rollout of slate form-factor PCs running Windows 7, which would include the other two models shown from Pegatron -- which Ballmer would only describe with the single word "bigger" -- and Archos.

"Our OEM partners are doing some great work with slate PCs that'll be rolling into the marketplace this year," stated Ballmer, maintaining the same emphasis on "this year" as HP's spokesperson to us this morning.

The HP device shown yesterday evening did not appear to be the dual-screen tablet that's the subject of much rumor and speculation, under the code-name "Courier."