14 DAY TRIAL // That HP was working on a webOS tablet is a rumor that emerged almost as soon as the PC maker bought off Palm, months ago, and it seems this rumor has finally been confirmed by the company itself, during an earnings call when it said that a webOS product will debut in early 2011.
Granted, a 'webOS product' can mean multiple things, from a smartphone to web-connected printers, but the context leaves little to speculation, especially with the rumors that already exist.
Not too many days ago, reports emerged stating that a webOS-based tablet would debut early next year, which makes this latest statement from HP just the official acknowledgement.
"You'll see us with a Microsoft product out in the near future and a webOS-based product in early 2011," HP's Todd Bradley, Executive Vice President of HP's Personal Systems Group, reportedly said.
This was a response to a direct question about whether or not tablet sales were actually impacting negatively on the marketing performance of netbooks (ASUS supposedly reduced its sales forecast because of this).
Bradley also added that potential slates were part of the reason why the IT player decided to acquire Palm in the first place.
Nevertheless, 2011 is still a way off, which leaves the iPad and its few rivals with a time gap of several months to exploit and squeeze money out of.
HP does, of course, intend to fill that gap somehow, which is why the so-called Microsoft product is being developed.
Unfortunately, the earning call included no statements regarding possible webOS smartphones, but there is still nothing to openly suggest that the PC giant is against investing in such a venue.
Regardless, the fact remains that the beginning of 2011 will see the rise of a HP tablet, an invention that has begun to be known, on the Internet, as the PalmPad.