14 DAY TRIAL // The first tablet PC in the world that would run under the webOS mobile operating system is expected to land on shelves sometime in March, in line with the “early 2011” estimation that HP provided for the release of this device.
BMO Capital Markets analyst Keith Bachman is the one to suggest that HP would manage to release the slate in about three months from now. Previously, Stifel Nicolaus analyst Doug Reid mentioned March too as the expected release window for the device, a recent article on Forbes reads.
HP already confirmed plans to release a tablet PC on the market, and some even suggested that this was the main reason for which the company bought phone maker Palm earlier this year.
webOS, Palm's mobile platform, should be packed inside a wider range of devices than just smartphones, and tablet PCs would be one segment HP is expected to focus on.
As stated above, HP confirmed that the webOS tablet PC was on track for an “early 2011” release, but it did not offer a specific launch date for it.
Moreover, info on the device itself lack as well, though some rumors on the matter did emerge, including info on a Palm “Mansion” device that would arrive on shelves in Q1 next year with webOS on board.
This device would boast a 5-inch touchscreen display, making it slightly larger than current smartphones, though some suggest it might be included in this device segment when announced officially.
We should also note that HP / Palm made some steps towards ramping up the development of applications for webOS devices with larger form factors.
Recently, they were said to be working on new development framework for software builders, namely Enyo, a Javascript app tool that would be released in early 2011 as a SDK, and which should replace the Mojo SDK, it seems.
Next year should bring some highly appealing webOS-based device on the market, including the said tablet PC, so stay tuned to learn more on them.