HP's Slate: PC of Profits?

HP Slate

HP Slate

Tablet computers are shaking up the computer industry. And no doubt—HP's Slate has been the big buzz at CESlast week. Some say the timing couldn't be better for HP with the company unveiling the Slate ahead of Apple's version of the tablet computer.

Maria Bartiromo talked with Hewlett Packard's Todd Bradley at CES about the potential boost from the Slate. Bradley told Bartiromo he continues "to see adoption of mobile product, of connected mobile products, notebooks and minis. We've worked on the Slate for a long time and I think the Slate will be the next road that brings that connective experience into the home."

When asked about the strategic decision to come out with the Slate before Apple's tablet, Bradley told Bartiromo "this industry has always been a hyper-competitive industry. As a leader, we don't tend to respond to what other companies do. We've focused on this product in this space for a long time. We've talked to customers about it. We know it's a set of features that customers want."

Outside of the tablet PC, HP announced it is testing Qualcomm's Snapdragon chip for use in a scaled-down personal computer. The company is also working on a so-called smart book computer that uses Snapdragon.

Donna Burton contributed to this article.

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