Apple iPad sparks war of the tablets

The Hewlett-Packard Slate tablet PC.

The war of the tablets has begun, with companies like HP, Dell, Sony, Lenovo and Microsoft readying devices that will go head-to-head with Apple's iPad following its launch next month.

Manufacturers have already convinced us to shell out for smartphones and netbooks but many are now predicting the sweet spot may be the tablet form factor, which sits between a laptop and smartphone and is operated by touch.

Tablets are virtually as powerful as a regular PCs but are small enough to be used as a portable internet and media devices for browsing web pages, reading books and magazines, watching videos and playing games.

At the recent Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the tablet emerged as the industry's next hot platform, with several major PC manufacturers expected to sell iPad competitors. Up to 15 tablet devices are expected to be launched this year, most powered by Google's Android platform.

Gartner researchers have predicted 10.5 million tablet PCs would ship this year.

Within hours of Apple debuting a new ad at the Oscars announcing the iPad would go on sale in the US on April 3 and in other territories like Australia in "late April", HP released a new video showing off its own upcoming tablet.

Furthermore, Microsoft's Courier tablet concept, which features two 7-inch multitouch screens that fold together like a booklet, is reportedly in the "late prototype" stage.

Unlike the iPad, the Courier device is manipulated both with fingers and a stylus. Microsoft founder turned full-time philanthropist, Bill Gates, who unsuccessfully tried to push the tablet form factor for a decade, recently criticised the iPad's lack of pen input.

The Wall Street Journal recently reported that Sony was gearing up to release a tablet-like device among a range of new portable computers, including a smartphone that will be able to play PlayStation games. Additionally, Dell has said it will launch a family of tablets in a range of sizes this year.

The HP Slate device, set for release some time this year, is similar in size to the iPad but runs Windows 7. In releasing the new video HP took a not so subtle dig at Apple's device, which does not support Flash-based web content and video.

"With this slate product, you're getting a full web browsing experience in the palm of your hand. No watered-down internet, no sacrifices," wrote HP vice president and chief technology officer Phil McKinney on the company's blog.

HP released a second video specifically showing off the tablet's support for Adobe Flash and Air, including video playback from MTV.com, a Spongebob Squarepants game, photo editing at Photoshop.com and the digital version of The New York Times.

Support for Adobe's technologies is seen as critical because publishers around the world are partnering with Adobe to release digital tablet versions of their content that are interactive and operated using multi-touch.

However, even though the tablet versions of titles such as Wired Magazine and The New York Times were made with Adobe technology, they will be adapted to work on the iPad.

But it is not just Flash support that is missing from the iPad - Apple's e-book store and reading software, iBooks, will only be available in the US at launch. Apple would not say when iBooks would launch in Australia.

Both the WiFi and WiFi + 3G versions of the iPad will be available in Australia but prices have yet to be announced. APC magazine claims to have obtained leaked pricing details saying the RRP for the 16GB WiFi version will be A$649 (NZ$925), while the 64GB WiFi version will be A$829 (NZ$1180)

Users of the versions with 3G wireless broadband support will need to buy a separate telco data plan to get online when not near a WiFi hotspot, as Apple has confirmed that the iPad will not be able to piggyback of the iPhone's data connection using "tethering".

But even though the iPad lacks some key features, it remains to be seen whether Google Android or Windows-based tablets will be able to compete with the tens of thousands of apps that will be available to iPad users from Apple's successful App Store.

- © Fairfax NZ News