Microsoft and H.P. To Reveal Slate PC Ahead of Apple
It could be one of Steve Ballmer's riskiest trade show moves in years. — On Wednesday, Mr. Ballmer, Microsoft's chief executive, will unveil a novel take on a slate-type computer during his evening keynote at the Consumer Electronics trade show …
Context & Ripple Effects
Ballmer's Wednesday evening CES keynote was flagged a day earlier as high-stakes for Microsoft, and the slate reveal is why: instead of letting Apple define the tablet category first, Microsoft is putting an HP-built Windows slate on stage at high-stakes CES moment for Microsoft. It echoes a pattern from two years ago, when Microsoft teased a possible Zune/Danger device reveal at its CES keynote — using the show floor to answer questions Apple has left open.
The timing matters because Apple's own tablet is still unlaunched and surrounded by rumor: sources say it will use Verizon's 3G network outside Wi-Fi range, and analysts claim multiple carriers will support it. Meanwhile Apple's confirmed milestone of over three billion App Store downloads shows what any competing slate will be measured against — a software store, not just hardware.
First-order effects
- HP gains first-mover positioning as the PC maker with a shipping slate design, while Microsoft gets a flagship Windows 7 touch showcase at CES rather than ceding the category narrative to Apple.
- Apple's rumored tablet now has a concrete Windows-based rival to be compared against the moment it launches, raising the bar on pricing and carrier partnerships like the reported Verizon deal.
Second-order effects
- Other Windows OEMs face pressure to field their own slates quickly or concede the pre-iPad window entirely, turning CES into a de facto slate launch season.
- Wireless carriers — Verizon chief among them per the rumors — become kingmakers in the tablet market, since 3G connectivity outside Wi-Fi appears to be a baseline expectation for these devices.
Third-order effects
- The episode tests whether the Windows OEM licensing model can compete in touch-first hardware against Apple's integrated hardware-plus-store stack, where three billion app downloads set the ecosystem benchmark.
- If slates take hold, PC makers shift from selling general-purpose laptops toward fashionized, consumption-oriented devices whose success depends on software stores and carrier deals rather than spec sheets.
The trend: Slate computing is becoming the next platform battleground where Microsoft's OEM partners race Apple's vertically integrated stack to define the category.