Will HP’s Business Tablet Stall Over Clover Trail Troubles?

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HP hasn’t competed in the tablet segment for more than a year when it pulled its TouchPad tablet off the market just a few weeks after its debut. This past June, HP began talking in earnest about a business-focused, x86 tablet as it backed away from building an ARM-based Windows RT device. The trick, of course, with a business-directed tablet is combining productivity features with IT-level security and system management, and HP officials believe they have met that standard with this device.

But, HP’s euphoria aside, there’s gum in the works, as new word surfaced that Intel is scuffling to provide suitable power management firmware for Clover Trail-based devices, delaying the platform and perhaps throwing touch-based Windows 8 application development into a tizzy.

Last week, Intel chief executive Paul Otellini reportedly told employees at a private meeting in Taiwan that Windows 8 will not be fully baked before its debut Oct. 26, a move he said Microsoft could correct after the software ships. While Intel subsequently walked back Otellini’s statement, it’s entirely conceivable that he was providing cover for the chip maker’s firmware difficulties.

A Clover Trail stall could slow time to market not only for HP’s ElitePad but also for a slew of vendors with similar tablet entries in progress, including Acer, ASUS, Dell (NASDAQ: DELL), Fujitsu, LG Electronics, Lenovo, Samsung and ZTE — a list Intel enumerated just last week.

In HP’s case, the vendor isn’t intending to deliver the as yet un-priced ElitePad 900 until January 2013, so it’s likely to skirt any Clover Trail-related delays.

As for the ElitePad 900, the device offers a stylish, machined aluminum look accented by Corning Gorilla glass, weighs in at 1.5 pounds and is 9.2mm thick. It sports up to 2GB of RAM with either 32 GB or 64GB SSD, features 1,280×800 screen resolution (probably sub-par for power users) and includes a 1080p front-facing camera and 8MP rear camera. A new HP application called PageLift, which requires Windows 8 Pro to run, automatically adjusts the contrast of a captured image of a whiteboard, paper contract or other document, making it ready to use or share without manual editing.

As for the tablet’s business-friendly features, HP rolled out two option bundles, the ElitePad Productivity Jacket, containing an integrated keyboard, connectivity ports, SD card reader and adjustable viewing angles; and the ElitePad Expansion Jacket, which adds USB, HDMI and other connectivity, and longer battery life. Further enhancements include a rugged case, docking station and a tablet pen. Enterprise-focused security features include HP’s Client Security, Drive Encryption, Security Manager and BIOS Protection.

HP, which in the past five weeks has unveiled touch-enabled notebooks, all-in-one desktops and a new lineup of consumer and business PCs, likely will unleash its channel partners to sell the ElitePad 900 to business customers in what should prove to be a far more successful rollout than its previous foray into the tablet market.