There is a lot of Tablet PC hardware news on engadget.com. http://tabletpcs.engadget.com/ Some of it appears to be very well informed and some of it is wild speculation, but it's all interesting to read. Of course, I am not going to go into detail and sort out one from the other in this blog but I will make a few comments.
The new Averatec C3500 was featured on engadget this week. The product hit the streets last week and is creating a lot of buzz. Averatec is still filling the channel so availability may vary by store and by location but one can buy them today at our local Costco for $1279. That's a very compelling price for the feature set and according to our carefully crafted, scientifically proven, market research (eg, we asked the Costco sales person standing in closest proximity to the display unit), the initial sell through is much better than expected. Probably the most interesting feature of the unit is the integration of a DVD/CDRW drive into a 12” display package. Gateway and Acer are already out there with 14” models but this is the first 12” model, giving a choice to those that prefer a smaller form factor with their DVD drive. We will see other 12” convertibles with integrated optical drives later in the year, as well as new 14“ models. Tablet PC hardware continues to evolve and diversify to provide a value proposition to a variety of end users. Many thanks to our hardware partners.
In the original posting, which appears to have changed, Peter speculated that Averatec was planning to release a 64bit version later this fall. Don't hold your breath. It's a big leap to connect the fact that the unit is powered by an AMD processor to the conclusion that a 64bit version is soon to follow. 64bit tablets will happen but it's not the near term direction. It's just not clear that the cost/benefit equation makes sense for the majority of tablet users today.
