HP could unveil iPad competitor device early in 2011

There is no doubt that Apple have stolen a massive lead in the tablet market this year with the highly successful launch of the iPad – one of the most talked about and sought after gadgets in recent history – but their competitors are likely to be hot on their heels in 2011.

The Android powered Samsung Galaxy entered the battle in September and is soon to be followed into the tablet space by the forthcoming Blackberry PlayBook, with an additional Windows enabled ‘slate’ product expected to be released soon. Now online speculation has thrown HP’s name into the mix, with a predicted Palm tablet release just beyond the New Year.

Credible sources such as FoxNews.com, CNET and The Business Insider were circulating the rumours on 21st December, with tech watchers the world over enthralled by the exciting news.

FoxNews.com stated, “HP will introduce three models of the PalmPad at CES, with minor hardware differences distinguishing them. All three will run a new iteration of the WebOS operating system, version 2.5.1; they're collectively a spin-off of the never-released HP Slate. The consumer version of the PalmPad will run on Sprint's fast 4G network, but otherwise it has hardware specs nearly identical to Apple’s iPad.”

HP had recently indicated that such a product launch was probable and now it seems that Apple will have to step up the pace once again to stay ahead of the pack.

Of course, the greater the choice the better for the consumer and any new releases from the major hardware manufacturers will come to market with new features - based on predictions as to what Apple will bring to the party with the second generation iPad which is also rumoured to be scheduled for a 2011 Q1 release.