A leaked slide from HP shows that the company is working on a Windows 8 tablet that will be thinner than the iPad. The slate will feature a 10.1-inch display and boast battery life in the 8-10 hour range, according to a "trusted" source as reported by Neowin.
The tablet in the slide below is being billed as a business device, tentatively known as the HP Slate 8. The unit's specifications note that it will accept multi-touch or digital pen input and will be compatible with enterprise-level docking. There's also an "outdoor viewing option" but without any other details, we aren't sure what this means.
One of the more interesting facets of the Slate 8 is that it will be an x86 device. CEO Meg Whitman said earlier this year that HP will release x86-based PCs by the end of 2012 and this could very well be one of the first.
The graphics in the slide are admittedly bad but Neowin says that their source is adamant that this is the working specs list and the tablet is an early mockup of what the final product could look like.
Unfortunately there isn't a release date or any pricing information on the slide. We know that the slate won't hit the market until at least later this year when Microsoft releases Windows 8, likely around October. If HP can deliver this enterprise-level tablet without the business-level price tag, it certainly stands a chance to be successful. Surely we don't have to remind you about the TouchPad fiasco of last year?