HP CEO sets sights on major league mobile rivals, confirms TouchPad release date

HP CEO Leo Apotheker has laid down the gaunlet to rival mobile firms such as Apple and RIM, stating firmly that his company’s recently acquired and revitalised Palm range will not be aiming for middling sales on the mobile league tables, but pole position instead.

“We just announced our new devices, the TouchPad and the [Pre] smartphones,” Apotheker says. “Going forward, we don’t intend to play in the [minor] league in this business.”

Speaking at the HP Summit in San Francisco today, Apotheker stated that the 2010 acquistion of Palm and their webOS software would be central the company’s consumer push in 2011 and through to 2012, with cloud based tools pointing the way forward for the brand. He also revealed that the TouchPad will hit stores in June.

Though HP have the largest reach of any computing company, they’ve got a hard slog ahead of them in terms of rejuvinating and rebranding the Palm portfolio. Apple still holds the consumer sway hypnotised with their iPhone and iPad ranges, while RIM and HTC both have tablets and souped-up smartphone waiting in the wings this year.

The TouchPad and Pre3 devices look to benefit from the slick webOS software, making for a great web browsing experience, but only time will tell if consumer confidence in the brand will support Apotheker’s grand ambitions.

Via: Mashable