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HP Slate 500 is Delayed, Cause Unknown

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My friend over at the Genghis Kent blog has informed me that he had ordered the HP Slate 500, a full Windows 7 tablet with an 8.9-inch display and an active digitizer pen. The blog notes that despite the order being placed on the first day that the Slate has been available for sale, HP is informing customers that there will be a delay in shipment:

“Due to high demand on the portable system you have selected we will not be able to fulfill the order from on hand stock, therefore we have routed your order to manufacturing for your product to be built. The average lead time to get these portables ready to ship may vary from 10 to 15 business days.”

Since Khent had ordered the device on the first day that it went on sale on HP’s website, the delay may affect a majority of HP’s customers awaiting the Slate 500.

Given the full desktop OS, the pen input as well as capacitive touchscreen, and HP’s gorgeous design behind the Slate 500, the device has received a lot of attention even though the company is only marketing the Slate to enterprise customers. The problem is that HP may not have forecasted appropriate demand for its slate.

Per the email that HP sent to customers, it seems that the delay may run around 2 to 3 weeks, but the cause of the email is unknown. What’s really odd is that the original order shows a ship date of November 12 for Khent, but the updated order tracking page–which we figured will account for the delay notice–shows a date of November 14th with a delivery date of November 15th, which is just a few days extra, not the two to three weeks that HP is forecasting.

Perhaps due to unanticipated demand since the availability of the HP Slate 500, HP has proactively sent out delay notices to all who had ordered, though the delay may only affect newer or more recent orders.

Unlike the iPad and the slew of upcoming Android slates, the HP Slate 500 runs a full Windows 7 operating system rather than a mobile OS, utilizes netbook cores with an HDD and Atom CPU rather than an ARM-based processor, and eschews an integrated mobile broadband connection. The device does have a USB port so you can either use WiFi or a USB modem if you prefer to go wireless. Moreover, it does have an active digitizer to support accurate inking on the go as well as a capacitive multitouch screen.

19 Comments

19 Comments

  1. Anonymous

    11/09/2010 at 7:56 pm

    It appears to be a sliding delay. I actually ordered a couple of days before he did (on the 22nd) and my shipping date hasn’t changed from the 12th despite receiving the same letter. At least not yet.

  2. acerbic

    11/09/2010 at 8:03 pm

    I got the same email and guessed (perhaps optimistically) that it was a standard part of the process notifying that the order has now been routed to manufacturing, as it says, and the lead time mentioned is still from when you placed your order. It was known from the start that HP doesn’t have them in stock yet.

  3. RJ

    11/09/2010 at 8:16 pm

    I ordered mine on Oct 25th and I still got the e-mail. One thing thats odd. The tracking information on my original e-mail confimation when I ordered it showed a ship date of Sunday Nov 14th.

    The tracking information in the new e-mail about the delay now shows the ship date as Friday Nov 12th, with me recieving it on Monday Nov 15th.

    Odd to get an email informing me of a delay when if anything it looks like my timetable seems to be accelerated.

  4. Tuur

    11/09/2010 at 9:11 pm

    since the Slate 500 seems to be such a big hit for HP, they should release it immediately for worldwide sale. The succes in the US was the key factor for worldwide sale.

    So what are you waiting for HP?!

  5. dstrauss

    11/09/2010 at 10:09 pm

    I got the infamous email as well, and called the number. I ordered on October 22 at 12;12 pm. Online mine still shows a planned shipping of 11/12 and estimated delivery 11/15, BUT the agent told me it will not SHIP before 11/15, possibly later. The explanation was a severe shortage of parts and extremely high demand (asked, but no details for that). She did tell me that orders AFTER 11/1 are on a 6-10 week delay in delivery (could be after Christmas). I’m convinced they had no idea there would be significant demand for the Slate 500 and had put all their eggs in the WebOS basket.

    However, this does fall in line with an article I read a month or more ago about how Apple had tied up so much flash and LCD supplies for their iPhone and iPad that it was the real competitive advantage they have over all the other manufacturers who cannot ship because of supply shortages.

  6. Haha

    11/09/2010 at 10:35 pm

    You’d think the “world’s largest PC maker” could forecast something like this correctly… also terrible marketing it to just enterprise, they could have cashed in BIG TIME during this holiday season. Just to find the product page on the HPstore you have to jump through hoops. Terrible. This thing shoulda been in all BestBuys for people to try also.

    • acerbic

      11/09/2010 at 10:53 pm

      Yeah, right… after 99.99% of the Apple worshipping tech punditry has been “reviewing” it unseen and screaming nonstop for almost a year (and still trying): “NOBODY WANTS IT! IT’LL BE A MASSIVE FLOP!! DON’T EVEN RELEASE IT!!! IT’LL BE JUST A HUGE EMBARRASSMENT!!! IFAD RULEZ FOREVERS!!!!!!!!!!” and so forth and so on. Not a huge wonder that HP isn’t actually selling them but more so letting people buy them.

  7. Jeff

    11/09/2010 at 10:53 pm

    Email I just got from sales:

    “We really apologize for the inconvenience, the estimated ship date is for 11/30/2010. Due to high demand.”

    I’m sure the “high demand” line is just spin, unless they sold out the first manufacturing lot within a couple hours. The evidence is against that though. The estimated ship dates started out as 11/11/2010 and advanced to later and later dates as time went on, indicating that orders were matched to expected manufacturing lots. Clearly something went wrong with the first lot. It’s hard to tell when we’re going to see these, if ever.

  8. Baalrog

    11/09/2010 at 11:00 pm

    I got the same delay email. My preorder was also on day one so I pressed them asking if I was put at the back of the line (after what I assume was large corporate orders), or if everyone’s order was delayed.

    All I got back was another apology and notification that my shipment will be delayed 10-15 days.

    If the EXOpc had an active digitizer I’d go back to it…tho they’re probably shipping after the slate anyway.

  9. drnkusv

    11/09/2010 at 11:56 pm

    HP’s order tracking system seems to have been down for the past couple of hours.

  10. Steve S

    11/10/2010 at 12:03 am

    I am not sure what to make of the reported status; my order shows shipping on the 12th, receipt on the 15th. Like dstrauss, that’s actually an acceleration of my original shipping date, which was the 17th…?!??

  11. Roger

    11/10/2010 at 12:31 am

    I received the same e.mail, my status shows delivery nov.15. When i called them this afternoon they gave me the same bs answer.
    I do not believe these customer service reps know anything whats going on. Hopefully, we will all receive on the promised delivery dates

  12. AG Droid

    11/10/2010 at 1:17 am

    I placed my order on October 25 and also got the same email this morning except mine does not give a specific shipping date. It just says that “Due to high demand on the portable system you have selected we will not be able to fulfill the order from on hand stock, therefore we have routed your order to manufacturing for your product to be built.The average lead time to get these portables ready to ship may vary from 10 to 15 business days.” I have a delivery date of November 15th, now it looks like it will actually be about two to three weeks later if I am reading the email correct. I am not sure if I can wait that much long :)

  13. dstrauss

    11/10/2010 at 3:19 am

    Some folks (myself included) have received offers of a $100 discount for the “inconvenience” we are experiencing for not being able to pin down when our systems will ship – this is coming from live reps in the SBS department. I even received an email confirmation of the $100 credit by email.

    I didn’t really complain more than whining about the delay and inconsistency; our need to evaluate the unit for future purchases; etc. My rep was very patient and she took pity on me, I guess.

    • AnthonyW

      11/10/2010 at 3:25 pm

      I pre-ordered on the 22nd. Received the infamous “10-15 days” email, and like others, the order status still has me receiving the Slate on the 15th. However, when I called I was told by the rep that I would not receive the Slate until the middle of December. For some reason, the order was not “dropped” until the 29th of October, and she said with a 4-6 week production time, it would not be realistically shipped until the wst/2nd week in December. I am now crossing my fingers for Dec. 13-17th. Sad because I have been on edge since pre-ordering, but I guess worth the wait.

  14. Chad Essley

    11/11/2010 at 3:59 pm

    I hope this delay is due to fixing palm rejection, or the lack thereof.
    It’s the one thing that keeps me from buying this tablet.

    Why have the active digitizer at all, if you have to hover your hand the entire time while writing? Silly.
    Try again Ntrig / HP.

    • Anonymous

      11/11/2010 at 4:32 pm

      Check out their youtube videos. The touch function turns off when the pen tip comes within hover distance. Move the pen away, touch is re-enabled.

    • Matt

      11/18/2010 at 8:17 pm

      You silly man.

      Try again Chad.

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