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Would somebody please make an iPad competitor? Dell, Samsung, Motorola, RIM and, now, Hewlett-Packard have all failed. Perhaps the best that can be said about the TouchPad is that it has an email client and shows promise, perhaps realizable a year or more from now.

First off, I’ve said that the the tablet war is already over and Apple’s iPad has won. Nevertheless, hope springs eternal and the latest arrival has a lot riding on it.

And, for the cynical, there’s no let down whatsoever. Thereupon, PCWorld sums up HP’s first WebOS-powered tablet thusly:

[T]he TouchPad will be a tough sell in comparison with Apple’s dominant iPad 2, and even with the nearest Android rivals. Great-sounding audio output, a clean interface design, and the ability to print will not alone sell the TouchPad.

Similarly, Jason Snell at Macworld adds his measure:

So what I’m saying is, I’m glad that HP finally shipped the TouchPad. If it can get developers engaged in its platform and iron out all the bugs while also growing webOS as a smartphone operating system, it might really have something here. But that’s a story about the future, and about potential.

Yup, there’s lot of promise nascent in the HP TouchPad and Apple might have to worry about it this time next year. But, this has been the nearly universal verdict vis-a-vis tablets that aren’t the iPad.

Somebody? Anybody, please?

Whereas I am a happy iPad user and Apple fan in general, some real competition will be good for everyone. It’s a pity that we won’t be seeing any until at least 2012.

On the bright side, at least HP’s TouchPad has an email client…

What’s your take?

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