HP heralds enterprise tablet push with eight new releases

The firm claims the new devices will be suitable for a range of businesses including education and healthcare

HP has declared its focus on the enterprise tablet market as it released eight new tablet devices which will run on Windows and Android.

The firm claims that the new launches cater for all types of businesses and organisations, including in the education, field service and healthcare sectors.

Ron Coughlin, senior vice president and general manager of personal systems at HP, said: "No other company is better suited to address commercial mobility than HP.

"Our devices feature built-in security, manageability and durability, when paired with our ISVs' robust solutions. HP has created an ecosystem that helps companies to powerfully and securely harness the promise of mobility."

Among the new launches are the HP Pro Slate 8 and HP Pro Slate 12, which are commercial Android tablets and are priced at $449 (£297) and $569 respectively.

Joey Hemingbrough, director of business development at HP partner AAG Systems said: "Trying to make it more competitive but with a business twist, which is what the Slate Pro 12 is all about... is a great idea and there is definitely space in the market for it."

Hemingbrough also commented that there is more room for growth in the business side of the tablet market than the consumer side.

"Everyone is expecting massive growth in the mobile device market this year," she said. "I think the problem is the consumers have been first to market and the offering in the consumer space, from a price point perspective, has been much more appealing than the B2B and enterprise side.

"So the fact that vendors are finally coming to the table and offering a B2B tablet at a better price, that's what will drive the business."

The worldwide tablet market witnessed a dramatic slowdown in growth last year, with sales growth at 4.3 per cent, which was down from 2013 when shipments were up 68 per cent on the previous year, according to Gartner.

The analyst expects the tablet market to ship 233 million units in 2015, which would be an increase of eight per cent from 2014.

In the past Apple and Samsung have dominated the tablet market, but according to IDC, other competitors such as Lenovo are beginning to catch up.