Samsung to Release Slate PC, Promises More Power and Ports Than iPad

First eReaders, now this. APC reports that Samsung is getting into the tablet game. Philip Newton, director of Samsung Australia’s IT division, told APC that the company would release a slate PC in the second half of this year. Based on other statements he’s made criticizing the iPad’s lack of processing power and lack of ports, the site predicts an Atom-based tablet. And that means we could see something Windows-based, or maybe Chrome.

Here’s what Newton had to say about the iPad.

“The problems I see with the iPad are its processing power and (lack of) connectivity to a certain extent.”

Though everyone is getting in on the tablet thing now, Samsung at least has a history of making these kinds of devices. Remember the 2006 Q1? Or last year’s Q1EX (pictured at right)? This time around, they aren’t aiming for a niche market, though. Emmanuele Silanesu, also of Samsung Australia, says that a properly powered slate would have wider commercial appeal.

“…I think we could get critical mass in having a product which could become your primary device – one you could take to university and do a PowerPoint presentation on it, for example, or a device that could be taken home or to the office and docked.”

Samsung may be onto something, but it’s going to take a lot more than an Atom CPU and a dock or extra ports to stand out. We’ll be more interested to see what interface Sasmung uses, how the company leverages its entertainment chops to deliver compelling content, and how it plans to integrate its slate with Samsung TVs and cell phones through the use of technologies like DLNA.