HP Slate 500 "high demand" stock warning prompts pre-order puzzlement

HP's Slate 500 tablet is leaving some pre-order customers confused, with the company blaming "high demand" for delays in shipment. Genghis Kent bought a Slate 500 on October 25, the very first day, but has just received an email from HP saying they "will not be able to fulfill the order from on hand stock" and instead he may be facing a 10-15 day delay from manufacturing.

However, adding to the confusion, the estimated ship date in HP's own tracking systems claims the Slate 500 will be shipped on November 14 for a November 15 delivery; that's only two days later than originally indicated, and indeed earlier than other reports we've seen that suggest November 17 instead. Other buyers say their ship date has remained the same, despite having received the same stock warning email.

It seems HP may have hedged their bets with Slate 500 stock and planned to manufacture on-demand rather than face a mountain of unsold units. More information on the tablet here.

HP Slate 500 vs Apple iPad:

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