If you think PCs are boring, you should see HP’s catalogue at IFA 2016 as the company has showcased two rather unorthodox computers in Berlin today.
The first of the two PCs is the HP Elite Slice. From a glance, the Elite Slice may look like HP’s take of the mini PCs such as Apple’s Mac Mini. Measuring at 6.5″ per side and 1.4″ tall, the Elite Slice looks to be a super compact PC.The Elite Slice can house up to a 6th-gen Intel Core i7 processor, and will run on Windows 10 Pro. However, that’s just half the story of the Elite Slice, as the main selling point for this particular PC comes from the fact that it is a modular PC.
Yes, the HP Elite Slice comes with a variety of modules, such as an audio module that sports a 360 degree speaker system and a microphone, a disc drive module, and even a VESA plate module for those who wish to mount the Elite Slice onto something else. As the Elite Slice is a PC aimed for offices, HP Elite Slice will also come with a moduled called the Collaboration Cover. This module turns the top of the PC into a Skype for Business phone, allowing you to initiate a preset Skype call by touching a capacitive button on the shell. Furthermore, the Elite Slice with Collaboration Cover module will come with its own Skype number. The HP Elite Slice will be available sometime this month, and will have a starting price of USD429 (RM1,751).
Aside from the modular Elite Slice, the second PC that HP unveiled today looks more like a speaker than an actual PC. Called the HP Pavilion Wave, this PC is a tall triangular prism that is covered almost completely in a woven black and white fabric. The gaps in the fabric exposes the machine’s USB and headphone jacks in the front, as well as the variety of ports located at the back. The computer itself will also come with a large central speaker that blasts sound out in all directions from the Pavilion Wave’s sloped top cover.
Specifications-wise, the Pavilion Wave can be equipped with an i3 or an i5 processor, a 1TB hard drive or a 128GB SSD, between 8 and 16GB of RAM, and either integrated graphics or AMD’s R9 M470 GPU. The Pavilion Wave will be available in October with a starting price of USD530 (RM2,164).
