HP is changing the way desktop PCs look with the introduction of the HP Pavilion Wave and the HP Elite Slice. The two PC lines each have their own specialties — the Wave is for audiophiles and the Slice is for communications and productivity apps — and will be available beginning in September.
The HP Pavilion Wave is aimed at home users looking for an aesthetically-pleasing tower but optimized for entertainment and productivity. Designed with a small form factor, the Pavilion Wave is meant to be a tower PC replacement — one with higher-end audio capabilities than is typical for a home computer.
It comes outfitted with a parabolic reflector that pushes out sound coming out of the built-in speaker grill in a full 360-degree arc. With the reflector on top, HP is aiming to make the PC attractive to audiophiles.
The Pavilion Wave is also equipped with the ability to support as many as two 4K displays, three USB 3.0 ports, one USB 3.1 Type-C port, one HDMI port, one DisplayPort, Gigabit Ethernet and a microphone/telephone jack. It was designed to be a high-performance home PC and comes with 6th Generation Intel Core i7 quad-core desktop processors, up to 2 TB of HDD storage, up to 16 GB of DDR4 system memory and an optional SSD with up to 128 GB of storage space.
The HP Pavilion Wave will be available for resale on September 23.
The HP Elite Slice is the more business-oriented of the two new PC lines. Designed with business productivity and collaboration applications in mind, the Elite Slice is an ultra-small form factor unit that measured 6.5″ x 1.38″ x 6.5″ and weighs 2.31 lbs.
The Slice is cableless and connects to displays using a single USB 3.1 Type-C cable. Using the HP Collaboration Cover, the Elite Slice can be used as a Skype for Business phone. The PC also features wireless charging capabilities to avoid cable clutter.
A version of PC, dubbed the HP Elite Slice for Meeting Rooms, will also be available. This version of it is a conferencing room unit that features one-touch meeting start.
The HP Elite Slice and HP Elite Slice for Meeting Rooms are expected to be available in September.
