With HP tablet out of the scene, who can challenge Apple?

The sudden death of the HP tablet line does not look good for iPad competitors. All electronics eventually become junk. With the exception of my FM radio, or a stereo receiver, very few things have life longer than 5-10 years. It may also be the case for laptops, even though a year old ThinkPad a31 is used for 5 hours a day by my 70 years old mother. Tablet may have a similar life, but how much more often can we use the internet?

Regarding the Lenovo ThinkPad tablet, it may be the most promising device. Having a screen under my graphics tablet, I may find it a little easier doing graphic editing /drawing. Security features are also plus for the ThinkPad tablet.
As for challenging the iPad - Apple has a mass of consumer who are just happy with whatever they release. I am happy with my Lenovo ThinkPad T61p, but I know that any design can be improved.

I have no need for a music player, nor for social networking, so any device would be fine assuming speed and build quality are up to par. Having fixed buttons is a step up from other tablets as the less you touch the screen the more efficiently you are browsing, reading or enjoying whatever you are doing.