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Two weeks ago, HP announced it was killing the TouchPad, its competitor to Apple’s iPad, after only 42 days on the market. To clear its inventory, HP slashed the price of the device to from $499 to $99 for 16 GB models and from $599 to $149 for 32 GB models.
At those prices, the TouchPad became as coveted as the iPad at its launch. HP’s website sold out within hours, crashing several times during the frenzy. Stores that matched HP’s prices sold out immediately. The TouchPad was a trending topic on Twitter all weekend.
For those of you who wanted a TouchPad at these low, low prices but missed out on the big sale, good news! HP just announced that they will be manufacturing more tablets and selling them at the discounted prices in a few weeks. Stay tuned to The Wonder of Tech for further information.
People craved the TouchPad at $99, even though it was not clear that its WebOS operating system would continue to be supported. The number of apps for the TouchPad pales in comparison to the number of apps for the iPad, but the TouchPad offers basic apps such as email, Facebook, Twitter, Kindle, WeatherBug, Pandora, Angry Birds and a web browser. You can load photos, videos and music onto the tablet as well. At $99, the tablet is cheaper than a digital photo frame or a Kindle reader.
Some people who already own an iPad bought the TouchPad as a spare tablet so their kids would leave their iPads alone. Others plan to reprogram (“root”) the device so it will run Android. Some purchasers believe that the WebOS operating system will live on.
The fervor over the TouchPad has raised an interesting question. What is the price at which tablets can compete with the iPad? At $99, HP is selling the TouchPad at a loss, but is there a market for a low priced, basic tablet that could be a competitor to the iPad?
Please vote in today’s poll and let us know your opinion:
This isn’t just mere speculation. Amazon is expected to launch its own tablet in October. Clearly demand for tablets exists if prices are low. With Amazon’s Android App Store, the company is well positioned to sell its tablets for lower prices while recouping its investment through the sale of apps.
Exciting times ahead for tech!
Did you try to buy a TouchPad? Were you interested in buying one but missed out on the big sale the first time? What would you use a $99 tablet for? Let us know in the Comments section below.
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Not sure about this, if I could get it to run Android and it hooked up to my wi-fi, I would probably have one…
My brother said he didn’t think his laptop would hook up to his wi-fi, his house is 1/2 mile away. I connected it to mine! lol
I was checking out my family tree on the net this morning.. Interesting. I must visit the Stratford upon Avon / Warwick area next year and see what I can dig up…
Hi Mike, Wow, your laptop must have a powerful antenna to pick up a Wi-Fi signal 1/2 mile away. I hope he has his network secured!
Interesting information on researching your family tree. Any relation to Bill Shakespeare? That would explain your great writing on your blog. 🙂
Thanks for your visit, votes and wonderful comment!
Yeah, I would root it and run Android on it. Mainly for a geeky pleasure that doesn’t cost me much. But really, $99 economy doesn’t work for a company to produce a tablet device. I am sure as with every electronic device, the prices would fall. But right now, I hear HP spends (or has spent) about $260 for making it, and now doing a distress sale. So buying it for way below the cost is unjustified.
In fact yet another device, Nook, is supposedly making a loss in each device. It sells for approx $250 where they are absorbing some loss, which they hope will be offset by the eBook sale. Amazon may join that model soon.
As far as the tablet I want to keep and keep using, its only iPad.
Hi iRewardChart, It will be interesting to see how well Android runs on a TouchPad. There are some who think it would be too unstable and a nightmare to operate. Others say it’s the best deal out there.
Yes, I agree, $99 is too steep a loss for companies, but that’s why some are questioning why HP is manufacturing a second run of the devices. Some say to keep suppliers happy, but better to pay off suppliers than to sell at such a big loss. Perhaps there is still life left in WebOS? I’m thinking HP must have some incentive to have more WebOS devices out in the world beyond keeping suppliers happy. But maybe that’s just wishful thinking.
I wonder if Amazon sees the reaction to the TouchPad and lowers the price of its tablet a smidge. The demand for tablets is there at the right price. the 32 GB tablet also sold out at $150. So what is the price for excitement vs. how much can Amazon recoup through app and Kindle book sales? This will be a very interesting Fall season in the world of tech.
Thank you so much for your visit, helpful tweet and astute comment. And congratulations on The Best App Ever being featured on the Today Show this week!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dStT7Fi6ue0&lc=7Y5VKjEp2VjgNRH6qmRF3ezxtiyG776d3JuRw1Je3bY&feature=inbox
Great piece!
Hi Carolyn,
I still haven’t bought an iPad, but to me, it’s the iPad or nothing. It helps that the price is cheap, and at $99 I would definitively have bought it if I didn’t know about the iPad 🙂
Off I go, talk to you soon…
Jens
Hi Jens, I had a feeling many people would think the same way you do. From the poll results so far, over a quarter of the voters agree with you.
What I think is especially fascinating is that everyone has voted that they want a tablet. That would not have been the result two years ago, before the iPad launched.
What does the future hold? Can’t wait to see!
Thanks so much, Jens, for your visit, awesome tweet and wonderful comment! 🙂
I may Buy it if it does all that an 450$ ipad does for me.
Hi Amit, Well the TouchPad doesn’t do all that the iPad does, but that is principally because the TouchPad doesn’t have anywhere near the number of apps that the iPad does. Will app developers create apps for the TouchPad? Maybe some will based upon how many TouchPads were sold during the sale. But it’s difficult to imagine that the number of apps for the TouchPad will ever approach the number of apps available for the iPad.
But if the TouchPad has enough apps you will use, the $99 price may be a great deal for you!
Thank you, Amit for stopping by again and sharing your comment with us! 🙂
I would indeed. Especially if you could root it with an Android device. I see myself mostly using it for reading on the web or Kindle App.
I want flash on a tablet so I ruled out the iPad for that reason, but if the HP tablet could do that for $99 dollars I would sincerely consider it.
What was your thought? Would you buy it?
Hi Bryce, I didn’t mention it in the article because I didn’t want to sway the votes, but I voted for the second option. I bought one so that my kids would leave my iPad alone! My kids are also reading Kindle books a lot so having an extra Kindle reader will be helpful.
I will keep you posted when HP is offering the TouchPad again. I hope they give people advance notice this time!
Thanks, Bryce, for your visit and wonderful comment! 🙂
Carolyn, The best part I’ve heard is that the HP Tab is fabulous on Android and read somewhere that the HP Tab is faster with iOS.
Hi Eddie, Actually I read a rumor that HP decided to kill the TouchPad because they put WebOS on an iPad and it ran two times faster. But HP has not confirmed those rumors.
Putting Android on a TouchPad isn’t an simple prospect, so I hope those who are buying TouchPad tablets for that purpose aren’t disappointed.
Thanks so much, Eddie, for your visit and another brilliant comment! 🙂
I am not so sure about buying it. I don’t like tables so much, they are just too big for me. Either a smart phone or a tiny little notebook that I carry around with me. I can’t stand touchscreen as well.
For $99 it would be interesting I think, but it is not only a matter of price, but also a matter of app support and feel and touch. I think I would like to see it in real life before buying a device like that.
Hi Thomas, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! You’re right, buying a TouchPad is a risk at this point because they aren’t available in stores anymore. Unless you know someone who bought one you will have a hard time previewing the tablet before you buy it. HP was honoring warranties for TouchPads sold at these deeply discounted prices but they weren’t accepting returns.
Thanks for visiting and leaving a brilliant comment, Thomas! 🙂
I just read about the Amazon tablet that’s going to come out this Oct.
$250
Android 2.2
7.7″ screen
Free Amazon prime offer.
I think this is going to bury some of its pricey counterparts (like $800 Xoom).
The details here: http://venturebeat.com/2011/09/02/amazon-kindle-tablet/
Hi iRewardChart, Yes, I’m fairly certain Amazon read today’s blog post, saw the poll results and decided to price their tablet accordingly. Actually, I’m 100% positive that’s what happened.
But seriously, if you look at the poll results, as of now, after three days of voting, not one vote was cast by anyone who didn’t want a tablet. Amazing!
That means price is really the only obstacle. If Amazon is really pricing their tablet at $250 plus a free Amazon Prime membership, they will beat the other Android tablets easily.
But now that this $250/Amazon Prime deal has been reported, any higher price will seem like a big disappointment. This should be very interesting!
absolutly! I am looking for a really basic tablet for my mum who is 78 and never owned a computer, I dont think she will ever be classed as a power user so this kind of thing would be ideal.
Hi James, this would be a great tablet for your mother, if she has access to Wi-Fi. She could check her emails and do basic functions with the tablet. The low price makes this deal very attractive.
As soon as I hear when HP is going to offer the TouchPad again at these sale prices, I will post the information here.
Thanks so much for your visit and wonderful comment!
I tried to buy it but as it was only selling in US so couldn’t get one.. as 99$ for a basic tablet is a good price and when you also have option that you can flash Android in it then why not prefer it.. even HP webos is not that bad it’s also better..
And as we saw the sales of it that their Inventory was almost finished in a matter of few hours after this news came out and also the online shops were out of the product this indicates that people will love to buy a basic tablet at such a price for sure..
Hi Rohit, Yes, the HP TouchPad sold out very quickly, showing that there was intense demand for a tablet at $99. HP has said that they will be making more TouchPad tablets and selling them at that price, but they are having a difficult time fulfilling the orders that were placed in August.
A Wonder of Tech reader who ordered the TouchPad from HP’s website in August received an email today telling him that the delivery of his tablet would be delayed 4-6 weeks due to overwhelming demand. We will see when he receives it.
The Amazon tablet is rumored to launch in October. The Amazon tablet may be available before people receive their HP TouchPad tablets. This will be very interesting to see if people canel their TouchPad orders to purchase an Amazon tablet instead.
Thanks, Rohit, for your visit and wonderful comment! 🙂
OK, maybe I missed the boat on this one as you posted this two weeks ago … so one can read books on this? I wonder if this would have applications for my son’s books for school! Do you know if/where these can still be purchased? Is it direct with HP?
Hi Carol, HP has not yet announced when it will be selling additional TouchPad tablets. In fact, they are having issues with fulfilling the orders from the previous $99 sale. Some retailers, such as Staples, were selling out their TouchPad inventory at $99, but they sold out within hours.
Yes, your son could read books on the TouchPad because the Kindle app is available on the TouchPad. But the app selection is very limited on the TouchPad’s operating system, WebOS. The basic apps are available, including Skype, Facebook, Twitter, etc.The chances of the WebOS app catalog expanding significantly are slim, unless the operating system is purchased by another company. Rumors are rampant that other companies, ranging from HTC to Facebook, are interested in WebOS, but no one really knows what will happen to WebOS at this point.
The Philadelphia Inquirer started selling a $99 Android tablet this week. If you’re already a subscriber, this is a great deal. But check with your son’s school to see what apps could be compatible with an Android tablet vs. an iPad.
Good luck with your tablet search!