HP TouchPad fire sale. A gimmick?

[zandrik]

I was just thinking, after I was able to get a 32GB HP TouchPad for $150.00, that what if this whole HP/WebOS an HP "dropping" support for it, is a gimmick to get millions of these things into the market. They couldn't sell the damn things so maybe they thought they'd flood the market with them, and then change their minds and support them later on. In the meantime while they don't support them, maybe they'll have a bunch of apps written and then "re-launch" WebOS/TouchPad. And they're hoping that by then it will be such an awesome UI and the millions of people that got one for cheap will post good things about it and then they come out with a new model and thus have created a demand for it.

What does everyone else think of this?

 

[scottjf8]

Not sure, I hear they're losing a bunch of money each one they sell. Unless they think they can make money in their app store like Apple. But you're right, marketshare speaks volumes.

BTW I bought 2 16gb ones on Amazon. Hopefully Android gets ported over.

 

[acosmichippo]

I think you're giving them too much credit.

 

[Napoleon PhoneApart]

HP is having a fire sale. Best Buy is giving away Galaxy Tabs with HDTV purchases. It seems to be a general trend.

 

[zandrik]

Or HP floods the market with touchpad and then sells the patents and such to another company who will support it. Since there'd be millions of people with the device there will be a HUGE market for apps.

 

[zandrik]

I wonder if the tablet makers are stumped as to how to compete with the iPad so they're trying other methods to get more of their products into the market.

 

[acosmichippo]

Keep in mind, this isn't just about the tablet market. ALL WebOS products have been dropped - even their phones.

 

[Tinman]

This is not a ploy by HP. It's over.

They don't even want to sell PCs in the not so distant future. The new boss at HP is either going to make them into "something" (what, who knows) or bring them down..

Michael

 

[chris]

Having reviewed the TouchPad and purchased one, their problems are not limited to awareness. It's a great tablet for $150, even better at $99. That's because it costs $297 to build, so there is value there.

 

[chris_st]

As much as they obviously invested in marketing the product, a ploy would seem silly. And I was fully aware of the touchpad, but I just did not care. I think people in general don't care much about non-ipads. That being said, $163 including tax/shipping made me care and I think it's a great device. From an awareness perspective, it could do them more harm than good, especially when people who were otherwise uninterested in a tablet (me) become interested, then know there is a better product out there (ipad). End result is the same in this case, fire sale to get rid of the units, but long term profits not likely even with continued support

 

[Hillbilly]

They had a fire sale! Blackberry will be next with their ill-fated tablet.

 

[iP5]

They had a fire sale! Blackberry will be next with their ill-fated tablet.

Hmmm, dual core and likely even easier to port to Android, and RIM's shareholders are pushing for the patents to be splintered off. Maybe I'll rotate a playbook on BestBuy's and Future Shop's return program so that I'm not scrambling during the fire sale

Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk

 

[chris]

Hmmm, dual core and likely even easier to port to Android, and RIM's shareholders are pushing for the patents to be splintered off. Maybe I'll rotate a playbook on BestBuy's and Future Shop's return program so that I'm not scrambling during the fire sale

Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk

Build quality and size would make it a pretty attractive Honeycomb tablet. Of course, if it were priced similarly to the HP firesale.