Updated: HP TouchPad Reduced to $99 and $149 (16GB & 32GB)
by Anand Lal Shimpi on August 20, 2011 1:37 PM ESTIf you haven't heard by now, HP is significantly reducing the price of the WiFi TouchPad in order to clear all inventories of the tablet. The 16GB WiFi TouchPad will sell for $99, while the 32GB version will be reduced to $149.
The price reduction is supposed to go into effect tomorrow, however a number of etailers jumped the gun yesterday. At this point I don't believe there is a way to order a TouchPad online at either of those prices - nearly all of the online sources that listed the reduced prices are now out of stock.
If you missed the opportunity yesterday, there's always the brick and mortar stores as soon as they open tomorrow.
As we've already reported, HP will cease all webOS device operations by Q4 2011. The TouchPad and Veer won't be made anymore and the Pre 3 has been canceled entirely. HP hasn't announced what it's going to do with webOS, although at this point we're hearing the rights to the OS aren't up for sale.
Given the lack of support going forward, why even consider a $99 TouchPad? The tablet does work reasonably well as an email/browser client, and it's likely that we'll continue to see 3rd party apps developed for it. The big hope is that the homebrew community will keep at it and perhaps someone will come along and actually do something with webOS one of these days. There's also the option that someone will eventually port Android 3.x to it. If that happens, you'd have a high end Honeycomb tablet for $99. Admittedly porting Android 3.x to the TouchPad could take a while.
At $99 I feel like the TouchPad is a good buy if you're fine with taking a risk on a platform that has no guaranteed support going forward. In other words, if you can part with the money and forget about it, it's not a bad idea.
Update: BestBuy in the US isn't discounting the TouchPad in stores. For everyone who bought one at the higher price, BestBuy isn't matching prices but it has extended the return window to 60-days.
Update 2: BestBuy has reversed its decision and will be discounting the TouchPad in stores.
Source: Slickdeals.net
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
35 Comments
View All Comments
happening6 - Saturday, August 20, 2011 - link
I called bestbuy, walmart, radioshack.. none of them are sell it.Where can i find one tomorrow to get it @ 99???
happening6 - Saturday, August 20, 2011 - link
Where can i find hp touchpad @ 99 tomorrow in usa.Which retail stores might have that?
DanNeely - Sunday, August 21, 2011 - link
HP lists a number of online vendors. Currently they're all either sold out, or haven't dropped their prices yet.http://h41112.www4.hp.com/promo/webos/us/en/shoppi...
Skott - Sunday, August 21, 2011 - link
Its a dead path product. I wouldn't bother buying it. For the frugalites out there though that dont need much or too cheap to buy something good I guess its a good deal. Its a throw away product though. If it goes dead don't expect a refund. Just toss it and get something else.tekzor - Sunday, August 21, 2011 - link
Its not for everyone but at $92 shipped it is worth it as a media device. This is a tablet and for browsing, its perfect. Especially perfect for ppl that have trouble using a desktop (my parents).mi1stormilst - Sunday, August 21, 2011 - link
I was standing in line Saturday morning at 9:30AM with about 6-7 other guys and a parking lot with about 3-4 other people in their cars. We asked a couple of employees coming in to check and see if this deal was happening. A male that looked like a manager or supervisor came out and told us that all the HP TouchPads had already been sent back to HP and they didn't have any. There was a kid in line with me from the Best Buy in Ahwatukee and I asked him straight up if they might lie to us just to get rid of us. He hesitated a moment and said probably not. He also left disappointed and I just discovered this morning that Best Buy sold them at Noon for the reduced price. At the very least they lied to us about having sent these items back. I wish I had some recourse, but in the meantime I will console myself with the fact that it is a crap product anyway )-:johnsonx - Sunday, August 21, 2011 - link
they weren't lying to you, best buy corporate had forbidden them from selling them to anyone and had removed the part numbers from the computers to make sure they couldn't. They were all being sent back to hp... The fact that they hadn't technically left the building makes it a lie only for the purpose of simplification, not deception.later in the day best buy changed the policy and re-instated the part numbers, probably at the begging of hp. I read this happened later than noon though, but maybe some locations got the word earlier than others.
feel free to console yourself about what a crap product it is... I'm using mine right now, and genuinely do not understand 90% of the criticism it has received. It's fast, intuitive and a joy to use.
mi1stormilst - Monday, August 22, 2011 - link
A lie is a lie bro they had them in the store they had not sent them back.Belard - Monday, August 22, 2011 - link
Its both... At that time, Best Buy was in the process of shipping them back. If they TOLD you they were in the store and you asked them to sell it to you, they COULDn'T. And if they did, it would have been at the $400 price!Then BB changed their minds.
There a good reason to change their minds... the cost of shipping them back would have cost money to both HP and Best Buy (time and costs).
AllYourBaseAreBelong2Us - Sunday, August 21, 2011 - link
A couple of weeks ago, I bought the Touchpad 16G from the HP online store for ~$300 after rebate and other discounts. Yesterday morning, when I learned that they were now selling for $99, I immediately called HP to returned this unit but, HP offered me to refund the difference, so kept it. At that moment I wanted to get a second one for my wife but they were all sold out.This morning, I checked the HP SMB store and I saw the TouchPad 32G in stock. While struggling with the SMB online store that kept crashing (OMG! Classic ASP website), I called few relatives and friends and we were able to buy 4 units.