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HP Discontinues webOS (Widespread $100 TouchPad sales)

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DSFan1970 said:
Was this the one off of Northern. They are a horrible store. Managers usually talk out of their ass.

Best Buy's phone system forwarded me to the "next nearest store location" without indicating which store. I've called Staples, PC Richard, and RadioShack -- all stores sold out yesterday.
 
Cruzader said:
So um, will these be eventually stocked without any issues since there are thousands of units out there?

I mean they are selling out due to the sudden radical price drop but will this...what's happening right now stop? Will the last few units out there sale at a slower rate?

I'm curious because I'd like to get another one later on without having to be online for like 12 hours at a time hoping it doesnt sell out online/instore every minute or so they go up.

HP wants the $99/$149 to get back as much possible. They manufactured hundreds of thousands of these. [rumour puts it at 250000-400000]

In a few weeks, most people that want one should either have one or be able to get one.
 
Can anyone recommend a good webOS app for reading PDF's? The Adobe one sucks, I don't think you can save your place or anything.
 
I'm shocked Newegg hasn't seen fit to drop these yet. Wonder when they'll hit there.

realraptor said:
HP wants the $99/$149 to get back as much possible. They manufactured hundreds of thousands of these.

In a few weeks, most people that want one should either have one or be able to get one.

I don't believe this at all. 100's of 1000's is not a lot of units for a consumer electronics device, and demand is going to far exceed supply.
 
Petrie said:
I'm shocked Newegg hasn't seen fit to drop these yet. Wonder when they'll hit there.
Newegg seems to be out of stock.
They have the 'auto-notify' button when you go to the product page.
 
dallow_bg said:
Newegg seems to be out of stock.
They have the 'auto-notify' button when you go to the product page.

32GB is still in stock.

The 16GB was as of last night. The people that bought it at full price are going to be in for a shock when they find out they can't return it and Newegg won't price match.
 
nataku said:
32GB is still in stock.

The 16GB was as of last night. The people that bought it at full price are going to be in for a shock when they find out they can't return it and Newegg won't price match.

They actually have two listings for the 16GB. One is OOS and the other is still 399.99. They're identical specs, so I'm pretty sure they're identical models.
 
Up until Friday they probably sold 50,000 - 70,000 total. I wonder if they doubled that amount over the weekend.
 
sk3 said:
Up until Friday they probably sold 50,000 - 70,000 total. I wonder if they doubled that amount over the weekend.
One of the links in here earlier was to a story in pcworld? Saying they estimated 350k sold since the drop.
 
I was kept up last night by some unforeseen circumstances, so I decided to sleep instead of going to Best Buy with my little brother this morning. He still decided to go and I guess he was able to pick up a 16GB one at Best Buy. They initially told him they weren't selling them (at ~10 o'clock). He left, went to Office Depot -- who was sold out -- and then went back to Best Buy, who had then at that point began selling them.

Sleeping until 1 in the afternoon felt amazing so I have no regrets.
 
anyone else think all the Android tablet manufacturers are bitter that this device is going to sell like 400,000 in volume to people who may have been legit tablet buyers in the next 12 months?

Considering how Android on tablets is struggling (less than 2 mill LTD?), the other companies had to feel a little upset about all this. No?
 
Dreams-Visions said:
anyone else think all the Android tablet manufacturers are bitter that this device is going to sell like 400,000 in volume to people who may have been legit tablet buyers in the next 12 months?

Considering how Android on tablets is struggling (less than 2 mill LTD?), the other companies had to feel a little upset about all this. No?


More so when this actually runs Android.
 
Dreams-Visions said:
anyone else think all the Android tablet manufacturers are bitter that this device is going to sell like 400,000 in volume to people who may have been legit tablet buyers in the next 12 months?

Considering how Android on tablets is struggling (less than 2 mill LTD?), the other companies had to feel a little upset about all this. No?
Apples numbers are going to be lower for a while too. People who have been holding out for a tablet will end up not buying an android tablet or an ipad.
 
how can hp afford to drop it to $100? wouldn't it be better for them to make it $300, then $200 and so on.
 
MThanded said:
Apples numbers are going to be lower for a while too. People who have been holding out for a tablet will end up not buying an android tablet or an ipad.
I don't know how many of those people are folks who planned to buy an iPad, but it'll be interesting to see the numbers, yes. I don't think Apple will have a significant ding at all, tbh.

DSFan1970 said:
More so when this actually runs Android.
yes, that's what I meant, as that is inevitable now.
 
Dreams-Visions said:
anyone else think all the Android tablet manufacturers are bitter that this device is going to sell like 400,000 in volume to people who may have been legit tablet buyers in the next 12 months?

Considering how Android on tablets is struggling (less than 2 mill LTD?), the other companies had to feel a little upset about all this. No?



Not sure...I've never contemplated the thoughts and feelings of a corporation before, nor do I care
 
Dreams-Visions said:
anyone else think all the Android tablet manufacturers are bitter that this device is going to sell like 400,000 in volume to people who may have been legit tablet buyers in the next 12 months?

Considering how Android on tablets is struggling (less than 2 mill LTD?), the other companies had to feel a little upset about all this. No?
I guess that is a good point. I was planning on eventually getting a tablet when Windows 8 was released, but now I'll just take my chances with it being ported over. With the sudden emergence of a giant user base for this device overnight, I'm pretty confident this thing will get tons of support for porting over new OSs.

DR3AM said:
how can hp afford to drop it to $100? wouldn't it be better for them to make it $300, then $200 and so on.
They want to get rid of them. It's a firesale. I do agree though -- if they cannot meet demand at $100, why not raise the price a bit to be more in line with the current demand? For example, 6,000 units sold in 10 minutes at $119. It's only $20 more than the MSRP or w/e, but that $20 was negligible in terms of buyer's purchasing habits and nabbed them $120,000 extra in revenue.
 
DR3AM said:
how can hp afford to drop it to $100? wouldn't it be better for them to make it $300, then $200 and so on.

It sounds like they were getting ultimatums from retail along the lines of 'let us sell it for $1xx or we're sending them back'.
 
Copernicus said:
It's great to be able to see firsthand how an operating system will dominate both mobile and home simultaneously.

No more webOS dominance trolling if you don't have a $99 TouchPad. You're not allowed.
 
Dreams-Visions said:
I don't know how many of those people are folks who planned to buy an iPad, but it'll be interesting to see the numbers, yes. I don't think Apple will have a significant ding at all, tbh.

It's possible that, long-term, this could actually help Apple.

This TouchPad will be my first tablet. If I find that I have enough use for a tablet, I could see myself buying the next iteration of iPad in the Spring.
 
Husker86 said:
Have you seen a picture of it?

I have, and videos even, but for some reason my brain had tricked me into assuming everything was widescreen nowadays. Looking at it again now it's obviously 4:3... so is the iPad, right? Yeah, mind slightly blown.

And, I thought the entire nationwide stock was going to be practically sold out today (that's what people's impressions made me believe "Good luck find one, they're all gone"), but now they're saying HP has a lot more in stock and there will be more shipments to come? Sheesh, a lot of people are gonna feel gibbed if this thing is stagnating at stock for $99 later this week.
 
Kenak said:
I guess that is a good point. I was planning on eventually getting a tablet when Windows 8 was released, but now I'll just take my chances with it being ported over. With the sudden emergence of a giant user base for this device overnight, I'm pretty confident this thing will get tons of support for porting over new OSs.
this was my thought as well.

a lot of potential $300-$500 Android tablet sales are walking right out of the market this weekend. People who may not be back in the market for 12-18 months or more, depending on the quality of OS ports to the device. And I too will certainly be waiting to see if a Windows 8 port pans on out this hardware meaning another lost sale.

Considering there may be 400k of these sold soon, it could be maybe the #2 Android tablet on the market?


Shurs said:
It's possible that, long-term, this could actually help Apple.

This TouchPad will be my first tablet. If I find that I have enough use for a tablet, I could see myself buying the next iteration of iPad in the Spring.
makes sense. especially with those super-high resolution screens coming.
 
Dreams-Visions said:
anyone else think all the Android tablet manufacturers are bitter that this device is going to sell like 400,000 in volume to people who may have been legit tablet buyers in the next 12 months?

Considering how Android on tablets is struggling (less than 2 mill LTD?), the other companies had to feel a little upset about all this. No?

They are stupid for not selling the hardware at a loss in the first place to develop the userbase. The only way to compete with a brand like Apple that's so firmly entrenched is to somehow get people to actually TRY your device at all. Only a significant price difference can get that done. HP and the others found this out too late...
 
Cloudy said:
They are stupid for not selling the hardware at a loss in the first place to develop the userbase. The only way to compete with a brand like Apple that's so firmly entrenched is to somehow get people to actually TRY your device in the first place....
meh. Android is the leading mobile phone platform right now, IIRC. It's not unreasonable for them to have assumed that Android running on a tablet would yield good numbers on its own merits given nice screens and features. sure, they were horribly wrong to this point, but I think the assumption made logical sense.
 
Dreams-Visions said:
this was my thought as well.

a lot of potential $300-$500 Android tablet sales are walking right out of the market this weekend. People who may not be back in the market for 12-18 months or more, depending on the quality of OS ports to the device. And I too will certainly be waiting to see if a Windows 8 port pans on out this hardware meaning another lost sale.

Considering there may be 400k of these sold soon, it could be maybe the #2 Android tablet on the market?



makes sense. especially with those super-high resolution screens coming.

yeah, but it’ll be running android 2.x for a while. is that really all that great news for pushing Android forward and convincing android devs to make tablet apps?

by the time 3.x and its native tablet UI gets ported to this thing, android tablets will have been out for a long time and will need to have sold on their own merits.
 
Listen for $100 or $150, it's not a bad investment

Seriously, there's so much upside

Port over new OS's, hell those stream lined patches, are already making the product well worth it
Plus if you get tired, it's a great hand me down, they get to enjoy it, or if you sell it, get close to what you paid for...or even more!

Now if this was a machine that cock-blocked everything even down to changing you name on the tablet then yes, it would be an iffy purchase

You get a TABLET, for less than a 3DS right now, or a Nook/Kindle, or a VITA (which I'll be buying day 1) when it releases. Fuck you could have bought 2 tablets 1 16GB + 1 32GB for $250 total
 
Dreams-Visions said:
meh. Android is the leading mobile phone platform right now, IIRC. It's not unreasonable for them to have assumed that Android running on a tablet would yield good numbers on its own merits given nice screens and features. sure, they were horribly wrong to this point, but I think the assumption made logical sense.

The mistake was comparing the smartphone market (where device prices are subsidized with contracts) to the tablet market. The price factor is a BIG issue with no telecom subsidies...
 
My story of today:

-9:30am Arrived at Staples and they said they didn't have any
-9:40am Went to a nearby Best Buy and was 15th (ish) in line
-People try and cut and get called out, it was funny watching them walk back.
-10am came and I got pissed they didn't open the door, then realized it opened at 11am
-10:30am they came out and handed tickets to people
-11:01am door opens and everyone walks in a organized line for customer service
-11:20am walked out of a store with a Hp TouchPad for $100

Bravo Best Buy near me for a great experience.
 
br0ken_shad0w said:
So without the insane price, how much do you think this device is worth? Is it something that's worth buying over a Nook Color ($200-$250)?

EASILY.

I own a Pre, still. WebOS is the best mobile operating system. The app selection is not great, but the interface is top notch. As someone who owns a 1st gen iPad, 90% of what I do is through the web broswer.

GET IT IF YOU CAN (I did :) )
 
i have an ipad 1 and im willing to give the $100 version a shot just for the possibility of having an android tablet. too bad it seems to be sold out everywhere, though.
 
I am not into economics, so I am not sure if I a putting this correctly. But will the demand for this product affect the market at all? I mean what people expect to pay? Is the 99 the sweetpoint for Android adoption? Or is this an abberation? I mean I know Apple wont reduce their price. But Hardware makers might be looking at the amazing response to this tablet and say: that's it! Might a price drop like this fuel Android uptake?
 
Every non-Apple maker already had to drop their prices if they wanted to move any significant amount of hardware. This makes it even harder cos HP's just set the new normal price for non-apple devices for a while..

Apple = the big winner this weekend IMO
 
I just got an order through hp.com using saved basket.

Not sure if HP will honor the order or not but it's worth a try for anyone who has a saved basket.
 
Maybe the a way to look at this is the Madden vs NFL2k thing back when.

ipad tablet is Madden
Android tablet is NF2k

Android needs to sell at a price 66% less than an ipad to get people through the door?

When NFL2k went to 20$, it gained alot of market share on madden.

But hardware is a whole different thing, so who knows.
 
Cloudy said:
Every non-Apple maker already had to drop their prices if they wanted to move any significant amount of hardware. This makes it even harder cos HP's just set the new normal price for non-apple devices for a while..

Apple = the big winner this weekend IMO
Hah, no.

HP has only proven that people will only buy a non-iPad tablet if you essentially shove it down their pants.

Smart manufacturers of tablets would pull out now and focus on chipping away at iPhone marketshare.
 
hayejin said:
I just got an order through hp.com using saved basket.

Not sure if HP will honor the order or not but it's worth a try for anyone who has a saved basket.

The site now has a "sold out" image with no link to add to cart. HP site is dead.
 
ThatCrazyGuy said:
Maybe the a way to look at this is the Madden vs NFL2k thing back when.

ipad tablet is Madden
Android tablet is NF2k

Android needs to sell at a price 66% less than an ipad to get people through the door?

When NFL2k went to 20$, it gained alot of market share on madden.

But hardware is a whole different thing, so who knows.


Since EA just monopolized the NFL after that we can assume Apple will just sue for the right to be the only company to be able to use the term "tablet"? Fits their M.O. lately.
 
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