$99 TouchPads to return to market on September 28, assuming you're an HP employee 31
Tue, 20 Sep 2011 1:22 pm EDT 
If you’re in the market for an HP TouchPad, here’s hoping you’re an HP employee, because that’s the only way you’re going to get first dibs on what’s sure to be a limited supply of the fire sale tablet. In a letter sent out to what remains of the HP webOS Global Business Unit, SVP Stephen DeWitt announced that September 28th would mark the return of the TouchPad to HP’s employee purchase program. Pricing will be set at the same rate as that of the fire sales from this summer: $99.99 for the 16GB TouchPad, or $149.99 for 32GB. As with several other TouchPad fire sale outlets, HP’s limiting their employees to only purchasing one TouchPad apiece.
If we had to guess, we wouldn’t say that these are the expected “final run” TouchPads that HP announced, as we don’t expect those to star production until early next month (though maybe things have kicked off already) and hit the market until late next month.
Source: TechCrunch; Thanks to everybody that sent this in!
31 Comments
What a death of webOS!
LOL, better than a sharp stick in the eye as they march you out the door. Kind of a going away booby prize to all who worked on it.
Wonder is Aari and Ruby are going to stick around. Ruby would retire I think, Aari may go to MS.
Well it's not like you can afford an Ipad on unemployment checks.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!! I want one so bad, when is it coming to the public?! HP you suck!
Is this HP's way of "making it right" with their employees before giving them the boot?
Dear HP Employee:
Since we acquired Palm, we've been trying to make it right for loyal Palm customers. However, as far as new webOS hardware is concerned, we didn't make it right. So, in order to make it right for our shareholders we are laying you off. However, we're going to try to make it right to you by offering you one of our last firesale Touchpads.
HP
"We'll make it right - just not right now. More like six months from now"
and...."The $99.00 will be deducted from your final paycheck."
Where the **** is my touchpad that I paid for on the 21st of August?? Stop giving them to employees and send me mine that I already made an order and authorize my card for HP, wtf.
I also got one on the 21st and still don't have it. Called HP customer service and was told that it was going to take 6-8 weeks to get the TP.
Sad news about their layoffs...and if HP actually ditches their personal computer division, tens of thousands more will be on the streets. A $99 touchpad is the very least that they deserve.
Nowhere have they even slightly mentioned that they are ditching the personal computer division. Spinning off and ditching are completely different things. In fact, I don't see why people are in such of an uproar over the spinoff, since pretty much everything will still be the same, except for who's in charge of it, and where the money flows.
aw you guys are late to the party on this report...we had the email awhile back! lol. my calendar is marked!!!
Good news, everyone! Thanks to HP's initiative to dump GBU and webOS hardware, there are over 500 LESS employees to stand between us and that limited supply of touchpads! The odds keep getting better!
To make things right, we have decided to include a Touchpad in your severance package.
seems like the least they could do for these people whose stake in webOS is far greater (their livelihood) than any of us consumer mortals.
Dear Steven,
Many thanks for your offer of 1 HP Touchpad for HP employees only. This will go a long way to making up for many of them being dumped on the street by yourself and Leo. I can envisage many uses for the Touchpad, for example a small shelter from the rain, an uber cool interactive tray to put your tv meal on, and I guess there will be loads of other uses.
Let's be honest, it is about as good as the previous blundering decisions you have made recently. At what point are you going to consider who will be developing for this platform (it's not like the devs can get hold of any hardware), and are you going to honour orders made by people like Smith2sc above?
TBH, I can imagine your own employees couldn't give a rats **** about hardware you don't care about. If you don't care why should they? In that case, once you've offered them around, how about letting Joe Public have a go at the HP Lottery?
How 'bout the outsourced employees who has been with Palm for years? We want it too. :(
Is that a joke? $99 TouchPads to return to market on September 28, assuming you're STILL an HP employee
Do they have employees left to buy them?
I hope HP may also consider to give a Touchpad purchase code for the old webOS users who still don't leave webOS. HP just need to add an option on the Palm profile website for the early activated Palm profile to obtain the code. Then HP can set a date for the webOS users to buy a Touchpad.
I really doubt it, they do seem to be trying fairly hard to kill the OS.
Old news Dude! WebOS Roundup scooped you on this one!
no, those folks let go yesterday probably don't qualify for the employee purchase program. Besides, if I was just walked out the door, the last thing I would do is buy a product from said company that kicked my **** out. just saying...
Even if you can flip it for a profit? Buy as many as your bank account would allow and double your money. You will be needing it being as you are now out of a job.
the lock screen will be the image if a pink slip.
Sorry to disappoint more, but if you read the actual letter from HP to ALL US EMPLOYEES, the TouchPad are to more than just 500 employees, but to ALL US HP Employees! Check out the Internal Letter on webOS Roundup!
Woot! Just got my 2 Touchpad invoices from HP small business. Delivery is tomorrow :-D
They cancelled all my orders 2 weeks ago. The rep said can't find your order. Even send them the paper copies of the confirmations and order numbers. After one day they just came back saying we don't have records of your orders. What a mess. Had to buy my Touchpad on eBay last week for double the price :-(
This news popped up on SlickDeals before TechCrunch, give credit where the credit is due ;-)
I have been a LOYAL! (I mean I was in on the first HANDSPRING and then Palm, with HP Computer and always buying HP to make sure compatible with simple plug and play/use)faithful Really Long Term PURCHASER of both Palm Products and HP Computer/Laptop and all peripheries ....
I got the Palm Pixi, unaware it was not the same OS as my old Treo or that I couldn't even transfer the data from Palm OS to webOS.
So I dove in and in RE-LEARNING a new system, I found out HP acquired Palm ...
It actually made me EXCITED ... I suddenly had HP everything ... or so I thought.
I have spent so much time in recent years (since becoming disabled) trying to afford and get basic computer/internet access using my existing HP Computer.
My ONLY possible chance of ever getting a Tablet which I so much wanted was the HP $99 fire sale.
Again, bad luck turned into enthusiastic happy excitement .... again ... OR SO I THOUGHT.
IS THERE ANY CHANCE/WAY/POSSIBILITY I could at least be considered or put on a waiting list?
I had a head injury causing my disability and more recently had a minor stroke ... which makes my ability to follow and do a proper search of all the sites (HP,here, facebook, twitter, blogs).
I literally can not process that many different inputs anymore.
DOES ANYONE THINK THERE IS ANY CHANCE? IF SO, COULD YOU PLEASE TELL ME HOW I MIGHT BE CONSIDERED. I AM ALMOST FULLY HOUSEBOUND AND REALLY NEED THE ACCESS, PERFORMANCE AND WI-FI MOBILITY THAT THE TABLET COULD PROVIDE.
THANKS :)