TouchPad to run up to $699, release in June? [rumor] 73
Sun, 13 Feb 2011 3:09 pm EST
Over at BGR they’ve got the word that HP is aiming to get their TouchPad tablet out and in the hands of customers by the end of June, and that pricing is set at $699. If you’re thinking “Whoa!” on that pricing, take a few slow breaths and consider this: we don’t know which TouchPad model that price is for. HP announced the TouchPad in 16GB and 32GB varieties, and while they didn’t discuss it, we can safely assume that cellular connectivity is in the cards.
For all we know, $699 could be a 3G (or 4G?) TouchPad packing 32GB of storage space. That’d compare favorably to the Apple iPad 32GB with 3G, which is currently priced at $729. If we assume that $699 is the top-end TouchPad, then it could presumably go all the way down to $499 (like the iPad) for the W-Fi-only 16GB version. For comparison, the 64GB-and-3G-or-nothing Motorola Xoom is projected for release at $899, which matches up nicely with the $829 iPad 3G 64GB.
Of course, the June release date puts the TouchPad as coming out after the Xoom, iPad 2, and possibly even the just-announced Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. It doesn't look like price is going to be a differentiating factor for the TouchPad - with the tablet market about to get a whole lot more crowded, it'd take more than price to stand out anyway.
Source: BGR; Thanks to everybody that sent this in!
73 Comments
None of those prices are attractive to me at all. I see a tablet having a very small impact on my life despite how cool they are, but, at the end of the day, that's all they are: cool. They don't serve the function of my laptop that is equally as mobile and has about 10x the capabilities of the TouchPad, Xoom, GSlate, Galaxy Tab, iPad, or whatever other tablet's out there. I think the cheapest iPad is set at $500 and I'm not willing to pay that much. $200-$300 is something more up my alley. I'm certainly not going to be an early adopter for these things.
I think coming out after the Ipad 2 is a terrible decision.
With only a $30 price difference I don't think people will be willing to adopt the Touchpad in the droves that it needs to stay alive.
Pre 2, Pre 3, and Touchpad should all be coming out next month if HP was wanting to stay competitive.
As far as my humble opinion goes, I think Pre 2,3 are DOA. Touchpad is may not be but its got a huge hill to climb.
Pre 2 - yes. I think Pre3 and TouchPad have a fighting chance, especially if they're paired together. Who knows, maybe Sprint will have an exclusive HP phone that hasn't been announced yet as well. Might be a long shot, but these are still possibilities.
I'm sure that if HP *could* bring out the Pre3 next month they would. Obviously software needs to be finished, perhaps certifications need to finalize and/or negotiations with carriers aren't finished.
Further - why is the Pre3 DOA? It's a strong smartphone.
And again re "coming out after the Ipad 2 is a terrible decision" - do you really think it went like this at HP HQ?
"Hey we have the TouchPad totally finished by monday - but let's wait until June before we start selling - getting it out after IPad2 is totally the best we can do".
Sure it's a hill to climb. IPad has about 1 year headstart - and a big app selection.
No news there. But if that makes catching up impossible - then Android wouldn't be where it is today. When it came out many said it stands no chance because Apple is so far ahead.
And Touchpad has some features over IPad: USB, Flash, Touchstone, multi-tasking. With a good base selection of apps like Kindle, good video support and good browser at competitive pricing it will be a viable option for many.
It doesn't have to kill the Ipad to be a success.
I totally agree that it does not have to kill the iPad to be a success. I don't think that anything ever will outright beat Apple's products until their empire eventually wanes. At that point, it will still be a slow and steady wane. The TouchPad certainly has its advantages over the iPad, but many people aren't willing to purchase a product that has not yet braved the waters and proven itself. I have faith that it will be a great product. HP is a very reputable company. I have similar feelings concerning the Pre 3. I know that I'll be getting one. It's not all about the apps for me. I have an iPod Touch if I fell that there is an app that I need from the App Store that the App Catalog does not supply. The Pre 2, I'm afraid, will be a complete flop. It took too long to produce and now the Pre 3 will be coming soon. With people being locked to contracts, not many are likely to *need* the Pre 2 right now.
This price is somewhat surprising to me in the opposite sense. I fully expected HP to charge more. Considering the projected prices for the xoom, I was expecting $50-100 more than what this price for their 32gb unit.
A June release date isn't as bad as I thought it would be.
Pricing is, well, pricing.
What will set the touchpad apart is the fact that it will communicate with you smartphone, however, people will then need a pre 3 or veer, or whatever other devices they will come up with for it to work.
They do have a bit of work cut out for them for success. In the meantime, get the damn software ready and optimized
That Pre-to-Touchpad transfer scheme is only useful if I own both (same Palm profile). That limits it's usefulness. I'd want to share something with *another* person's TP (ooh, that's not a good acronym). And I sure as heck don't want to pay for two data plans!
you don't need to own both. You connect them to each other ahead of time (think of it as connecting your bluetooth handset), after that you can just tap to share. Palm profile has nothing to do with it (is it HP profile now?)
no sdk... no apps... mojo = dead, no webOS 2.0 phones.... not looking to good. For when this thing launches. But it will hopefully be good for those that are in for the long haul
Hopefully whatever developers stick it out can make money in about a year? I'll def stick around... but im bitter... and going to have to wait a year before a userbase is established.
Wow. Yet more fail, if this is true. Unbelievable how badly this week is going for HPalm.
Whaaaat?
Are you "whaaaat"ing the comment as it relates to this price or as it relates to the week?
If the former, the iPad starts at $499. Beat that or don't bother. You can bet the iPad 2 will come in at the same price and be a serious spec markup over the first one.
If the latter, I get most of my news from your blog, so the debacle of the press event is old news now. ("I'm not feeling it" was, I believe, your wrap-up.) Really short version: The tech shown is nice if released today. 6-9 months from now, it's low end. The stuff at MWC being shown blows the Pre3 away, and will be available in the next few weeks. No support for older devices. Development environment is changing. Gesture area is going bye-bye. No Sprint. Etc., etc., etc.
If I were you I'd shut down this blog and put all us webOS fans out of our misery.
Don't listen to him. Probbably just an Apple fanboy thats here to try and make us sad.
Launch week Pre owner. Got my wife, my brother, his girlfriend my father, and a few friends on Pres, too (okay, one was a Pixi).
My wife loves her phone. The rest of us are disappointed. As a customer, I don't like being lied to over and over and over again.
Wednesday just showed how full of BS HP is.
Where is my document editing? Where is my Flash? Where is my 2.0?
I want to buy a new Pre *today*. Not an upgraded one, just one to replace my Pre that is dying. Can't do it. Now I find out that new products are over a half year away and won't be all that nice when they do get here and clearly won't be priced to move. This is a dead platform.
In all honesty, I believe we early adopters should form a class and sue. The lies and BS have gone on too long now. Anyone know a good lawyer (not a joke)?
+1
Please explain the fail here.
You provided no arguments at all.
I was underwhelmed by the feb9 event - but Touchpad in June at those prices is not the problem.
Limited uses, wifi or extra contract $$ also needed... between a GOOD smartphone and my laptop...just not needed! Sorry HP, swing & a miss (again).
What's your point? Seems like your simply not interested in a Tablet. So you're not part of the target audience. Fine. What did HP miss here?
actually xoom might be 1200 instead of the 800 they said, that would be way too much, i actually think the 699 might be for the cheap model which would suck, i guess we'll just have to wait for the coming months again...
I wouldnt say a laptop is qyite as mobile. I stopped taking mine everyqwhere because its just too heavy. And big. I need something powerfull thus its a bigger beast. However for school and hanging around places, these tablets are perfect. They are light, last a long time with usage, And are great for simple browsing. Thus i think tablets are good. The provide a balance between portablity and function as well as fun. Sad i have to wait till summer but will probably buy an ipad to hold me off. They sell really well anyway. Thus ill sell it when touchpad comes out.
MEGA FAIL HP!! I thought you were going to offer the TouchPad for free. Now I'm really disappointed :-)
How many times can people type fail on a single website over and over again? I get it, you're not happy with "ANYTHING" HP has announced this past week, so just quit complaining already, we all get it.
Or at least be original or funny with your fail comments, makes life more enjoyable for everyone :-)
+1000
Don't be to hard on the commenters. HP started this war of words and comparisons just like Palm did before them. Don't start a fight if you can't take a punch. Sow the wind; reap the whirlwind.
What did HP start? You guys are all mad because Sprint refuses to carry another webOS device (not HP's fault), and because your devices won't get OTA updates (all they was that updates wont come OTA webOS 2.0 could still make its way onto older devices), besides when this all comes out this summer the original Pre will be 2 years old (that's dead in smartphone land) and all you early adopters will be contract free so you can switch anyways. Don't get mad at HP for things that they didnt do.
exactly! It's what palm and hp didn't do to make a successful phone that all carriers would want to sell.....
yeah the cards are stacked against HPalm right now. Hopefully they can turn it around.
At leat they have them in a pretty little stack. If you have webOS v.2.x that is. :(
16 Gb iPad WiFi $499
32 Gb iPad WiFi $599
iPad is the market leader. The market is about to be flooded with the numerous Android tablets later this year. I would dare say that when playing catch-up, prices have to be lower than iPads and Android tablets to build market share.
The only way any other tablet can compete with the ipad is with price. $699 is a complete fail for the Touchpad. Especially considering the tablet sector is still a niche device. Why would someone pay that much when the ipad will be priced lower and with an entire ecosystem and app store behind it. HP needed to wow the industry with sleek designs, headline grabbing features and a brand name. Lets face it webos maybe terrific but its awareness among the general public is low. Worst yet a June release or later for smartphones and a tablet is unacceptable. Do you release it will be two years since a webos phone was released on Sprint? I don't get how Tmobile, ATT and Verizon can get phone after phone yet Sprint is always last. Theres not WinMO 7 phones either.
Not true.
With the announced features and webos the Touchpad is not marketed as a discount tablet and HP does well to avoid that image.
Price has to be competitive - the features need to be convincing.
My GF saw the IPad last year and was interested - then saw that it has neither USB nor flash and lost all interest.
Some part of the market is potentially interested in a tablet but wasn't convinced by the IPad.
Not everybody is interested in IPhone either. Plenty of people (the majority actually) buys other smartphones. HP has to offer the right feature package to win those customers.
They just need to be priced under the iPad a little, show off their product in the months to come however they can (TV ads, Print, award shows, popular TV spots, and buy ad spots as movie previews). Get the product out and visible to the public and priced soon or you will lose any potential buyers.
I can't enough of ppl saying fail.HP should know how it's consumers feel.
I think HP is full of themselves.They think we love WebOs that much that we will just accept anything.Its been almost a year dince palm bought Palm.That is more then enough time for them to have had these phones out.Now they say we have to wait another 4 months!! This is getting ridiculous.My pre is going hay wire and my volume and speaker stop working thr other day.I don't know if I can find a replacement for it.So I no other hoice but to get another phone and it won't be a webos one. This sucks and now HP is starting to suck.
How does a company that wants to be cool,make themselves suck?
I think they are trying to be the cool girlfriend/ boyfriend who you will never have. Reminds me of high school.
FAIL! I wish they would rename PreCentral.net to HPreFAIL.net!
I really hope HP sees the amount of fails listed on these comment sections to understand what they need to do to hopefully reclaim.........well I'm not exactly sure what they should do to make everyone happy. So here goes:
FAIL!!!
Here the specs of Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1
http://www.androidcentral.com/samsung-officially-announces-galaxy-tab-101
10.1" screen
1280*800 resolution
Dual-core
8 MP rear camera
2 MP front camera
Android 3.0
Huge android marketplace
HSPA+, bluetooth, wi-fi a/b/g/n
6860mAh battery (HP touchpad is 6300)
Weight: 599g (HP touchpad is 740g)
Thickness: 10.9 mm (HP touchpad is 13.7)
HP touchpad is already old!
How is it possible that Rubenstein and HP's management thought that copying 2010 ipad specs were good for 2011-2012?
:-(
Old? the HP TouchPad has a Qualcomm 8060 dual-core Snapdragon processor at 1.2GHz(the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1
processor is a 1ghz Dual-Core from nvidia)
I would not agree with you on that. I for one would not get to involved in specs. If they could deliver a clean crisp WebOs 3.0 and a solid user experience (and a awesome music Synergy app)then I think they could pull this off!
the touchpad is competitive with this. The resolution is slightly worse and the front camera has 0.7 less MP, webOS 3.0 is better than Android 3.0, the Qualcomm 8060 blows the galexy tab's tegra chip out of the water, and a rear camera on a 10 inch tablet is the stupidest thing I've ever heard of. If you do a direct comparison to what you posted the TouchPad wins.
you people who keep shutting down features that don't come on your preferred vendor's products crack me up. If the touchpad actually had a rear facing camera you wouldn't dare post "that's the stupidest thing I ever seen". Instead you'd use it, realize just how much you could do with a high res camera besides taking pictures (see app store - oh sorry, not the EMPTY palm app store, but a real app store like apple).
you literally remind me of the clueless of yester-year that would always say "we don't need that much ram"
the touchpad is competitive with this. The resolution is slightly worse and the front camera has 0.7 less MP, webOS 3.0 is better than Android 3.0, the Qualcomm 8060 blows the galexy tab's tegra chip out of the water, and a rear camera on a 10 inch tablet is the stupidest thing I've ever heard of. If you do a direct comparison to what you posted the TouchPad wins.
Anything higher than iPad pricing will be a bust. The Touchpad is good, but it ain't that good.
Boo hoo - more whining and moaning with this new post. Although I would like a new phone sooner rather than later, I refuse to be a miserable individual and stomp my little feet because HP did not do as I demand. As I have said before, HP will succeed very well with webOS despite the rantings of a few users because I believe that the world's largest seller of tech products knows more than I do and more than the Negative Nancy's in this community. I look forward to the future as HP continues to offer more and improved/new products and ideas.
$699 bundled with a Veer or Pre3 would be a good move. Apple isn't bundling the iPhone with iPad purchases and the touchpad and Pre3 compliment each other because they can work together. I just add a line to get a iPhone 4 because I got tired of straining my eyes tryna view things on my pre plus. Summer was too long to wait for the release of the Pre3, but I'm definately going to get rid of this iPhone and get one. Hp also needs more GOOD apps
Bundled *on the same data plan* would be a good move. (Yeah, I know. The carriers will never let that happen.)
June is disappointing... Is better to run out of stock & build up hype than to push back the release & miss the Golden Window. This is the story of the Legacy Pre all over again. :-/
As an additional note - anyone who uses the words 'Fail or Epic' loses my attention immediately. I don't allow my employees to uses these words because just as a curse word it represents someone with a limited vocabulary and an inferior ability to express themselves without resulting to pop culture slang.
Nice follow up actually.
Anyone who knows the difference between lose and loose on the internet gets my instant respect!
For me any tablet will have to replace the netbook which I carry just about everywhere I go. Netbooks run $300-500. Anything more expensive is too expensive. I'd probably pick up a smaller, pocketable 7" tablet for $300-400 without putting much thought into the decision. But a large, expensive 10" tablet? It just makes no sense when I can get a real computer for less money.
good to see I'm not alone on this!
exactly
what happened to "the products are ready" and the statenent of releasing products within weeks of announcement. So let down. :-(
who wants a $699 touchpad that has no apps. I mean with a phone at least you can make phone calls and send text. What are you going to do with the touchpad? If your answer was make video calls well my reply to that is that you need to know somebody else that would buy a touchpad, and even if you did somebody else are you really going to spend $699 just to make video calls?
ur the only moron who would buy State of The Art Pad for playin games... Most other people uses is for it's portability n the ease the net on their hands! Playin games on it is plain idiotic! Unless you have an ipad that gets u irretated cuz of it's horrible Mtaskin, then you can use ur F*ckin apps cuz not much more you can do with it...however, I would love to use my Touchpad for my skol use.. So I Don't need to carry a laptop with me around! Unless you use ur laptop cuz of it's apps!
look here choleface. Where do you see any mention of games in post? I am simply pointing out the fact that there is no apps for the tablet out. We have no text editing apps, no formidable e reading apps. They say movie viewing apps are coming but the recent reputation hp has built by not being able to keep any promise thus far, I see no reason to believe those apps would be available whenever they decide to release this thing. So before you start calling me a moron make sure you read the post fully and understand it fully.......
The most used functions of a Tablet will be browsing, watching videos and Ebook reader.
If you provide that out of the box you already have covered what most people use most of the time. It'l also come with QuickOffice.
With existing apps they can also get games, have a selection of music players, RSS readers, etc...
That's a sufficient base.
More app selection would be great of course - but there's plenty of people who will rarely if ever buy an app beyond those provided in the base package. And you have to start somewhere.
Android had hardly any apps in the beginning either. People tend to forget this.
If it's true that the most used functions will be browsing, watching videos and eBooks, you just described the $250 Nook Color.
so you are saying that $700 (something more expensive than a high powered laptop) is justifiable for browsing, watching videos and ebook reader?
With netbooks coming into their own with ion2s and multicore 64bit processors, already 10 and 12 inch screens with beautiful resolutions, and all the connectivity, app support, and productivity you can dream of, this news is a sad regurgitation of the scraps and breadcrumbs webos users have been fed for over a year. We've been a malnutritioned lot from the beginning and it's no surprise that some of us have a taste for blood.
Is the upcoming palmpad the three course filet mignon we all been waiting for? Heck no, but better than nothing.
What's most dissapoiting right now is getting stuck with an inflated bill for an experience that leaves much to be desired.
While some people will appreciate the netbook form factor...some will prefer the tablet form factor...
tholap above mentions eReader...for me...that alone pulls me to the Touchpad - KINDLE!
but...ever seen how Windows 7 handles the size of the 10" notebook screen?
the price sounds about right... They are better than ipad y sell it for less?
I have the ipad n I hate it...
I am genuinely curious, why do you hate the iPad (hate is such a strong word)?
What is the biggest differentiator in your opinion that would compel you to purchase the TouchPad?
I can answer that for you, fanboyism.
I agree with the thought that its too much too late.
The ipad only costs about $250 to make...
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10451132-1.html
They should low ball this thing at $299 for 16gb and $399 for the 32gb, and get some product down range. Android didn't pass iOS because it's such a stellar OS, it did by flooding the market.
it's probably high priced because Apotheker came from SAP - ever get a bill for that massively overpriced crappy software?
some manufacturers make themselves believe that to convince the world their product is better, they should charge more.
I'm not really surprised at the pricing... The side by side specs are close enough to warrant similar price points, and HP doesn't have much to gain by quoting something far less, this early, when they probably don't even know themselves how the supply chain is going to perform, and what the initial demand will be like, on something relatively new and novel.
If the early unit throughput looks good, I expect the actual consumer price to come in significantly lower, even though HP may not change the $699 MSRP. I don't doubt there's creative accounting that consumer products companies engage in for situations like this that make everything nice and rosy on the bottom line (or on their tax forms).
That is laughable. Really HP? Your product is inferior, your WebOS is buggy at best and crashes on me and 3 of my friends at least once a week, and the few developers that write for WebOS continue to jump ship. On top of that, you're going to take your inferior OS and match it up with some inferior hardware, then set the price point to match the iPad's. That shows some balls. I can't wait until my contract is up. I was thinking of going to Android, but now I think I'll go straight to the iPhone out of spite.
Geez, and I thought the people at Palm were delusional.
My pre plus works better for me than anything else out there. It never crashes and has the apps that I want. I waited a long time before letting go of my Treo and hardware specs were not what led me to the Pre. It's the productivity and the ability to make reliable phone calls.
I've tried Android and iPhone and they don't cut it for me.
Too expensive. Needs to be 400 at the most or it will be DOA. Who cares. It's a complete piece of crap.
Not sure I need a tablet, but I'd rate integration with my phone as a good feature.
my...and you know that because you've seen them side by side together, right? doing what they do, right?
...did you notice that since HP released some info about some excellent devices...there is an absolute surge in whinny comments and commentators?
ALL of them sounding like supporters of HP's competition?
LOL...perhaps they're worried that HP might actually do well...that HP is really unto something here?
By summer there will be tap-to-share...just imagine being able to transfer what you're doing immediately by touching them together...for example...we're watching our flash video on our pre3 and prefer to see it on a bigger sceen...just touch the pre3 to the touchpad...
lol...oh yes...we can't even watch the flash video on the iwhatever...much less touch them together...
by the way...everybody seems to have forgotten HP wanting to reveal a device every 2 months this year...3 announced to be launched by mid-year...3 more?
imagine tap-to-share between your phone/tablet/laptop/pc/printer...friends' devices too?
An app that might reel me in would be something that replaces the paper pads I fill up every couple of weeks in meetings. Of course it would need to integrate with the rest of the ecosystem (i.e. desktop system).
Associated knowledge management software to help organize the notes would be great.
I have a lovely 13" Dell laptop which has 3D acc etc so handles what I need fine. My main issue is the weight which reduces my desire to use it travelling, esp abroad.
Toying with netbook idea, I would consider a WebOS tablet instead especially as I love my Pre (-) & plan to get Pre3.
It would also be used for browsing stuff on couch/kitchen around the house when not at my desktop in bedroom eg whilst watching TV & concept of answering phone calls on it is great!