HP considers reviving TouchPad, confirms upcoming limited supply

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
Hewlett-Packard has suggested in an interview that it is considering reviving the TouchPad in view of a potential spinoff of its computer division, and has confirmed that ?one last run? of webOS tablets will be manufactured to ?meet unfulfilled demand.?



HP announced plans to discontinue webOS hardware development on Aug. 18, as well as an interest in spinning off its PC business to focus on enterprise software development instead.



Since then the company permanently cut the price of the base TouchPad model to $99.99, while taking a $100 million charge in the process.



Todd Bradley, HP?s Personal System Group head and former Palm executive, told Reuters on Tuesday that the company is considering spinning off its computer business, thus reinforcing previous statements made by other HP officials.



HP is reportedly expected to reach a decision regarding the future of the PC division by the end of the year with a spinoff being ?considered the best option for shareholders,? a belief also shared by Bradley.



He expressed his intention to lead the resulting standalone company, which would become a ?full-fledged computer maker spanning tablets, ultra-thin and all-in-one PCs." The executive also added his belief that "tablet computing is a segment of the market that's relevant, absolutely," without making specific references to the TouchPad or other competing products.



Selling the PC arm of the company to rival companies such as Acer and Lenovo is, however, ?not a desirable alternative,? Bradley said.



Referring to HP suppliers in China, where Bradley is currently on a business trip, he said that the company would increase investments in Shanghai and further expand its manufacturing base there in the following three years, noting that the region is ?a critically important market for HP.? According to him, Shanghai will eventually become "a regional headquarters in China for the PSG.?



HP may have to renegotiate and redefine its current relationships with its suppliers, but Bradley remains confident in the future of the company: ?We will be one of, if not the largest, customers of all our major suppliers, be it Samsung to LG to Microsoft to Intel,? he said.



Regarding the company?s mobile platform, Bradley admitted that ?a number of companies had expressed interest in possibly using webOS,? but that his visit in China has nothing to do with announcing or negotiating ?anything regarding webOS.?



Samsung has been recently rumored to be interested in buying HP?s PC business, a report the South Korean-based company later denied. The company was also said to consider purchasing the webOS platform, a move that would put it in a better position to compete against iOS devices.



HP CEO Léo Apotheker admitted earlier this month that "the tablet effect is real," suggesting that Apple's iPad has had a cannibalizing effect on the company's PC business. Supporting that assertion is the fact that the TouchPad was launched only in July 2011 and canceled just six weeks later after poor sales ?in the face of stiff competition? from Apple.



In an unexpected move, Mark Budgell, PR Manager and Social Media Strategy at HP, confirmed on Tuesday via the company?s official blog that a limited final run of TouchPad tablets will be manufactured during the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2011 ending on October 31.







?We don?t know exactly when these units will be available of how many we?ll get, and we can?t promise we?ll have enough for everyone,? Budgell said. ?We do know that it will be at least a few weeks before you can purchase.?



HP's decision to produce more TouchPads may also be an effort to appease its suppliers, as one recent report suggested that upstream suppliers for the tablet had been left in the lurch by the surprise discontinuation of the device. Suppliers were reportedly in negotiation with HP, which has said it will "maintain its promise" to its partners.



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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 62
    nhtnht Posts: 4,522member
    I have one and I think it's pretty nice but jeez guys...why bother?
  • Reply 2 of 62
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    Hey, if they can make a strong business case for subsidizing every one sold, why not? Otherwise, let 'em lose their hindquarters on each sale.
  • Reply 3 of 62
    galbigalbi Posts: 968member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by nht View Post


    I have one and I think it's pretty nice but jeez guys...why bother?



    Why bother?



    webOS is one of the most intuitive mobile OS on the market next to iOS.



    It has a serious chance of giving Apple a run for its money if all the right stars align in place.



    Hardware acquisition (or partnership with a big firm like Samsung or HTC), deals with Google for web services, a retail deal with Amazon (though highly unlikely as Amazon will be having its own tablet out in the near future).
  • Reply 4 of 62
    noirdesirnoirdesir Posts: 1,027member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by nht View Post


    I have one and I think it's pretty nice but jeez guys...why bother?



    They might have already paid for the components and assembling them might be doable for $99.
  • Reply 5 of 62
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Galbi View Post


    Why bother?



    webOS is one of the most intuitive mobile OS on the market next to iOS.



    It has a serious chance of giving Apple a run for its money if all the right stars align in place.




    If it's so great, then why does it run like crap? I've read plenty of comments from people who bought one, and many say that it freezes randomly, it stutters, lags and it's slow.
  • Reply 6 of 62
    nhtnht Posts: 4,522member
    Amazon is the one that might have a business model for subsidized tablets. HP not so much.
  • Reply 7 of 62
    nhtnht Posts: 4,522member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Apple ][ View Post


    If it's so great, then why does it run like crap? I've read plenty of comments from people who bought one, and many say that it freezes randomly, it stutters, lags and it's slow.



    It's fine after the patch mostly. Flash still sucks but that's to be expected
  • Reply 8 of 62
    nhtnht Posts: 4,522member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Galbi View Post


    Why bother?



    webOS is one of the most intuitive mobile OS on the market next to iOS.



    It has a serious chance of giving Apple a run for its money if all the right stars align in place.



    Hardware acquisition (or partnership with a big firm like Samsung or HTC), deals with Google for web services, a retail deal with Amazon (though highly unlikely as Amazon will be having its own tablet out in the near future).



    Yes, other than to complete an runs to avoid penalties why bother? Do you think they could ever sell them at a profit or even break even now? Nope.



    The stars are so wildly out of alignment after that little stunt webos is damaged goods as long as it remains in HP hands.
  • Reply 9 of 62
    So they've suddenly sold 250,000 tablets for more than $300 less than they cost to make, market and distribute and this constitutes a market worth pursuing?!?
  • Reply 10 of 62
    bilbo63bilbo63 Posts: 285member
    I actually think Web OS is pretty decent from what I've seen, but sudden demand? Really?



    Do ya think that the fact that they were practically giving them away had something to do with it? Well do ya?



    That statement is laughable!
  • Reply 11 of 62
    realisticrealistic Posts: 1,154member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Galbi View Post


    Why bother?



    webOS is one of the most intuitive mobile OS on the market next to iOS.



    It has a serious chance of giving Apple a run for its money if all the right stars align in place.



    Hardware acquisition (or partnership with a big firm like Samsung or HTC), deals with Google for web services, a retail deal with Amazon (though highly unlikely as Amazon will be having its own tablet out in the near future).



    Your comment makes no sense!



    How does it have a chance against Apple when HP itself says it doesn't and discontinued the only tablet they ever made available on webOS.



    I am sure the $100 million write off HP just took was just a marketing ploy to boost sales.
  • Reply 12 of 62
    sennensennen Posts: 1,472member
    I wanted webOS tablets to do well. But for goodness sake, they only did well once reduced to bargain bin prices!
  • Reply 13 of 62
    Reminds me of a store I used to see, for about two years they had a 'Going Out Of Business Sale' in their window. Using it as a way to get people in the door. Either your out of the tablet business or your not, stop lying to folks. Because if it's December and theirs still "one more batch," they're lying and using it to get sales and quick money.
  • Reply 14 of 62
    I'm not sure the 'surge in demand' is the right phrase to use. Imagine how many iPads you'd sell for $99... but Apple would be taken to court for lost-leading if they did that...
  • Reply 15 of 62
    I was able to overclock mine to 1.7GHz and it never freezes now. Hopefully someone ports Android to it though.



    I used this guide to overclock: http://geekhow.com/2011/08/27/overcl...r-hp-touchpad/
  • Reply 16 of 62
    pmcdpmcd Posts: 396member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by sennen View Post


    I wanted webOS tablets to do well. But for goodness sake, they only did well once reduced to bargain bin prices!



    That is true and I suspect a lot of other tablet makers lost customers because of that. The only tablet selling a lot if the iPad and that won't continue forever. It will do well no doubt but once windows 8 is in the game things will be a lot more interesting. I still think the lack of a stylus input ( not handwriting recognition) is a weak point with the iPad and most current capacitive tablets. Unless we are planning on only using typewriters and returning to the Middle Ages then someone will have to do something about the input issue. Ascii can only take you so far.



    philip
  • Reply 17 of 62
    pmcdpmcd Posts: 396member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by thedude12345 View Post


    I was able to overclock mine to 1.7GHz and it never freezes now. Hopefully someone ports Android to it though.



    I used this guide to overclock: http://geekhow.com/2011/08/27/overcl...r-hp-touchpad/



    What's wrong with WebOS? I've never used an Android device so I can't comment on that. Seems like the wild west with no controls though. I'd rather a well defined OS with a company behind it. iOS or windows8 would be my preference, but webos seems really nice.



    philip
  • Reply 18 of 62
    malaxmalax Posts: 1,598member
    A $100 for a Web browser in tablet form is a great deal. At that clearance price people are probably figuring than any apps are just gravy.



    So yeah if HP can produce tablets for $50 a unit, they should stay in that business. Can they? Of course not.
  • Reply 19 of 62
    stourquestourque Posts: 364member
    Imagine how many they could sell at 99 cents? They could own the market. Seriously, are these people brain dead? They should write a business textbook - 'How not to run a business'
  • Reply 20 of 62
    stourquestourque Posts: 364member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by thedude12345 View Post


    I was able to overclock mine to 1.7GHz and it never freezes now. Hopefully someone ports Android to it though.



    That would be awesome - then you could 'root' it!
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