Very interesting indeed....
Wouldn't it be great if $99 and $149 became the new standard pricing structure instead of $500 because of this "event". :D
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Very interesting indeed....
Wouldn't it be great if $99 and $149 became the new standard pricing structure instead of $500 because of this "event". :D
Announcement from the HP blog:
Quote:
I finally have some solid news to share about TouchPad availability.
Before I share, let me first say thank you for enthusiasm for this product. Since we announced the price drop, the number of inquiries about the product and the speed at which it disappeared from inventory has been stunning. I think it’s safe to say we were pleasantly surprised by the response.
Despite announcing an end to manufacturing webOS hardware, we have decided to produce one last run of TouchPads to meet unfulfilled demand. We don’t know exactly when these units will be available or how many we’ll get, and we can’t promise we’ll have enough for everyone. We do know that it will be at least a few weeks before you can purchase. See more information in the updated FAQs below.
Bryna (@BrynaatHP) and I (@MarkatHP) will update you here and on Twitter on the status of the new batch of systems. Please continue to share your thoughts and questions with us. Although we can’t respond to every one directly, we are sharing your feedback with teams inside HP.
Please note that many of the questions below address concern about orders previously placed on our HP Home & Home Office and HP Small & Medium Business online stores. It’s important to note that these are separate stores with slightly different procedures. We also know that we’re sparse on information about availability outside the US. We will share updates on regional availability as the information comes in.
Just got a notice of a new pending charge on my bank card from HP Direct. Just a pre-authorization hold at this point, but it means I am still in the game. :)
Important Update about HP TouchPad
http://p.p0.com/YesConnect/HtmlMessa...msgVersion=web
HP TouchPad FAQs
http://www.shopping.hp.com/go/touchp...986&aoid=82293
The first link sent quite the shockwave through those of us with pending orders. It was later determined that is an email that was sent out to those who signed up for email notification of future sales. It doesn't refer to orders already pending. It's now 11 days since I ordered and still nothing definitive from HP Small Business as to whether I have one or when it will ship. Estimates range from tomorrow to 8 weeks from now. HP is oversold, but nobody knows where the cutoff is. People that ordered Friday, 8/19 got theirs already. People who ordered the following Saturday and Sunday are still in the waiting game. People who ordered Monday 8/22 are almost certain to have to wait for the new production....6-8 weeks.
Customer service rep claims the Small Business division sold 25,000 units over the fire sale weekend....and HP as a whole sold 80,000. Quite frankly, those numbers don't seem all that high to have wrecked HP's inventory control system and shipping systems. Best Buy moved over 200,000 and only had trouble for just a couple days.
Best homebrew patches for your HP TouchPad
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/mobile-new...43?tag=nl.e539
Thanks for the link. Bookmarked in case I ever get one. The latest from HP says it could take weeks to fill existing orders.:rolleyes:
Almost two weeks now and HP still can't give any specific information. That means a total collapse of their inventory system. They can't even count the orders against existing stock and they are admitting their order status pages are giving out faulty information and are not planning on fixing it. Their billing system is on auto-pilot. They have told us that they will send pre-authorization charges out every 7 days, automatically, whether you are getting a pad or not. Nice. I have had two HP holds on my debit card so far....
Never saw a big company fold like a cheap suit before.
Top HP TouchPad apps caught on video
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/mobile-new...90?tag=nl.e539
http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20110901PD218.html
That's between 100,000 and 200,000 more in October. If it's still $99 and $149....the race will be on again. I hope to have one before this....Quote:
Hewlett-Packard (HP) plans to launch a second sales promotion for its 9.7-inch TouchPads in late October in an attempt to clear out inventories of components in the supply chain, according to industry sources.
HP originally released orders for 900,000-1.1 million 9.7-inch TouchPads to Inventec and has taken deliveries of 800,000-900,000 units, said the sources, noting that the shipped TouchPads were nearly all sold out after the vendor slashed the tablet's price to US$99.
In an effort to mend its relationship with component suppliers and channel operators, HP decided to help them clear out inventories, including touch panels, batteries and chassis, equivalent to 100,000-200,000 units of 9.7-inch TouchPads, the sources pointed out.
HP has apparently abandoned its production plan for a 7-inch tablet PC model, with its ODM partner Inventec noting at a recently held investors conference that there will be no more follow-up orders for TouchPads from HP.
Confusion causes HP to hemorrhage customers
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/hardware/c...78?tag=nl.e539
Figures, jumped the gun again.
Right now there are over 50,000 unhappy people with pending orders at HP for back-order touchpads. HP hasn't even sent out an email to tell people if and when they are getting a pad....and that's after two and a half weeks so far. Maybe time for Leo Apotheker to resign or get fired.
The mighty have fallen................and can't get up.....
Finally a light at the end of the tunnel. However....it is a very long tunnel. Just got the email I have been waiting on for close to 3 weeks:
So....I got one. But by the time I get it, I will have forgotten I bough it....LOL :DQuote:
"HP Small and Medium Business Customer,
Thank you for your interest in webOS and the HP TouchPad – the response to our price reduction has been overwhelming – both in terms of volume and in the energy and enthusiasm it has generated in our customers.
It has taken us longer than anticipated to work through the high volume of orders that were received. We apologize for any uncertainty this caused, but we are now in a position to understand our ability to fulfill your order.
Your order will be fulfilled at the discounted price. However, we do not have enough stock to satisfy your order at this time. It will take 6-8 weeks to build enough HP TouchPads to meet our current commitments, during which time your order will then ship from this stock with free ground shipping. You will receive a shipping notification with tracking number once your order has shipped. We apologize that these timelines are longer than indicated on the website at time of purchase.
At the significantly reduced price, the HP TouchPad does not qualify for our standard 30 day return policy and is not returnable.
If this delay is not acceptable, please send an email to [email protected] with your instructions for cancellation within a week. Be sure to include your HP order number and the name and ship-to address on the order. Also please indicate clearly if this is the only order requiring cancellation or if you wish all orders in your name to be canceled. You will receive an automated cancel notification when your order cancellation request has been processed. Please be aware, however, that cancellations cannot be reversed, and our US SMB store has sold out of HP TouchPad and will not make any further available for sale.
We are pleased that we will be able to fulfill your order and look forward to you joining the exciting community of webOS!
Sincerely,
Your HP Small and Medium Business Team
www.hp.com/go/touchpadFAQ"
I wonder what exactly that means. I thought they were dropping development of webOS so why would they talk or care about the "community"? It seems like they still haven't figured out what they're doing.Quote:
and look forward to you joining the exciting community of webOS!
HP may sell off the webOS to someone else. I don't thinnk even they know what they will do as yet. Its not like they have an effective comunication system.
Agreed. There is considerable double-talk.....or no talk at all coming out of HP.
In addition to the touchpad email, I also got the HP-SMB newsletter that linked to this:
http://h30458.www3.hp.com/us/us/smb/...11&mrm=1-4BVUP
There is something of an explanation about WebOS there....
HP laying off 500 employees....
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/hp-con...division/58413
Quote:
Summary: HP says it will cut jobs in the webOS division, as reports suggest it could be over 500 employees facing the chop. Could webOS still be spun-off or sold-off somewhere?
Apotheker might be looking for a new job soon. HP board may dump him as CEO, Can't say I am surprised...
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-0...ar-as-ceo.html
Quote:
Hewlett-Packard Co. (HPQ)’s board plans to meet to consider whether to oust Leo Apotheker as chief executive officer after less than 11 months on the job, two people familiar with the matter said.
Under a scenario being considered, Hewlett-Packard’s directors may appoint former EBay Inc. (EBAY) CEO Meg Whitman as his successor, possibly on an interim basis, said one of the people, who asked not to be named because the plans aren’t public.
Carly Fiorina, Patricia Dunn, Mark Hurd, and now Leo Apotheker. Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard must be turning in their graves by now.
Meg Whitman seems like a good choice. I just want the company to keep selling PCs to consumers. If that's not doable, then I can see a company like ASUS taking over that market.Quote:
Originally Posted by jdc2000
If Apotheker is out, I wouldn't count out the possibility that HP will go back on the whole idea of ditching the PC division. They could end up right back where this whole mess started. After the firesale, the Touchpad is second only to iPad creating a huge user base.
That fat lady hasn't sung yet....
Smooth moves there, HP....Quote:
In all, the ousters of its past three CEOs, including the bonus for the interim CEO, have cost HP $83.3 million
Now factor in that the touchpad firesale means they lost roughly $200 on each pad sold. Ballpark figure that at around $200 million.
Then....the $1.2 billion for Palm and WebOS which are now worthless acquisitions without a consumer division.
The $99 TouchPad Returns To HP’s Employee Purchasing Program On Sept 28th
http://techcrunch.com/2011/09/18/such-a-good-deal/HP Employees Get One Last Chance at TouchPad Fire SaleQuote:
...
The company is set to release a final batch of the $99/$149 HP TouchPads to employees starting September 28th at 9:00am PDT. This is per an email I received from an HP employee (embedded after the jump), which notes TouchPads are available on a first come, first serve basis and employees are only allowed to buy one TouchPad ...
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2393177,00.aspQuote:
...
Although this final sale seems to be the last nail in the coffin for HP's beleaguered tablet, some analysts are trying to cajole HP into breathing new life into the device.
"The TouchPad was overpriced at launch and did not sell. This led HP to draw a premature conclusion that the product category had failed," said analysts for the firm Canalys in a research note.
"The TouchPad has become the 'must-have' technology product of 2011. Perhaps no other technology vendor, apart from Apple, has ever created such hype for a technology product," they added.
The problem? According to some analyst estimations, it costs HP around $300 in manufacturing just to make a TouchPad to begin with. Consumers might love themselves some inexpensive tablets, but there's no way that HP establish much of a concrete tablet business by burning money.
...
There are thousands of people like me that are bit concerned by the internal HP memo about a new round of sales to HP employees. We have pending orders with HP that have not been filled in over a month, yet they are selling more to employees. We fear getting screwed after all this waiting. :(
New CEO Meg Whitman may be rethinking the PC business spinoff....
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...262949256.html
I read elsewhere that the majority of stock holders (who are losing money hand over fist) want to keep the PC biz.Quote:
Hewlett-Packard Co. Chief Executive Meg Whitman said she would like to accelerate the company's review of a potential sale of its personal computer business, seeking to make a decision before the end of the year.
"We're going to get to ground on this as fast as we can," Ms. Whitman said in an interview with CNBC, noting that she has heard from salespeople that uncertainty around the unit is hurting H-P's business.
The cost of $300 to manufacture is amazing considering it's made overseas by cheap labor.Quote:
Originally Posted by SpywareDr
The quest is at an end. Just got my Touchpad delivered after 45 days of waiting. haven't broken the seal yet as I ponder that $200 offer I got awhile back....but I imagine my curiosity will get the best of me soon and open that sucker. :D
I'm betting that it will be open before I finish typing this message..
4,3,2,1...
Pretty close, Fink.....it's open, charged and set up already....LOL :D
This is my first tablet and I am not used to this touching stuff.....I keep making mistakes. :D
Congrats! :) https://discussions.virtualdr.com/im.../2012/05/1.gifQuote:
Originally Posted by maxximilian
You will feel like your fingers are a mile wide for a while ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by maxximilian
Congrats Maxx!!! :D
HP TouchPad gets webOS update
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/mobile-new...79?tag=nl.e539
I got it. Good upgrade. Much faster now.....