HP TouchPad Goes on Sale July 1st

IMO, HP has to do as you say, get as many apps as possible available ASAP. But even more important IMO, is the ability to differentiate the TP with differentiating features. They have to bring on the touchstone, tap2share, valuable-intuitive multitasking, real-time device sync, enterprise savvy / security, effortless printing, and a host of others in the pipeline for the future. People need to say "I want that, that, and that" in order to buy the TouchPad.

Matching Apple is pointless. Exceeding on specs won't really help, especially since Apple is not sitting on their hands. Why would consumers buy a copy when they can get the real thing? I don't think they will unless their is real usability difference.
Pat Horne

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Most casual users I know (and end up supporting to some extent) have almost completely abandoned desktop PCs, especially in the past 3-4 years as reasonably spec'd <$500 notebook PCs and netbooks hit the scene. They all tell me that that laptops are cooler/trendier, smaller, easier to set up, and "a better value". 99.9% of these portables never leave a desk or the kitchen table and these same users are wont to complain about small text, small keyboards, or an aggravating touchpad but that's another topic for another thread.

Also, most of these people have interestingly graduated to an iPad or iPhone from an iPod and bizarrely still use their old iPods as dedicated music players. Or they do weird stuff like own an 8Gb iPod Touch for music despite the fact they have ~12Gb free on their iPhone 4s. A LOT of these same users are "scared" to do much on their iPhones beyond basic SMS & phone calls b/c they are scared they will "break" it with a malicious 3rd party app or "use up all the memory" and render it inoperable for voice calls. In fact, I would wager than maybe 1/4 of the iPhone users I know have never installed an iOS update or even sync'd with iTunes beyond the initial setup "to make that stupid white cable screen go away".

If these same users are still clinging to a desktop, it's likely an older Vista or XP machine that they use as an iTunes/media hub and for occasional "work". For the most part, however, they have replaced it with a netbook or an iPad that they use for their day-to-day news/browsing/games. These people also are infuriated when they encounter a web site that does not offer full functionality in its mobile-formatted version or requires Flash.

That said, I find almost zero value in the current crop of tablets other than as a luxury item and/or a "being lazy" novelty device. I use my Galaxy Tab only around the house (ie on the toilet, on the couch, in bed). It's almost entirey a media consumption device other than brief FB updates or emails. I don't take it to work and I don't travel with it. My powerhouse desktop PC w/ an ergo keyboard, adjustable 28" monitor and comfy chair is still my primariy tool for getting stuff done but I realize that makes he terribly unhip and in a dwindling segment of the market.

Just the other day a guy told me he refused to pay more than $350 for a dual-core, 15.6" laptop. But that same guy is ready to drop $500+ on an iPad 2 without blinking an eye. Take your average $500 tablet and accessorize it with a case, a desktop stand/dock, and maybe another charger. You are in high-end laptop territory and still saddled with a non-expandable, very limited functionality device. But the hardware companies and retailers love it!

How does all of this relate to HP's chances with the Touchpad? Well, I know they are going to have to give it a MUCH stronger effort than the first-gen TP if we are heading to a tablet-centric future. I also think it would STRONGLY behoove HP's codemonkeys to integrate removable storage into WebOS ASAP and use it as a major way to undercut Apple on pricing, along the lines of what Bosco is saying.
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I am interested in the iPad and TouchPad, but if I buy it would have to basically banish my netbook, which is my business workhorse.

Depends what you use the netbook for. The iPad isn't as good at originating content as it is at viewing it. If you need word processing and spreadsheets, you can do it, but it's not near the functionality of a netbook.

But for the majority of people who need to do email, web browsing, and media, it's plenty.