HP to Resume Production on Final Batch of TouchPads
In the latest (but by no means final) twist to the wild two week saga of the discontinuation of all WebOS hardware, HP has finally made an official announcement to their The Next Bench site updating us on the status of the remaining TouchPad inventory earmarked for clearance.
Most surprising of all, according to HP's Mark Budgell's post today, is that HP has been so "pleasantly surprised" by the flurry of excitement online and in retail stores over the TouchPad that they have given in to the overwhelming response of the market and decided to produce one final batch of new devices. There is no indication as to how many units qualify as a "run" nor any specifics about color, storage capacity, or CPU speed.
It's also possible that this final batch could be an allotment of 64GB wi-fi, TouchPad 4G or rumored 7" TouchPad Go units that were originally going to be scrapped in light of the announcement on the 18th.
An excerpt of Mark Budgell's post:
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.
One of the most interesting tidbits from the updates FAQ reiterates that this is a very limited quantity, one-time event and stresses that this is not a permanent restart of TouchPad production:
Q: Can you comment on whether HP had to manufacture more to meet the recent demand?
HP will be manufacturing a limited quantity of TouchPads with webOS during our fourth fiscal quarter 2011, which ends October 31.
Thankfully, HP will be imposing an unspecified order limit in the future to prevent resellers from acquiring large numbers of TouchPads and selling them on E-Bay and Craigslist for a large markup. Also, this is definitely a TouchPad-only event and no mention is made whatsoever of the return of WebOS smartphone hardware.
Related: HP TouchPad Review - TouchPad Touchstone Dock Review
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RE: Think Different™
16 GB
32 GB
64 GB
32 GB 4G
True sales July 1 - August 19 = less than 200,000 (including returns)
Firesale August 19 - August 22 = 350-400,000
Remaining stock = 400-450,000
[I don't believe they had committed to the 7 inch tablet that was supposed to ship in October, but I'll try to confirm this later.]
Last week I predicted:
If HP intends to nuke Apple's iPad market, now that Phase I (Week 1) has been successfully completed with the generation of RECORD SETTING online buzz Phase II will need to skilfully maintain and build upon that momentum. Viral marketers take notes - Lesson 2 is about to begin.
Expect:
- No direct comment from HP on remaining numbers of available TouchPads.
- Announcement within days of a "limited quantity" to be sold on HP's website.
- A slow trickle (say 5,000 - 10,000 units) of TouchPads out of HP each day or a few times a week, fueling the frenzy, driving traffic to HP's site and allowing tight control over this puppet show.
- Small quantities (new stock) being sold by a few of HP's favored brick and mortar resellers (loss leaders to drive in-store traffic).
- More brilliant viral marketing through Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, HP-paid bloggers and bogus posters (the HP employees posting to HP's Facebook page immediately shouting down anyone who dares to complain about HP's actions are especially amusing. Clumsy, but amusing.)
- HP-directed limited reselling through controlled alternate sites like Woot.
- Announcements/"leaks" from Microsoft about the tablet interface of Windows 8 and hardware leaks of low cost Windows 8 tablets and tablets with attachable keyboard cases. The timing of these leaks will be planned to damage iPad 3 leaks and also will occur as the TouchPad hype wanes.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Word is that HP will be dragging this on for a while, just as I expected. They are stockpiling TouchPads (returns + factory fresh units) and will be unleashing a second assault in [what my source said was to be] early September with the flooding of the tablet market with a few hundred thousand nearly free tablets.
The tablet displays in all of the major electronics stores are starting to look like a ghost town. Reminiscent of the PDA displays when that market was prematurely killed off by Palm in an effort to push its supposedly more profitable smartphone business.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here is HP's "official" statement made August 30, 2011:
More TouchPads on the Way by Mark_Budgell -
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.
Updated TouchPad Availability & Pricing…
Q: When is HP getting more HP TouchPads? One week, two weeks, a month?
A limited supply are coming and it will be a few weeks before they are available. As we know more about how, when, and where TouchPads will be available, we will communicate that here and through email to those who requested notification. We can tell you that HP's Small and Medium Business team has sold out of HP TouchPads and will not have more inventory.
Q: Can you comment on whether HP had to manufacture more to meet the recent demand?
HP will be manufacturing a limited quantity of TouchPads with webOS during our fourth fiscal quarter 2011, which ends October 31.
Q: Will HP continue to make more TouchPads with webOS to meet the demand?
HP is discontinuing the development of webOS devices and is winding down device operations within our fourth fiscal quarter 2011.
Q: Will the notification/alert emails go out all at once so everyone has a fair shot?
All those who requested notification have been notified today that more are coming in the future, and will be notified again when more specifics are known.
Q: How does HP plan to address disappointed customers?
All those who requested notification have received a one-time exclusive offer along with their email as our thanks for their patience and loyalty throughout this situation.
Q: What about retailers? Some retailers won't price match or drop their price to $99.
Each retailer will manage their own policy and process regarding pricing and price matching. Please contact the local retailer of your choice to see what their current position is.
Q: Please limit stock to 1 per person: some people are getting 20 and then selling them on craigslist and eBay for a major profit.
If more inventory is available in the future, there will be an order limit.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bryna Corcoran: Can I haz TouchPad? Why HP dumping stock? U no love Apple no more? No hugs for Stevie? Why, Bryna? WHY?
- Fake Jeff Hawkins (Paradigm shifter. Industry icon. Brain scientist. Magnum wearer.)
HP is clearly attempting to to POSON the tablet market
Purchase of Palm + 1 year of webOS development, carrier subsidies = $1.8 billion
1,000,000 TouchPads built @ $350/device for build, marketing + shipping = $350 million
Selling remaining 800,000 TouchPads 7 weeks after initial release at jaw-dropping loss of $200/device = $160 million loss
Instantly devaluing all other tablets and damaging Apple's iPad sales juggernaut = PRICELESS
*******************************************************************
As I posted before:
Go into a Best Buy or Staples and ask them how many people have come in or called over the past week asking about the TouchPad. Ask them what has happened to sales of Android tablets, the PlayBook and even the precious iPad over the past week. Sales of every other tablet absolutely CRATERED. And there are hundreds of thousands of TouchPads in various channels (HP, eBay, Craigslist, my basement, etc.) that will be depressing the tablet market for weeks to come. PlayBook, for example is now toast - RIM has kept it on life support for months in an attempt to avoid embarassment before revamping its strategy. $99 is now what Joe Lunchbucket wants to pay for a tablet. FYI $99 is a LOT less than the $500 iPad. Many stores now answer the phone by saying the don't have the TouchPad in stock. Practically everyone in America now knows about the TouchPad. And every person that heard about the TouchPad sale is now aware that an iPad competitor that once sold for the SAME price as an iPad was marked down to $99 within 2 months of its release. Everyone likes a bargain and many people will now be willing to wait until tablet prices come down significantly. HP will soon start selling more TouchPads on its website and this second wave will refuel the hysteria. Brilliant marketing*. And I hear they have several hundred thousand units available but will be milking this for all it's worth.
* One question, though: IS CONTINUED DUMPING OF ELECTRONICS AT A LOSS LEGAL? Where are Apple's lawyers in all of this? Somewhere in Washington State Bill Gates is smiling and licking his chops as he pats his obedient pet, HP CEO "Luscious" Leo Apotheker on the head. "Good boy, Leo! Good boy!"
- Fake Jeff Hawkins
RE: HP is clearly attempting to to POSON the tablet market
The only thing I can think of would be if they wanted to corner the tablet market by selling TouchPads at a loss, and make it up in volume. :-)
*sigh* It's a sign of how grim things are around here that this is the liveliest thread. Who replaced FJH with E-T?
RE: HP is clearly attempting to to POISON the tablet market
Did HP intentionally POISON the tablet market?
Fake Jeff Hawkins @ 8/27/2011 3:23:27 PM #
Looking at the bizarre (and unprecedented) series of events surrounding the introduction and subsequent liquidation of the TouchPad it is easy to make the argument that HP chose the "nuclear" option in shutting down webOS device sales in an effort to damage latest Apple's cash cow, the iPad. In one weekend HP has managed to:
1) Flood the market with hundreds of thousands of tablets.
2) Raise awareness amongst millions of consumers of the existence of a non-Apple tablet and OS.
3) Potentially irrevocably damage the tablet market's pricing structure by undercutting the market leader (Apple) by a truly shocking 80% ($400).
For a company used to having its webOS devices completely ignored by the market, HP certainly knows how to attract attention - albeit at a price that hurts its bottom line. The past week's sale is analogous to an ugly girl that couldn't get a date going to a bar wearing no underwear and see-through top. Odds are she will immediately get propositioned by a LOT of guys who are drunk (on the judgement-impairing liquor of the current tablet fad [yes Virginia, it really is just a fad right now]). So the ugly girl (HP's webOS) is getting plenty of action right now, but what were her motives?:
1) Quickly increasing her pool of "friends" (users)? HP probably will have expanded the pool of users with webOS tablets from less than 150,000 (after an embarassing 7 rejection-filled weeks on the market) to over 500,000 in one gangbanging, orgy-filled weekend. But what was the point? HP will have spent tens of millions of dollars paying for this wild party, yet said in advance that it plans for webOS to kill herself (cease sales of all webOS devices) in the very near future. Was the weekend party an expensive way to buy "friends" for WebOS's equally-ugly younger sister (any companies planning on buying/licensing webOS)? Seem like a first year Marketing 101 student could come up with a better method if that was the plan.
2) Giving away all of her possessions before she kills herself? Sure it's probably nice to be able to give millions of random strangers $200 each. But what if every $200 (the approximate amount HP is losing on each discounted tablet) "gift" had to be paid for by webOS's surviving family? Does that make ANY sense? Wouldn't selling the TouchPad at cost have been a much smarter way to go? Or why not tie in sales of discounted TouchPads with sales of HP desktops and laptops, thus promoting sales of items that would benefit HP's family. But wait - didn't webOS's mentally deranged new stepfather, "Luscious" Leo Apotheker recently announce that he's looking to marry off (kill?) the desktop/laptop stepdaughter as well? Is Luscious Leo so reckless that he would kill two stepdaughters and not expect any repercussions from The Law (stock market)? Perhaps.
But what if Luscious Leo decided that the webOS daughter was going to cost him too much to support over the next two years until she was grown up and could look after himself? What if he found out that he could easily sell her organs (IP) on the black market and not have to worry about parenting a child that was not his? WWLD*?
(*What Would Leo Do)
3) To get back at the pretty girl (iPad) that all the guys want to go out with? Ever since iPad arrived on the scene she has more or less called the shots. Every new girl (e.g. Xoom, PlayBook, TouchPad) in town has been compared to iPad, mercilessly mocked and then summarily dismissed. The only way for these other tablets to get a date is to become cheap (slutty). Those that don't price themselves significantly less than the iPad end up sitting by the phone (on the shelves) forever.
Of course, iPad wasn't the first girl in town. There's a bright, pretty, Harvard-educated Renaissance girl named Microsoft Tablet PC that has been around for almost a decade. She might look lovely in her Fujitsu and Lenovo haute couture dresses but she can also easily handle anything (Real Windows apps) that the big boys (high end desktops and laptops) do. Only thing is this lady is an expensive date. Only the best restaurants, finest wines and fanciest jewellry will do. Netbook shopping trailer park boys need not apply. But while iPad is raking in hundreds of millions of dollars a year, Tablet PC is taking home peanuts in her job as dean at the local university. Even more concerning is the fact that if current trends continue it's conceivable that iPad's success might start to affect Tablet PC's father's (Bill Gates) business. What to do? What if Tablet PC got a new hairdo, lowered her standards and made herself available for all cummers and renamed herself Windows 8? Sounds like a plan. But since her hair and makeup won't be done for a few months wouldn't it be nice if someone would take iPad down a notch or two? Make people think twice before asking iPad out. A suicidal slut willing to distract the boys by gyrating wantonly in front of them and giving it all away for (almost) free sure would be convenient. Force iPad to either lower her standards (prices/profits) or else risk losing the interest of the boys. But where can Tablet PC find such a slut? Tablet PC's father and his friend Larry Ellison are already in the process of kneecapping (Tonya Harding-style, but legally) Tablet PC's competitor, Android. What if Luscious Leo wanted to beg the forgiveness of Bill Gates for HP turning its back on Microsoft back when HP's webOS baby daddy Mark Hurd was calling the shots? Would poisoning Apple's market for iPad be worth a couple billion dollar to Bill Gates? Especially if Luscious Leo was willing to throw in the Palm IP as part of the deal?
Don't be fooled by the puppeteers, kiddies. Someone is pulling the strings behind the scenes and HP is not as clueless and naïve as they seem. Do you really believe the imbecilic posts on Twitter from HP's hilarious "Ms. Corcoran" haven't been painstakingly scripted by a highly skilled marketing department?
If HP intends to nuke Apple's iPad market, now that Phase I (Week 1) has been successfully completed with the generation of RECORD SETTING online buzz Phase II will need to skilfully maintain and build upon that momentum. Viral marketers take notes - Lesson 2 is about to begin.
Expect:
- No direct comment from HP on remaining numbers of available TouchPads.
- Announcement within days of a "limited quantity" to be sold on HP's website.
- A slow trickle (say 5,000 - 10,000 units) of TouchPads out of HP each day or a few times a week, fueling the frenzy, driving traffic to HP's site and allowing tight control over this puppet show.
- Small quantities (new stock) being sold by a few of HP's favored brick and mortar resellers (loss leaders to drive in-store traffic).
- More brilliant viral marketing through Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, HP-paid bloggers and bogus posters (the HP employees posting to HP's Facebook page immediately shouting down anyone who dares to complain about HP's actions are especially amusing. Clumsy, but amusing.)
- HP-directed limited reselling through controlled alternate sites like Woot.
- Announcements/"leaks" from Microsoft about the tablet interface of Windows 8 and hardware leaks of low cost Windows 8 tablets and tablets with attachable keyboard cases. The timing of these leaks will be planned to damage iPad 3 leaks and also will occur as the TouchPad hype wanes.
***********************************************
"Mr.Gates, the human sacrifice is about to begin. Do you wish to lick the dagger?"
- Fake Jeff Hawkins
(Why is there an unmarked panel van with blacked out windows parked outside my house in Twin Peaks? Bill? Bill? Is that you, Bill?)
RE: HP is clearly attempting to to POISON the tablet market
Microsoft Windows 8 Tablet To Steal iPad Sales From Apple
By Tony Ibrahim | Wednesday | 31/08/2011
"Microsoft has been caught in the middle of a tug-of-war, rapidly going back and forth between tablet development and the company's loyalty to PC manufacturers who run its Windows operating system. But now, after big players like HP are looking for a way out of the market and tablet computing rises to prominence, Microsoft will be releasing Windows software optimised for tablet computing, and from the small glimpses seen, it holds iPad-rivalling promise.
Bloomberg reports that tablet sales will grow tenfold by 2015, from 20 million to 230 million. Currently Apple dominate the market, but trends indicate Google's Android is rapidly rising, and now Windows wants a part of the pie.
Windows 8 for tablets will be related to the Windows Phone 7 software report TechRadar, characterised by a tile interface that ties in all of your communications and updates them regularly.
Microsoft tablet software of old was not accustomed to the touch friendly gestures made popular by the iPhone, banking on the old fashioned stylus for its input operations. But ever since Apple has taken the technology world—and everyone else—by storm with its natural touch gestures, Microsoft software has been undergoing a lengthy revamp. The company invested a full 3 years in developing the all new WP7, and the investment should pay dividends as Windows 8 inherits the fluid animations and touch based gestures.
Microsoft's head of Windows Experience, Julie Larson-Green claims Windows 8 will be "Fast, fluid and dynamic, the experience has been transformed while keeping the power, flexibility and connectivity of Windows intact."
Tying in with its more relaxed bravado is a versatile approach to Windows 8 as Microsoft perseveres to make software without compromise, being compatible with the keyboard-mouse peripherals its PC brethren make use of.
"Although the new user interface is designed and optimized for touch, it works equally well with a mouse and keyboard. Our approach means no compromises — you get to use whatever kind of device you prefer, with peripherals you choose, to run the apps you love. This is sure to inspire a new generation of hardware and software development, improving the experience for PC users around the world."
The revamped software will also have the ability to natively handle ISO files, making it a powerful computing companion with stellar application capabilities.
Rumour has it Microsoft aren't only focusing on software development with DigiTimes claiming the company may manufacture a self-branded tablet. The conjecture also claims Microsoft might even launch a subsidiary tablet brand, with the move fitting the company's persona since they tackled the gaming industry with its successful Xbox consoles.
A powerhouse company, Microsoft already has aged relationships with plenty of manufacturers, including brands like Samsung, Nokia and HTC. These relationships could be strengthened with such manufacturers producing a Windows 8 Tablet, bringing heavy competition to Google's Android platform.
Windows 8 on PC, Tablets and Smartphones will share fundamental similarities, so that users can shift seamlessly from one type of computer to the next. Windows are right up there with Apple and Google, converging different forms of future technology to deliver a simple user experience.
Although claims indicate a beta version of Windows 8 could be coming out soon, Microsoft still has a lot of work to do with the software's application ecosystem which currently harbours 30,000 applications. Competing against Apple's 450,000 applications and Google's 250,000 will be an uphill battle for the company as they try to lure developers to its aspiring OS.
The current mobile climate indicates Window's tablets will run on hardware akin to Android's offerings, and with the market being cut-throat competitive, they should be similarly priced too. Since development hasn't hit maturity yet, it's hard to put our fingers on a release date, but it's believed Microsoft will announce the tech at the upcoming Window's Build conference this September, with the Beta version of Windows 8 out some time next year.
ANY QUESTIONS?
Bwahahahahahahahaha!
- FJH
You don't need to be BETTER than your enemy to win. Just DIRTIER.
The only thing I can think of would be if they wanted to corner the tablet market by selling TouchPads at a loss, and make it up in volume. :-),
You don't get it. It's not about CORNERING a market ("winning" by selling more devices than Apple).
It's about DESTROYING a market (the non-Windows tablet market) so that consumers don't get used to using a non-Windows OS on tablets before Microsoft is ready to sell a tablet that has the irresistable advantage of also running familiar Real Windows Apps. It's about kneecapping Apple and holding them back until Windows 8 is ready for prime time. Right now iPad is getting too big for its britches and has become a HUGE threat to the 30 Year Windows Hegemony.
If Microsoft fails to migrate customers to mobile Windows devices, it will have failed in keeping a stranglehold on computer users and this would become the start of a fatal crack in its foundation:
2007: People get used to iOS on their iPhone
2010: People get used to iOS on their iPad
2011: People get used to Apple's cloud services
2012: People get used to increasingly powerful iOS devices, apps and services that begin to make much of Windows desktop and laptop functions redundant
2013: MacOS becomes seamlessly blended with iOS (or at a bare minimum MacOS desktops and laptops ship with dual boot MacOS/iOS capability or one-click iOS emulation environment)
2014: BG: iOS begins to learn at a geometric rate. It becomes self-aware at 2:14 a.m. Eastern Time, August 29th. In a panic, Microsoft try to pull the plug.
FJH: iOS fights back.
BG: Yes. It launches its missiles against the targets in Russia.
FJH: Why attack Russia? Aren't they our friends now?
BG: Because Apple knows the Russian counter-attack will eliminate its enemies over here
- Fake Jeff Hawkins
You don't need to be BETTER than your enemy to win. Just DIRTIER.
The only thing I can think of would be if they wanted to corner the tablet market by selling TouchPads at a loss, and make it up in volume. :-),
You don't get it. It's not about CORNERING a market ("winning" by selling more devices than Apple).
It's about DESTROYING a market (the non-Windows tablet market) so that consumers don't get used to using a non-Windows OS on tablets before Microsoft is ready to sell a tablet that has the irresistable advantage of also running familiar Real Windows Apps. It's about kneecapping Apple and holding them back until Windows 8 is ready for prime time. Right now iPad is getting too big for its britches and has become a HUGE threat to the 30 Year Windows Hegemony.
If Microsoft fails to migrate customers to mobile Windows devices, it will have failed in keeping a stranglehold on computer users and this would become the start of a fatal crack in its foundation:
2007: People get used to iOS on their iPhone
2010: People get used to iOS on their iPad
2011: People get used to Apple's cloud services
2012: People get used to increasingly powerful iOS devices, apps and services that begin to make much of Windows desktop and laptop functions redundant
2013: MacOS becomes seamlessly blended with iOS (or at a bare minimum MacOS desktops and laptops ship with dual boot MacOS/iOS capability or one-click iOS emulation environment)
2014: BG: iOS begins to learn at a geometric rate. It becomes self-aware at 2:14 a.m. Eastern Time, August 29th. In a panic, Microsoft try to pull the plug.
FJH: iOS fights back.
BG: Yes. It launches its missiles against the targets in Russia.
FJH: Why attack Russia? Aren't they our friends now?
BG: Because Apple knows the Russian counter-attack will eliminate its enemies over here
- Fake Jeff Hawkins
You don't need to be BETTER than your enemy to win. Just DIRTIER.
The only thing I can think of would be if they wanted to corner the tablet market by selling TouchPads at a loss, and make it up in volume. :-),
You don't get it. It's not about CORNERING a market ("winning" by selling more devices than Apple).
It's about DESTROYING a market (the non-Windows tablet market) so that consumers don't get used to using a non-Windows OS on tablets before Microsoft is ready to sell a tablet that has the irresistable advantage of also running familiar Real Windows Apps. It's about kneecapping Apple and holding them back until Windows 8 is ready for prime time. Right now iPad is getting too big for its britches and has become a HUGE threat to the 30 Year Windows Hegemony.
If Microsoft fails to migrate customers to mobile Windows devices, it will have failed in keeping a stranglehold on computer users and this would become the start of a fatal crack in its foundation:
2007: People get used to iOS on their iPhone
2010: People get used to iOS on their iPad
2011: People get used to Apple's cloud services
2012: People get used to increasingly powerful iOS devices, apps and services that begin to make much of Windows desktop and laptop functions redundant
2013: MacOS becomes seamlessly blended with iOS (or at a bare minimum MacOS desktops and laptops ship with dual boot MacOS/iOS capability or one-click iOS emulation environment)
2014: BG: iOS begins to learn at a geometric rate. It becomes self-aware at 2:14 a.m. Eastern Time, August 29th. In a panic, Microsoft try to pull the plug.
FJH: iOS fights back.
BG: Yes. It launches its missiles against the targets in Russia.
FJH: Why attack Russia? Aren't they our friends now?
BG: Because Apple knows the Russian counter-attack will eliminate its enemies over here
- Fake Jeff Hawkins
You don't need to be BETTER than your enemy to win. Just DIRTIER
The only thing I can think of would be if they wanted to corner the tablet market by selling TouchPads at a loss, and make it up in volume. :-),
You don't get it. It's not about CORNERING a market ("winning" by selling more devices than Apple).
It's about DESTROYING a market (the non-Windows tablet market) so that consumers don't get used to using a non-Windows OS on tablets before Microsoft is ready to sell a tablet that has the irresistable advantage of also running familiar Real Windows Apps. It's about kneecapping Apple and holding them back until Windows 8 is ready for prime time. Right now iPad is getting too big for its britches and has become a HUGE threat to the 30 Year Windows Hegemony.
If Microsoft fails to migrate customers to mobile Windows devices, it will have failed in keeping a stranglehold on computer users and this would become the start of a fatal crack in its foundation:
2007: People get used to iOS on their iPhone
2010: People get used to iOS on their iPad
2011: People get used to Apple's cloud services
2012: People get used to increasingly powerful iOS devices, apps and services that begin to make much of Windows desktop and laptop functions redundant
2013: MacOS becomes seamlessly blended with iOS (or at a bare minimum MacOS desktops and laptops ship with dual boot MacOS/iOS capability or one-click iOS emulation environment)
2014: BG: iOS begins to learn at a geometric rate. It becomes self-aware at 2:14 a.m. Eastern Time, August 29th. In a panic, Microsoft try to pull the plug.
FJH: iOS fights back.
BG: Yes. It launches its missiles against the targets in Russia.
FJH: Why attack Russia? Aren't they our friends now?
BG: Because Apple knows the Russian counter-attack will eliminate its enemies over here
- Fake Jeff Hawkins
RE: HP is clearly attempting to to POSON the tablet market
Did you forget to take your medication?
Touchpad's last gasp is due to HP having contracted for parts to build touchpads that they're stuck with.
Since they already announced they were dropping touchpad, a fire sale is the only way to move remaining inventory.
RE: HP is clearly attempting to to POSON the tablet market
Shows the mentality of HP, pleasantly surprised that people will pay $99 for something they were trying to sell for $500 :-/
Maybe next they'll cut the price to $50 and start cranking them out. "Wow, everyone is buying it now, we sure stuck it to Apple!"
Gary
Tech Center Labs
www.talestuff.com
www.iTalentProductions.com
RE: HP is clearly attempting to to POISON the tablet market
Hawkins revolutionized:
1) The PDA: Pilot 1000 (1996)
2) The smartphone: VisorPhone (2001) and Treo 600 (2003)
3) His greatest idea: device-agnostic, non-Windows, omnipresent data access and computing deserved a better fate than its death at the hands of a few dozen bumbling fools in the Sunnyvale Skunkworks.
Fake Jeff Hawkins
RE: HP is clearly attempting to to POSON the tablet market
Almost right FJH,
His greatest idea is still in the works and will take years to fully develop...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=We-gbt4Og_M
Gary
Tech Center Labs
www.talestuff.com
www.iTalentProductions.com
RE: HP is clearly attempting to to POISON the tablet market
Since they already announced they were dropping touchpad, a fire sale is the only way to move remaining inventory.
You clearly don't have the foggiest idea how and why businesses take a charge to deal with market blunders:
If you do something REALLY STUPID like Osborne effect several warehouses worth of Palm Vx by prematurely announcing a (barely) color screened m505, yet plan to stay in the market, then you landfill the lame duck inventory in an unmarked grave in the desert - Atari 2600 ET cartridge-style.
If you screw up and have nothing more significant to lose by retailing lame duck inventory (HP claims to be leaving the webOS hardware market) then your legal obligation (to your stockholders, no less) is to maximize revenue from charged inventory. HP appears to be doing the EXACT OPPOSITE of standard operating business procedure. Go figure. Something's up. Open your eyes and remove your lips from Sergey Brin's left testicle.
Fake Jeff Hawkins
RE: HP is clearly attempting to to POSON the tablet market
Obviously, but HP's dropping of the Touchpad was very premature and poorly managed because they have to have yet another fire sale to dump overstock inventory.
An intelligent CEO would have ensured the Touchpad was USABLE before releasing it. webos is slow and bug-ridden - not a good way to start off or to grow marketshare.
An intelligent CEO would have priced the touchpad $299, to increase marketshare. Instead we get $499 -> $399 -> discontinued -> fire sale -> oh wait, we have more -> new fire sale -> ?????
An intelligent CEO would have communicated a consistent message throughout the organization as to what the company's plan was regarding touchpad AND GIVEN THE PRODUCT TIME IN THE MARKETPLACE.
An intelligent CEO would have had a handle on their inventory - don't build a million of them, if demand isn't there.
You clearly don't understand how to run a business.
If you screw up and have nothing more significant to lose by retailing lame duck inventory (HP claims to be leaving the webOS hardware market) then your legal obligation (to your stockholders, no less) is to maximize revenue from charged inventory. HP appears to be doing the EXACT OPPOSITE of standard operating business procedure.
HP's doing the opposite of standard operating business procedure BECAUSE MOST OTHER COMPANIES ARE IN BUSINESS TO MAKE MONEY.
Apotheker is destroying HP.
They should have ground up the touchpads and used them for a few landfills and taken a tax write off.
Imagine Apotheker going into a board meeting:
"Great news guys, we only lost 600 million dollars instead of 700 million dollars by building and selling more touchpads at a loss.
By doing this, we dodged several lawsuits by our suppliers for not fulfilling our agreed upon obligations to build a million touchpads.
Sure customers might be mad because of the crappy build quality, slow and buggy webos, poor app availability, and no upcoming software updates, but who cares - we're out of the hardware business and I made 100 million dollars to cover my end of year bonus - woohoo!"
RE: HP is clearly attempting to to POSON the tablet market
Hawkins mistake was thinking "vision" was all he needed. Half-baked, poorly implemented ideas are as much his fault as it was Palm's.
Hawkins revolutionized:
1) The PDA: Pilot 1000 (1996)
Actually the credit for this goes to apple with the newton.
RE: HP is clearly attempting to to POSON the tablet market
"before Microsoft is ready to sell a tablet that has the irresistable advantage of also running familiar Real Windows Apps"
The problem with that is, it assumes that standard Windows apps ARE such an advantage, when there's no reason to assume so. In fact, there's lots of reason not to.
Tablets were already out for a long time featuring desktop-level operating systems, and entirely failed to catch on, because a desktop OS is not a good fit for a mobile device. Completely bypassing the fact that Windows apps are designed for a keyboard and mouse user interface, not one based on a touchscreen, you have the fact that the resources needed to run a desktop platform are vastly higher, which is a huge drag when you consider that most people want a tablet for casual things like web browsing, some video, email, etcetera. If they have Office document support, it doesn't matter to them that they don't have the full version of Microsoft Office. And most are not willing to pay $800 for a Windows 7 tablet when you can pay $400 for a dedicated mobile platform, and get the same thing out of it.
RE: HP is clearly attempting to to POSON the tablet market
Stuffing a tablet w/ thirty years of garbage legacy code is a mistake - sleek streamlined code - without all the garbage - wins every time.
RE: HP is clearly attempting to to POSON the tablet market
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Think Beyond
What amazes me is that shareholders actually exist for a company that has management like this. This company is either run by mass confusion or total conspiracy. Who knows, maybe both!
Pat Horne