Those of you who missed out on the HP TouchPad fire sale in August have one more chance to get your hands on the heavily discounted tablet, but only if you purchase a PC or laptop to boot.
Best Buy has announced that, starting today, it will offer the 32GB HP TouchPad for $149 when it is bundled with any HP or Compaq computer. If you want buy the oft-maligned tablet on its own, you will have to fork over the full retail price of $599.99, which no one in their right mind would do.
As you may remember, HP launched its first-ever tablet device in July to mixed reviews, leading the PC giant to knock $100 off the price tag soon after the TouchPad hit shelves. Weeks later – after Best Buy reportedly sold only 25,000 TouchPads, representing less than 10 percent of its initial inventory – HP decided to put the TouchPad on the chopping block, along with the rest of its WebOS hardware division (the company has since reversed this decision).
To clear out excess inventory, HP shaved an astounding $500 off the price of the TouchPad, leading to a feeding frenzy that lasted just 24 hours. Apparently, Best Buy held on to a few tablets – or the final shipment of components came in – and they are now looking to convince holiday shoppers to go with the combo meal.
Interestingly, HP issued a statement noting that its TouchPad inventory is bone-dry, so it looks like Best Buy is your only option. At the end of the day, the deal may give HP a leg up on the competition in the PC and laptop markets. After all, $150 for a tablet is still a steal, even if it doesn't match up with the likes of the iPad.
At that price, HP is still taking a bath on TouchPad. All Things Digital speculates that the computer giant is taking a paper loss of more than $178 per unit.
The number of TouchPads Best Buy has in inventory is still uncertain, although the news source notes that the initial order was between 1.8 million and 2 million units, so it looks like you have some time to take advantage of the deal.
Beecher Tuttle is a TechZone360 contributor. He has extensive experience writing and editing for print publications and online news websites. He has specialized in a variety of industries, including health care technology, politics and education. To read more of his articles, please visit his columnist page.
Edited by Rich Steeves
