Rich Fiscus
17 Aug 2011 12:33
It's no secret that HP's WebOS powered tablet, the TouchPad, hasn't exactly set the world on fire. Now it seems Best Buy may be giving up on the tablet.
According to a report from AllThingsD, Best Buy has sold as few as 25,000 TouchPads and that number is "charitable" once returns are figured in. Sources claim the big box electronics retailer wants to return the remaining stock in their warehouse, over 200,000 units, to HP.
Neither company has commented on the report, which also mentions that a senior HP executive will be visiting Best Buy headquarters to discuss the matter. However, we may know more tomorrow after HP holds their third quarter earnings call with industry analysts.
What we do know is HP has a long way to go if they want the TouchPad to be mentioned alongside tablets from Apple and Samsung as more than a punchline.
HP has already cut prices by $100, but price is only part of the equation, and based on iPad sales probably a small part. A much bigger hurdle for HP to clear is the low visibility of WebOS.
Once heralded as a serious competitor to Apple's iOS, the emergence of Android has rendered WebOS just another technology with lots of untapped potential. It has neither the loyal customer base nor the legion of developers creating apps for iOS and Android.