Best Buy Seeing HP TouchPad Sell-Through Rate of Under 10%

[notjustjay]

Out of all the "other Pads" I've tried at the store, the HP one is the best, but not enough Apps....

I agree. I had a chance to play with a variety of tablets the other day at Best Buy. I owned an iPad (sold it when I got an iPhone) so I'm certainly familiar with that. I liked the TouchPad. I liked the PlayBook slightly less. I wasn't so impressed with the Android tablets, nor with those Windows 7 tablets (nice, but so thick and heavy...)

Someone either here or on Engadget likened this to the beginning of the PC revolution. Remember the early 80's when everyone started to come out with personal computers? You had the IBM PC, Commodore 64, PET, Vic 20, the Apple II, the TRS-80, the Spectrum, ... every single one of them was similar to the next, but not compatible.

Which one won out in the end? The one with the biggest business software support. All of them were equally great for hackers and tinkerers but it was VisiCalc, Lotus 1-2-3, etc. that spurred business adoption of some devices over others. One or two brands survived and grew -- the rest just disappeared.

Given the parallels, it looks most likely that Apple and Android devices will be the ones to survive the tablet wars... there will be a lot of "me too!" devices but how long will they last?

 

[imageWIS]

That's the problem. The people who set these things up are, for the most part, ignorant. They aren't true nerds.

I used to (and still do when I'm out) walk into Att and just HELP people when they come in. For no reason. Because I like doing it. That's why I have over 1000 posts here. I love helping people (when they're talking about tech, never fixing though )

Best Buy hires whoever they see as qualified and not the "best" people for the job. The last time I went, one Xoom tablet didn't turn on, one did (after finding out where the damn button was lol), the Acer tablet was in the back/side after all the netbooks, the BlackBerry tablet was frozen, and the iPad was with the Macs off in its own space of "awesome" with the 12 foot wall with a glowing apple and the wooden table and all of that.

Point is, they aren't getting a good presentation. NObody going into the Best Buy I went into would buy any of those tablets. If it isn't in the front, it isn't important. If it isn't flashy, it isn't good. That's how people think.

But I haven't used one yet; I would love to try it out, however, tablets aren't really my thing, that's why I don't have one.

Thats most companies regarding most positions, from CEO on down.

 

[jmgregory1]

As others have stated, and imho, the big differentiator is the ecosystem Apple has created. It is just so easy for anyone (both on the personal and enterprise sides) to connect your iPad or iPhone to your iMac or Macbook and sync everything - calendars, contacts, email, web, docs, photos, etc.

It's just so seamless that it's hard to imagine any of the competitors gaining any traction UNLESS they create a similarly simple grand ecosystem for their products. Given the fact that there are few companies out there that have both hardware and software figured out - it's near impossible to see how any could compete with Apple.

My son got a Windows phone recently - as he wanted something different than an iPhone and the fact that he got it "free" made the decision easy. It is different and he liked it (it's already been drowned in a pool and he's now on an old iPhone 3G), but getting it sync'd to our MBP that doesn't run Windows (what's the point) and even finding simple things like cases or screen protectors for it is impossible because they're not "selling" enough of them. It was a good lesson in how a cheap phone can ultimately cost more than just getting the iPhone that does everything you want without doing anything out of the ordinary.

 

[kharvel]

Where are the idiots who keep harping on this one-liner:

"Competition is good"

??

Where are they hiding? They only come out of the woodwork whenever Apple engages in "monopolistic" practices and they keep complaining about how Apple is "stifling" competition and all that B.S.

Where are they now, huh? Are they now going to claim that Apple sent a bunch of ninjas to infiltrate the HP headquarters and changed the schematics or software of the TouchPad so that it would suck so much that nobody would buy it? What's their CONSPIRACY THEORY about this competition debacle?

"Competition is good". WHAT COMPETITION?

 

[nightfly13]

I don't think Apple needs 'healthy competition' to innovate

I smirk a little when I read comments like 'I hope someone else is successful so Apple doesn't rest on it's laurels' or 'competition is always good, gotta keep Apple on their toes!'.

Apple is a driven, motivated company. Yeah, the iPhone 5 tarries a bit and yeah, one could think perhaps Apple is resting on their laurels... until the 5 is finally announced and we realize that they have indeed been innovating.

I believe they've taken the iPod market pretty much to the max, shrinking and cheapening and adding video cameras and FM radios. It's nearly an obsolete product with the smartphone revolution. Perhaps one can argue that iPod innovation has flagged, but I think it's really just the natural span of a technology, and you can't say Apple slacked or did anything but dominate the MP3 player market.

I know many Mac Pro watchers are gnashing their teeth at 15-20 month update cycles, but man, the iMac in my signature is pretty fantastic, certainly they've out-innovated other desktop PC manufacturers.

In terms of laptop, I think the MBA-ification of their product line, with sci-fi Thunderbolt Display integration and SSD quickness and efficiency is a marvel to behold. Their foot is on the pedal, and it's not because VAIOs or Alienware or whoever is so hot on their heels, it's because Apple is driven to innovate and create excellent products.

I think the early comment that Apple will dominate tablets like they did MP3s is totally correct, and I don't think that means we'll suffer with mediocre tablets for lack of competition. Apple all the competition it needed while designing the iPad 2.. they had the iPad 1.

 

[linux2mac]

Where are the idiots who keep harping on this one-liner:

"Competition is good"

??

Where are they hiding? They only come out of the woodwork whenever Apple engages in "monopolistic" practices and they keep complaining about how Apple is "stifling" competition and all that B.S.

Where are they now, huh? Are they now going to claim that Apple sent a bunch of ninjas to infiltrate the HP headquarters and changed the schematics or software of the TouchPad so that it would suck so much that nobody would buy it? What's their CONSPIRACY THEORY about this competition debacle?

"Competition is good". WHAT COMPETITION?

Well said. Until someone makes a table that "actually works," only then will there exist some form of competition.

 

[kcswanko]

fight hasnt started

I don't we will see real competition until the Windows 8 tablets start coming out. That when it will get exciting.

 

[h4lp m3]

[HP is reportedly "pleading" with Best Buy to remain patient. HP recently slashed $100 off of the price of the TouchPad in attempt to spur sales and is hoping that the move will turn things around

That's music to my ears.
So is this:

• Larry Ellison on HP: "Change The HP Tagline From 'Invent' to 'Steal'"
• Larry Ellison on HP firing Mark Hurd: “The H.P. board just made the worst personnel decision since the idiots on the Apple board fired Steve Jobs many years ago”

I can't wait to watch HP fail. If I could read a story about HP falling on their ass every hour, my life would be complete.

 

[jmgregory1]

I'd go a step further - some people suggest that Apple is driven by competition and that if it weren't for the competition, Apple wouldn't be where they are today. I would say that Apple does very well what few companies do - look at the consumer products landscape, figure out what works and what is missing and create the products that answer those needs (even if we don't initially understand what WE need).

They also push us consumers forward in a way that few companies do. From dropping the use of floppy discs to what I assume will be the complete deletion of optical drives from their laptop and desktop computers - they do things that the "competition" screams as being crazy, given the consumer "wants these features". Most of the competition just wants to produce what they think the consumer wants - things that are generally the same as what the consumer has been buying, because they don't have the marketing wherewithal to convince the consumer otherwise.

This is evident in the marketing of Flash compatibility on the competitive tablets. They're not telling people how they can use their tablet or the wonderful apps that have been developed for it and how it can make your life better/fuller/richer. They only care to tell you it can run flash on website and play movies and do email (sort of in the case of the playbook) and maybe play a game. It's really sad that this is all they offer up as reasons for why to buy their product.

Competition? Good for Apple? I'm just not sure what the competition is or how it could possibly drive Apple to do anything positive. Give Apple credit for what they've done and where they're going (and taking all of us) because they deserve it.

Where are the idiots who keep harping on this one-liner:

"Competition is good"

??

Where are they hiding? They only come out of the woodwork whenever Apple engages in "monopolistic" practices and they keep complaining about how Apple is "stifling" competition and all that B.S.

Where are they now, huh? Are they now going to claim that Apple sent a bunch of ninjas to infiltrate the HP headquarters and changed the schematics or software of the TouchPad so that it would suck so much that nobody would buy it? What's their CONSPIRACY THEORY about this competition debacle?

"Competition is good". WHAT COMPETITION?

 

[BC2009]

I'm actually a little saddened by this. When HP announced it was acquiring Palm, I was excited for the prospect of a WebOS tablet. I feel next to iOS, it has the most legs. To bad it's not gaining traction (with developers and consumers alike).

That's a shame because webOS does a lot of things right when it isn't being slow. It has the best notification system out there, IMO for instance.

WebOS is a fantastic platform in general but Palm, now HP, just cannot figure out how to:

1. Make it run as smoothly as iOS devices.
2. Get developers on board which then bring more consumers
3. Market anything to save their life

It is sad, but not shocking. I was rooting for WebOS to be a solid competitor to iOS, but entry into the tablet market is daunting. Steve Jobs was right when he decided to launch the iPhone first because it was what the market was ready for. The smartphone market setup the iPad pretty well, but keep in mind that the iPhone users were not the folks used to getting their device for free. Android has a large smartphone market share, but a large percentage of that is in the "free phone" category. Those users don't translate to the tablet space. Another percentage of that group are holding back because their apps don't work well on tablets or don't have tablet versions yet. HP on the other hand has no share of the smartphone market - they are trying to convert PC users to tablets, and quite frankly, tablets don't provide all the functionality. Microsoft wants to convert PC users to tablets with Windows 8 and they are betting on parity in functionality as the differentiating factor. Anyway, I kinda wish Apple or Google acquired Palm and then integrated the best features of WebOS into their own mobile operating systems. As the above poster said, even RIM would have stood a better chance with converting their user base to WebOS.

 

[MrWillie]

well, I have to say they need to drop the prices of the already shipped tablets very soon. the money is lost anyway however the platform (WebOS) can be saved if they were willing to take the loss and sell them for $300. The with economy of scale and a customer base and the deveolpers they have a shot to be successful. But not as long as they sell them for iPad prices.

But of course some dump executive manager would rather destroy their business to save his yearly bonus than to drop the price.

If they don't sell them at iPad prices, they take a loss. One of the things that helps destroy a business is to continually take a loss.

Where are the idiots who keep harping on this one-liner:

"Competition is good"

??

Where are they hiding? They only come out of the woodwork whenever Apple engages in "monopolistic" practices and they keep complaining about how Apple is "stifling" competition and all that B.S.

Where are they now, huh? Are they now going to claim that Apple sent a bunch of ninjas to infiltrate the HP headquarters and changed the schematics or software of the TouchPad so that it would suck so much that nobody would buy it? What's their CONSPIRACY THEORY about this competition debacle?

"Competition is good". WHAT COMPETITION?

How about this, "When TP gets updated to Tegra 3 next July, it will give the iPad (1) a run for the money." Or my personal favorite, "I saw a drawing of the Xoom 3 on a dirty napkin. It looks good."

 

[Amazing Iceman]

HP was the worst possible company to buy Palm and expect to do something innovative in the consumer space. There are lot of good things about webOS and even the TouchPad, but buying a HP TouchPad would be like getting tongue from your grandmother...they just aren't right together.

Apple could have snapped them up and gained their massive patent portfolio. Heck, RIM could have taken them and merged the strengths of RIM and the BB with the sexiness of webOS. Instead, grandma tongue.

The problem is that HP is too diversified, and simply is not going to focus on making the TouchPad a Best Seller.

Blame it primarily to upper management. Their only passion and primary focus is to make money.

In Apple's case, the passion to innovate comes first (thanks to their CEO), the money just follows it.
And because their products are not too diversified and sort of relate to one another, it's not too difficult for Apple to place the appropriate focus and efforts on making their products successful.

I was hoping for the TouchPad to set a footprint in the tablet market, but I can see it being added to the long list of failed Wannabes.

I wonder how the Xoom is doing. Did Google's acquisition of Motorola Mobile include the Xoom? That could be meaningful.

 

[VitaminD]

I was at Best Buy the weekend before and playing around with the TouchPad and Galaxy Tab. The thing that struck me was the sluggish web page loads of the HP TouchPad and the Galaxy Tab as compared to the iPad. Screen rotation response was also quite sluggish and "iffy."

A few other minor things (concerning both hardware and OS) that would take too many words to adequately describe spoke to its lack of quality versus an iPad.

Suffice it to say, since the price is the same as an iPad, is that many of those consumers who bought it, must have done so to be contrariwise.

 

[h4lp m3]

I just got this weird text message from some phoney who tried to give me an autograph:

. I'd shut down HP and give the money back to the shareholders.

GROUND!!1
NOBODY WANTS YOUR AUTOGRAPH!

 

[maroontiger2k9]

.... i was expecting HP to make a nice impact with the BEATS audio and slick WebOS and you cant forget the Celebrity commercial campaign

> ___ in the portable media device market

 

[non-prophet]

I was just at Best Buy and there was a very small, dingy area where two TouchPads should have been. One was missing and the other one wouldn't turn on and the cord to it was frayed. I was actually curious to use it because I have heard good things about the WebOS. Not only was one missing and the other wouldn't turn on but they still had the old (higher) prices listed. The Apple area on the other hand was much cleaner looking and everything was running properly. It's probably because Apple has employees that go and check up on the Best Buy displays and don't trust Best Buy itself to run the operation entirely.

In short, at the Best Buy I was at, I can't imagine a single TouchPad getting sold based on the way they were displayed. Maybe one was stolen at least, if not sold.

There are HP Reps at many of the Best Buy stores. Perhaps they have just not gotten around to staffing a rep at your store yet. I would imagine there will be a rep, on weekends, very soon.

 

[brendu]

It is worth noting that all the best buys I have been to have not installed the latest updates and do not have any touchpads connected to wifi... Of corse no one will buy a product when best buy can't make it usable for people to test out. This is in my opinion a failure on best buys part. (not that HP was going to have amazing sales anyways but best buy did not try to sell these at all).

 

[Amazing Iceman]

I was at Best Buy the weekend before and playing around with the TouchPad and Galaxy Tab. The thing that struck me was the sluggish web page loads of the HP TouchPad and the Galaxy Tab as compared to the iPad. Screen rotation response was also quite sluggish and "iffy."

A few other minor things (concerning both hardware and OS) that would take too many words to adequately describe spoke to its lack of quality versus an iPad.

Suffice it to say, since the price is the same as an iPad, is that many of those consumers who bought it, must have done so to be contrariwise.

I think it could have been better is they would have refrained from adding so much Eye Candy to the GUI. Both are nice to look at, but terrible to work with.
I like the simplicity of the iPad, yet it looks good enough.

 

[ClearBox]

I can believe this... that is the same thing I heard today from a supplier which sells HP products.

Basically, you can now get an HP Touchpad for around $300. I think that is with an education discount. At that price - HP is probably losing money.

He went on to say that HP has so many of these TouchPad's in inventory - they are just trying to clear them out as quickly as possible. I'm also under the impression that this may be their last tablet for the time being.

I put my hands on one of these units today. Overall impression was positive. I liked it a lot more than many of the Android tablets I've seen, as well as the Blackberry PlayBook.

Interface is similar to the iPad with a few extras thrown in to differrentiate itself. Response was good, except for when I tried launching Angry Birds. It sat at the intro screen forever.

The induction charger / base is a nice touch. The iPad could benefit from that.

To me... the competition is simply trying to copy the iPad. No one has really done anything different.

So far, the iPad is still ahead and I hope Apple can keep it that way.

 

[maroontiger2k9]

Where are the idiots who keep harping on this one-liner:

"Competition is good"

??

Where are they hiding? They only come out of the woodwork whenever Apple engages in "monopolistic" practices and they keep complaining about how Apple is "stifling" competition and all that B.S.

Where are they now, huh? Are they now going to claim that Apple sent a bunch of ninjas to infiltrate the HP headquarters and changed the schematics or software of the TouchPad so that it would suck so much that nobody would buy it? What's their CONSPIRACY THEORY about this competition debacle?


"Competition is good". WHAT COMPETITION?

im not a troll or a hater... i really like apple products and i LOVE COMPETITION.. even Android that has swept apple off its feet in 2010-11... and forced apple's hand...

competition will keep apple from becoming complacent, and bring forth competitive pricing, and faster and more robust iOS deployments... so i welcome competition

BUT TO YOUR POINT... THE TROLLS lost BIG today... and the WEB OS fanboys lost hard today... and competitors had better make something up to par of the Retina Display Ipad 3.... i think 2012 is going to be a really rough year for non-apple stakeholders

 

[Naimfan]

I don't we will see real competition until the Windows 8 tablets start coming out. That when it will get exciting.

What, are you kidding? Did you forget the at the end?

 

[notabadname]

Yeah, the "competition is good" line is baseless in this instance. Apple has generally innovated and created their transformational products with no competition anyway. The iPod, the iPhone and the iPad all came to be in markets with really no competition. The competition has only been there "post facto" to capitalize on markets realized and created by Apple.

Continual improvement would come to all of Apple's lines regardless of competition. That is the only way the consumer electronics business model works to motivate your consumers to trade up and continue buying. If no other manufacturer came out with a iPhone competitor, does anyone really believe that Apple would NOT have come out with the 3G, 3GS, 4 and soon a 5, even if no other manufacturer made a smart-touchscreen phone?

 

[Amazing Iceman]

im not a troll or a hater... i really like apple products and i LOVE COMPETITION.. even Android that has swept apple off its feet in 2010-11... and forced apple's hand...

competition will keep apple from becoming complacent, and bring forth competitive pricing, and faster and more robust iOS deployments... so i welcome competition

The problem is that so far there's no real competitor. Several people I know who have bought Android phones (some more than model) tell me they regret not getting an iPhone. Well, they were trying to save some money. For most people the iPhone is not cheap, at least not the ones with the higher RAM.

 

[notabadname]

Copytition

 

[Amazing Iceman]

Yeah, the "competition is good" line is baseless in this instance. Apple has generally innovated and created their transformational products with no competition anyway. The iPod, the iPhone and the iPad all came to be in markets with really no competition. The competition has only been there "post facto" to capitalize on markets realized and created by Apple.

Continual improvement would come to all of Apple's lines regardless of competition. That is the only way the consumer electronics business model works to motivate your consumers to trade up and continue buying. If no other manufacturer came out with a iPhone competitor, does anyone really believe that Apple would NOT have come out with the 3G, 3GS, 4 and soon a 5, even if no other manufacturer made a smart-touchscreen phone?

Basically: "If you are already a Leader, don't ever become a Follower".

The day Apple settles, that would be it. Hopefully that will never happen.