According to a report from All Things D, Best Buy is having a tough time selling the HP TouchPad. Multiple sources reports have told the publication that internal HP reports show Best Buy selling 25,000 TouchPads or about roughly ten percent of their initial inventory of 270,000. Worse yet, there are reports that Best Buy is unwilling to pay for the current inventory and would like to send them back to HP.
HP is scheduled to report quarterly earnings tomorrow, so hopefully they’ll provide more clarity as to actual numbers. With the recent price drop and door-buster sales, this report would not be surprising. Don’t be surprised if we see yet another sale on the HP TouchPad, this time at Best Buy.
You have to wonder if there would have been a different outcome if HP waiting until 3.0.2 was completed and had the HP TouchPad pricing start at $399.
Source: All Things D
ruh-oh
I love my Touchpad (I’ve bought two of them), but I’d love it even more if it had 1-2 USB ports built in and if it could use Bluetooth to transfer contacts to and from *any* phone or tablet. I had (and loved) a Pre, but when it broke, Sprint had moved on to Android. The Touchpad doesn’t have to do everything with Android/iOS/other phones that it does with (newer) WebOS phones, but it should at least be able to send & receive contacts.
I feel like they intentionally crippled some functionality in order to promote teaming the tablet with WebOS phones. Come on, HPalm, I expect better than that.
BB peeps, as far as I know, not on commission. I started out with Video Concepts in 80’s, then Circuit City & Radio Shack in 90’s. We worked on commission & spiffs – motivated to learn our product line & sales/psychology techniques. No internet for reviews & cust feedback. Customers relied on us to advise & help them make “best” choice. Keeping that in mind, I’ve walked through BB’s where employee(s) were talking with customers about iPads and it seemed no brainer to sell them. Why have to “work” for a sale and really try to sell HP Touchpad, where you have to demo and do a presentation? When you don’t have to break a sweat & “sell” HP. Now IDK what & how BB peeps get comped for their “effort” but they seem to take the path of least resistance. Maybe I’m old school, but it’s a combo of good product AND sales & psychology skills AND motivation to move a product. Just sayin’
Or if it wasn’t publicly-known that a faster, better model is coming later this year.