The $99 TouchPad Returns To HP’s Employee Purchasing Program On Sept 28th

Matt is currently working as a writer for CrunchGear. Matt Burns is a family man first and attempts to be a freelance writer second. Born and raised in the heart of the automotive world, only cars eclipse his love of gadgets. He previously wrote for Engadget and EngadgetHD before moving into the party house that is CrunchGear. He learned the... ? Learn More

It’s not very often I get to write that it’s a good day to be an HP employee. But it’s also not everyday that HP employees are offered some of the last TouchPads.

The company is set to release a final batch of the $99/$149 HP TouchPads to employees starting September 28th at 9:00am PDT. This is per an email I received from an HP employee (embedded after the jump), which notes TouchPads are available on a first come, first serve basis and employees are only allowed to buy one TouchPad — which some will likely list on ebay where TouchPads are currently selling for over $200. The sun is setting on the TouchPad’s life and HP is likely ready to move forward, thoroughly burned by their venture into the land of the iPad.

This comes, as stated in the email, as HP is “clearing out inventories and winding down manufacturing operations.” HP previously canceled the TouchPad and allowed retailers to clearance them out at an astounding price: $99 for the 16GB and $149 for the 32GB. Stores sold out nearly overnight, leaving some hopeful that HP would release another batch. Unfortunately the email I received doesn’t detail any other TouchPad retail sales although I would pay close attention to Best Buy, Amazon and HP’s website the days before and after the 28th. It’s such a good deal.

TouchPad works like no other tablet. It allows users to move back and forth between apps, see related activities grouped together automatically to stay organized, answer calls and texts from HP Pre3 smartphones, share websites with other HP webOS devices, experience more of the web with Adobe Flash Player 6 and 7. TouchPad tablet includes essential productivity apps right out of the box. Users can collaborate with colleagues using Google Docs or Box.net, print wirelessly to compatible networked HP printers,...

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Hewlett-Packard Company (NYSE: HPQ), commonly referred to as HP, is an American multinational information technology corporation headquartered in Palo Alto, California, USA. HP is one of the world’s largest information technology companies and operates in nearly every country. HP specializes in developing and manufacturing computing, data storage, and networking hardware, designing software and delivering services. Major product lines include personal computing devices, enterprise servers, related storage devices, as well as a diverse range of printers and other imaging products....

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Office Depot Now Fulfilling At Least Some 32GB TouchPad Backorders

Matt is currently working as a writer for CrunchGear. Matt Burns is a family man first and attempts to be a freelance writer second. Born and raised in the heart of the automotive world, only cars eclipse his love of gadgets. He previously wrote for Engadget and EngadgetHD before moving into the party house that is CrunchGear. He learned the... ? Learn More

TouchPads are in hot demand right now and it seems as if Office Depot just is ready to ship out another round. This comes from an email set to us that indicates at least some 32GB TouchPad orders were canceled, which the retailer is ready to use to fulfill the backorders.

Chances are that if you’re part of this group, there’s an email waiting for you from Office Depot right now. If you don’t have said email, you’re probably going to be waiting a little longer if not indefinitely — unless the retailer you entrusted receives part of the last run of TouchPads.

Great news, we now have inventory available to fill your recent order for the 32GB HP Touchpad Tablet. We have received some cancellations of confirmed orders, making a limited quantity of 32 GB Touchpad Tablets available to fill backorders.

Orders will be filled in the order that they were placed, while supplies last, and subject to approval from your credit card provider. We want to be able to fill as many orders as possible so we are not accepting any new orders for this product.

If you still want to receive your order, please reply to this email to confirm your interest. We must receive your reply no later than 11:59pm on Tuesday, September 6th.

We expect to ship orders the week of September 12th and you will receive an updated email notification at that time.

If you no longer want us to fill this order please reply to let us know and we’ll be happy to cancel it immediately.

Thank you for choosing Office Depot.

[Thanks for the tip, Dan!]

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HP Discovers The Wonderful Power Of Scarcity, And The TouchPad Lives On

J. Michael Arrington (born March 13, 1970 in Huntington Beach, California) is a serial entrepreneur and the founder of TechCrunch, a blog covering startups and technology news. Arrington attended Claremont McKenna College (BA Economics, 1992) and Stanford Law School (JD, 1995), and practiced as a corporate and securities lawyer at two law firms: O’Melveny & Myers and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich... ? Learn More

Hot damn, I want one of those HP TouchPad tablets. Why? Because they’re sold out!

Perception of scarcity is a fascinating human condition. It’s one of the first things we learn as children – that running towards something is usually a guarantee that you won’t get it. But act like you don’t want something, and it’ll come running to you. The creation of the perception of scarcity is a winning, if shallow, tactic in most human relationships.

And finally HP has its day. In July HP couldn’t sell a TouchPad tablet despite having distribution deals with Best Buy and other major retailers. Apple had sucked all the oxygen out of the tablet market. HP offered its inferior product at the same price as the iPad. But consumers weren’t fooled. No one wants a Dodge at a Cadillac price.

But drop that price down to $100 and let people know that they better move quick to get one of the last TouchPads and the perception of scarcity kicks in. The units fly off the shelves. And I argued that HP should keep on making them and fulfilling that demand, even at a small loss per unit:

I say to HP – KEEP MAKING TOUCHPADS, as fast as you can. See what the demand curve looks like at $200, and watch the app developers suddenly get crazy excited about WebOS again. You may have a huge hit on your hands, and a bunch of lemonade from all those lemons.

Today the company made another smart move – they’re going to do another limited run of TouchPads.

Why? Some people are saying that HP probably has volume commitments and this is cheaper than just not building and selling the units at all. The company certainly may have made volume commitments, but my guess is they could have gotten out of those contracts given how much other business they send the factories. Also, why stoke the PR fire again when the TouchPad embarrassment is almost behind you?

Nope, they’re just messing with us, and taking another hit on the scarcity bong.

It feels so good.

People want us.

They really, really want us!

The company is already hinting that the TouchPad may live again [editor's note: awesome]. But while they’re figuring that out one way or another, what better way to keep everyone excited than to create just a few more TouchPads (scarcity!) and sell them in “at least a few weeks.” Now everyone is waiting, with breath appropriately bated, for those hard to get new units. The press will try to figure out the date and location when the TouchPads go on sale. Previously unenthusiastic retailers are making anxious calls to try to lock down as many units as they can. I expect Robert Scoble will be waiting out front of Best Buy the day before, along with a few other hard core TouchPad fans.

I can sense the giddiness at HP.

Here’s another interesting data point. TouchPads are going for about $300 on ebay right now. That’s a market clearing price – people who have them need to get rid of them fairly quickly, and they seem to be doing just that at around $300. Which just happens to be about the manufacturing cost of the TouchPad.

So hell yes they’re going to keep making these things. They can dominate the mid market for tablets, the place Android was planning on settling in at after their first prime time push. After Q4 HP will announce another batch of TouchPad’s will be built, just in time for the holidays, to meet more of that pent up consumer demand. Or the PC spinoff of HP will do it. Someone will. Because selling a device at cost and then bringing in the revenue through the app store is a proven and lucrative business model.

This is the best marketing money can buy. HP finally has a hit product and people lining up to buy it. It doesn’t get any better than this.

Hewlett-Packard Company (NYSE: HPQ), commonly referred to as HP, is an American multinational information technology corporation headquartered in Palo Alto, California, USA. HP is one of the world’s largest...

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TouchPad works like no other tablet. It allows users to move back and forth between apps, see related activities grouped together automatically to stay organized, answer calls and texts...

Learn more

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