EOL HP Touchpad outsells Galaxy Tab in US

The TouchPad was a disaster for Hewlett Packard. They spent millions researching and developing the product, then released it, killed the operating system and decided to stop production leaving them with huge inventory. The only people who won in this scenario were the people who bought one for less than cost price, when Hewlett Packard decided to clear inventory.

Google's Android has already been hacked to run on the TouchPad so another plus there for people who were lucky enough to get hold of one.

In the US they sold for $99 and even the (generally) overpriced UK market managed to pass on huge saving to some customers who picked them up for under £100. Hewlett Packard losses are said to be in the hundreds of millions for the entire project. It was an expensive learning experience.

Interesting news was released this week from the NPD Group, a market research company who publish a month ‘Connected Handsets Report'.

Source: The NPD Group/Connected Handhelds Report

The report above shows the US tablet sales, excluding the Apple iPad. Thanks to the $99 bargain basement price, Hewlett Packard were able to oust Samsung from the 2nd position, by a single percent.

The NPD Group's Stephen Baker added “If you look at the tablet market without Apple there are a number of high-profile brands vying for that number two spot. According to NPD’s Consumer Tracking Service, 76 percent of consumers who purchased a non-Apple tablet didn’t even consider the iPad, an indication that a large group of consumers are looking for alternatives, and an opportunity for the rest of the market to grow their business.”

Kitguru says: How will Amazon factor in this chart this time next year?

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