We Are Losing $200 On Every Touchpad - Let's Make Some More!

Remains of the Day: Android Is Coming to the Abandoned HP TouchPad. HP has been making some dumb marketing decisions lately. First, they adopted the fringe OS from Palm, the WebOS, which might have been a great OS had it come out a couple of years earlier. Then, after realizing they couldn't compete against Android and iPad, they decide to do another run, since they are selling like hotcakes at $99. Hey, I get it. You can hack the devices to run Android on them. But, you can buy a fully functional ASUS Transformer for $379. I understand not wanting to spend $600 or more on an iPad. But, to save a couple of hundred dollars? And, to deal with the complexities of burning a new OS? For geeks like me, that may be a pleasant way to spend an afternoon. But, as marketing strategy? I don't think so. Buy a decent tablet, with your favorite OS on it. It will only be an adjunct to your real computing life anyway. I love having the tablet with me during lunch, while waiting for appointments, and so forth. But, as I have said often, for real work, give me a desk, a chair, and a keyboard. 

Comments

[Pete Ledger]

Hi, Pete Ledger here from the UK. I have to agree with your conclusion; typing anything more than a shopping list on a virtual keyboard is, for me at any rate, like torture. Slates, tablets and smart phones are great, but if you want to type, get a proper keyboard IMHO.