Best Buy Tells HP to Take Back Its TouchPads
Linked by David Adams on Wed 17th Aug 2011 17:46 UTC
PDAs, Cellphones, Wireless Ars Technica is reporting that US Retailer Best Buy has been able to sell less than 10% of the TouchPad tablets that it ordered from HP, and now wants HP to take them back. Similarly, deal-a-day site Woot offered TouchPads at a very aggressive price, and only managed to sell 612 of them. This is for a site that often sells out goofy tech widgets in hours. When the TouchPad was gearing up for release, there seemed to be a fair amount of interest among geeks. Is it just that it hasn't resonated the same way with the general public, or have people just been disappointed once they've put their hands on one?
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RE[3]: Comment by kovacm
by Adurbe on Wed 17th Aug 2011 18:54 UTC in reply to "RE[2]: Comment by kovacm"
Adurbe
Member since:
2005-07-06

to be fair, the last time Apple truly invented a market wasnt the iPhone, it was the iPod. This was the last time their brand became the ubiquitous name for the product;

People buy a phone (not an iPhone)
People buy an iPod (not an MP3 player)
People buy an iPad (not a tablet PC)

this is general vernacular in the UK, I would be interested if its the same in other countries

Reply Parent Score: 2

RE[4]: Comment by kovacm
by MOS6510 on Wed 17th Aug 2011 19:02 in reply to "RE[3]: Comment by kovacm"
MOS6510 Member since:
2011-05-12

I was just thinking of this. Sony managed this too with the walkman, every portable cassette player was called a walkman.

If have come across one person who claims her Android phone is an iPhone. And I see a number of non-iPads for sale on the used market being called iPad.

And indeed, people using non-iPods call it iPods. But I don't think they invented this market, MP3 players were already being sold and the first iPods were Mac-only. iPods took off when PC users could use them too. The revolutionized it by raising the bar and setting the standard, like the did with the iPhone. The iPod never got challenged, while the iPhone did by Android.

All tablets are really iPad challengers. They all aim to be better or cheaper, but they only manage to sell less, far less. It makes you wonder why anyone still bothers.

Reply Parent Score: 2

RE[5]: Comment by kovacm
by Mellin on Wed 17th Aug 2011 22:50 in reply to "RE[4]: Comment by kovacm"
Mellin Member since:
2005-07-06

walkman was launched as Freestyle in Sweden

Reply Parent Score: 2

RE[4]: Comment by kovacm
by Dryhte on Thu 18th Aug 2011 08:21 in reply to "RE[3]: Comment by kovacm"
Dryhte Member since:
2008-02-05

Belgium: phone, iPod, tablet ;) (well, translated of course)

Actually, I don't know anyone who owns any kind of tablet, and most people I know have either an Android phone (HTC mostly) or a dumbphone/feature phone.

And while hardly anyone I know owns an actual iPod (as in: Apple's mp3 player) most people say iPod when they refer to mp3 players in general.

Reply Parent Score: 1

RE[4]: Comment by kovacm
by Laurence on Thu 18th Aug 2011 08:39 in reply to "RE[3]: Comment by kovacm"
Laurence Member since:
2007-03-26

to be fair, the last time Apple truly invented a market wasnt the iPhone, it was the iPod.


Apple didn't invent that market either. In fact I have an MP3 player that predates the iPod by a few years.

What Apple did was make an existing market sexy enough to gain mainstream appeal (which is still impressive, but it's still not inventing said market)

This was the last time their brand became the ubiquitous name for the product

That is a pretty meaningless comparison really. Catchy brand names often become house-hold terms with non-techies because it's simply easier to remember. It doesn't mean that said brand was the 1st to market nor the best selling product on the market.

Reply Parent Score: 2

RE[4]: Comment by kovacm
by spiderman on Thu 18th Aug 2011 10:34 in reply to "RE[3]: Comment by kovacm"
spiderman Member since:
2008-10-23

In France, you buy a phone, an ipod and a tablet.
I believe that because Archos tablets were somewhat popular before the ipad.
I just went to my mobile operator and they are subsidizing the galaxy tab. If the carriers start subsidizing Android tablets, I am positive the writing is on the wall for the ipad here, unless they get their subsidies.

Reply Parent Score: 2

RE[5]: Comment by kovacm
by Tony Swash on Thu 18th Aug 2011 10:52 in reply to "RE[4]: Comment by kovacm"
Tony Swash Member since:
2009-08-22

In France, you buy a phone, an ipod and a tablet.
I believe that because Archos tablets were somewhat popular before the ipad.
I just went to my mobile operator and they are subsidizing the galaxy tab. If the carriers start subsidizing Android tablets, I am positive the writing is on the wall for the ipad here, unless they get their subsidies.


As of January 2011 iPad sales were at 85% of the tablet market in France. That was before the iPad 2. Anyone seen any more recent stats on the French tablet market?

http://www.telecompaper.com/news/ipad-wins-85-tablet-market-share-i...

Reply Parent Score: 2

Read more of this thread... >
jabbotts Member since:
2007-09-06

There was a rich vibrant mobile mp3 player market long before St Steve blessed it with a casual brush of hiw turtleneck. Apple "invented" the mp3 player market with the Ipod? Not even a little bit close to how it went down.

What Apple did do was a fantastic job at marketing though. Your own comment demonstrates that success.

Reply Parent Score: 2