If you're watching the tablet market at all, you probably already know that the HP TouchPad has dropped to a mind-blowing $99. Now the question is: Do you try to find one? (By the way, if you're not sure about investing in a tablet, you may want to check out our Tablets v. Laptops article first.)
The Pros:
- The TouchPad is now 5x cheaper than the iPad.
- The TouchPad has Flash.
- The TouchPad isn't an iPad knock-off.
- You're buying a product from a big-box manufacturer.
Price matters, especially in the times we live in. If you really want a tablet, it's hard to ignore that price difference.
Yep, Flash... every web page's best friend and still the most glaring omission in iOS. Apple's argument that Flash isn't optimized for touch control holds some water (there's no denying that), but sometimes you just want/need to see Flash.
This is actually an important point. HP didn't concoct some new software just to sell tablets. webOS (that's the TouchPad's operating system) has been widely praised by the tech community for its intuitive nature and great overall design.
If you're anything like me, you hate calling a support line. But it's good to know you have that option when you need it.
The Cons:
- Reviewers say the TouchPad has drastic performance issues.
- The future of webOS is... highly questionable... to say the least.
- The TouchPad's hardware isn't perfect.
- App developers will abandon webOS faster than HP did.
Booting the tablet takes 1 minute, 15 seconds (compare that to the standard 30-second boot cycle). Most apps provided with the tablet seem to work fine, but reports abound with poor performance during web browsing and screen rotation. But then you weren't planning to browse the web with this thing, right? Right? Oh, really? Well, in any event, this may be resolved with software down the road, but read on...
When HP acquired Palm a while back, it was wine and roses. Most folks in the tech community were waiting to see this very product materialize. After all, what could be better than the fusion of HP's hardware and the well-respected webOS platform? Fast-forward to the present: HP has integrated webOS into some printers, revamped the Pre (which pretty much came and went without a headline), and released the TouchPad. Now comes the shocking revelation that HP "plans to announce that it will discontinue operations for webOS devices, specifically the TouchPad and webOS phones" (Business Wire). That pretty much speaks for itself.
It's heavier than both the iPad 2 and the Motorola Xoom. Reviewers say it doesn't feel as "solid" as the iPad or Xoom either. There are sharp ridges on the corners that aren't very "friendly" to hands. But for $99, you're probably willing to risk bodily harm, right?
As an app developer myself, I can see the value in this platform. What I can't see, however, is devoting my time and resources into apps for a platform with no foreseeable future. By announcing the end-of-life for the TouchPad right after its launch, HP has guaranteed that you won't find any good apps for your new tablet. So I put this question to you: If the iPad is an iPhone without the phone, what makes it successful? Apps. If we apply the logic that apps make a tablet worthwhile and the TouchPad likely won't see any new apps, does that negate its value?
Overall
As the old saying goes (and as I've said in other articles), you get what you pay for. Well, you're not paying much for the TouchPad, so it's really up to you to decide whether this value equation makes sense for you. Could your TouchPad serve as a cheap e-reader and Internet appliance? Absolutely. Should you expect to see games, cool apps, and system updates to fix little nuances in the software? I wouldn't. HP's reputation for support is a good one, so I doubt they'll leave you high and dry if something serious is discovered in webOS. But also consider that this is the company that developed the TouchPad, dumped a boatload of money into commercials (if I see Russell Brand's "robot butler" or Lea Michelle's off-Broadway performance one more time, I might scream), and then forfeited the game before the first quarter was even finished. I leave you with two words: "Caveat emptor."
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