ZDNet: Dear new HP CEO: Bring the TouchPad line back

**jkendrick** · 09/22/2011, 03:45 PM

Open letter to the new CEO at HP

**Cantaffordit** · 09/22/2011, 03:46 PM

so zdnet can trash it some more?

**LCGuy** · 09/22/2011, 03:55 PM

Excellent article.

Just add in Smartphones as well, Im in total agreement.

**steffej3** · 09/22/2011, 03:56 PM

Originally Posted by Cantaffordit

so zdnet can trash it some more?

Mr. Kendrick had his criticisms, but not like his colleagues. If you follow him on twitter, you'll notice he's been a vocal fan of the device & OS in recent months. I'm scratching my head at how people can be cynical towards this open letter. It strikes home for a lot of us (I'm sure you're included).

**OrionAntares#CB** · 09/22/2011, 04:04 PM

Also finish launching the Pre 3 so those Verizon units can leave the warehouses!

**neville1355** · 09/22/2011, 04:04 PM

Because the BOD at HP clearly lacks common logical analysis, maybe you should break down business strategies for them:

Pull back advertising budgets from future webOS products for the current and maybe somewhat future cycles; use that to subsidize hardware costs. The best advertising is word-of-mouth, and nothing has proven that more than the firesale. Having a product people line up for, fantasize over, is something any company that isn't fruit-shaped would love.

Sell the 16GB at $199, 32GB at $249. Watch the marketshare grow, developer support flourish.

**jaltman** · 09/22/2011, 05:30 PM

Hear Hear, right on! Turn these lemons Leo created into lemonade. Build the market and then make the money, vertical integration! ecosystem! A unified vision of an ecosystem that integrates one area of HP production to the others. After all, isnt that the system Apple has built their success on?

An HP tablet and smartphone integreted into applications that not plays angry birds but allows access to desktop and server based documents for work using programs available from HP App Store and printed on HP printers. Is this rocket science? I say, no, its joining into and taking advantage of the "tablet effect"

**muyoso** · 09/22/2011, 05:36 PM

Thisismynext is reporting that they are still spinning off PSG, which means that WebOS is . . . . . . . .

**neo999** · 09/22/2011, 05:47 PM

Originally Posted by Orion Antares

Also finish launching the Pre 3 so those Verizon units can leave the warehouses!

And AT&T Please

**SmartFah** · 09/22/2011, 05:59 PM

Originally Posted by jkendrick

Open letter to the new CEO at HP

Oh snap, I follow you on twitter & read your articles on ZDnet, I didn't know you were a member here. That's awesome!

Thanks for all the awesome articles, especially the ones on webOS!

**laoh** · 09/22/2011, 06:16 PM

I liked all of your points. Now how do we get this seen by the board?

**musick** · 09/22/2011, 10:32 PM

Originally Posted by laoh

I liked all of your points. Now how do we get this seen by the board?

they're probably already reading it on their iPads

**bluenote** · 09/22/2011, 10:39 PM

nice article

**sparced** · 09/23/2011, 03:46 PM

Not sure how this guy expects HP to just magically make more hardware without having a plan for a real app ecosystem. They already have decent enough hardware with the current Touchpad. The lack of apps made it a non-starter as a mass consumer item.

The OS itself still needs some work. Especially in the web browser department like sorely needed javascript performance enhancements.

**LizardWiz** · 09/23/2011, 03:54 PM

Originally Posted by sparced

Not sure how this guy expects HP to just magically make more hardware without having a plan for a real app ecosystem. They already have decent enough hardware with the current Touchpad. The lack of apps made it a non-starter as a mass consumer item.

The OS itself still needs some work. Especially in the web browser department like sorely needed javascript performance enhancements.

Not sure I get what you're saying. The TP is already in production right now (as they are making another 200k). They alreay have almost a million out there. The ecosystem comes from being a viable platform, which it is at the moment, as they will have 1 million units out there and at least 5.6 million people (who signed up for the HP email for information concerning further inventory) that know about them.

**rnld** · 09/23/2011, 04:40 PM

I doubt they have a million units out there. Best Buy, by far the biggest retailer, had 270K units. To believe there are a million in the marketplace, there would have to be almost 750K units in other retailers. Highly doubtful.

**musick** · 09/23/2011, 04:47 PM

Originally Posted by rnld

I doubt they have a million units out there. Best Buy, by far the biggest retailer, had 270K units. To believe there are a million in the marketplace, there would have to be almost 750K units in other retailers. Highly doubtful.

your statement assumes that the TP is only sold at retail
that is not the case ... HP has plenty of other distribution channels

**cgk** · 09/23/2011, 04:50 PM

yeah and it ****ed most of them off with this car crash.

**rnld** · 09/23/2011, 04:59 PM

Originally Posted by musick

your statement assumes that the TP is only sold at retail
that is not the case ... HP has plenty of other distribution channels

The Touchpad was shut down because Best Buy was returning their units. If that was just a third of their stock, the Best Buy return would have not been a big deal.

Where was it that they had 750K units for sale outside of Best Buy?

**grappler** · 09/23/2011, 05:05 PM

Having just loaded up the latest update on the Phantom kernel, I gotta say: if reviewers had this TouchPad in their hands, the word "sluggish" would not come to mind.

It screams.

BTW, it might be wishful thinking, but my TP is named "Phoenix."

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