Best Buy is tired of carrying around a bunch of unwanted HP tablets.
At least, that’s what unnamed sources familiar with the retailer told Allthings.com. According to a report on that site, Best Buy has refused to accept any new HP Touchpads until its existing stock starts to actually dwindle down a bit.
The report comes during a flurry of questionable fate for the webOS-powered tablet. Within the last month, HP has cut the price of the device by $50, twice, making it $100 cheaper than it was on launch day earlier this year.
The early price drop signifies the troubles manufacturers have been having with tablets. Against expectations, they have not really been able to take on the iPad as strongly as Android phones have competed against the iPhone.
The issue is that unlike with smartphones, consumers prefer to have a tablet experience that is streamlined. There are so many different non-iOS tablets available now, each with different specs and apps, making it confusing for consumers.
The iPad, meanwhile, is a known quantity and is a much more appealing platform for mobile developers. The number of webOS apps is woefully small, while the iPad’s library is so large now, it seems almost silly to download an iPhone-designed app for the tablet device.
Beyond all that, no tablet has really managed to wow anyone. The Galaxy Tab, the Xoom, the Touchpad, etc, have all received warm reviews, but no one is going crazy over any of them.
Unlike phones, tablets are a luxury item, and manufacturers are finding it is a very different market. Although Android is starting to make inroads, especially in countries outside the US, the battle against iPad is a very tough one.
