It's unusual for a product to receive a discount before it has even launched, but that's exactly what HP has done for its TouchPad tablet.
The company has revised the pricing for its HP TouchPad range in Australia, knocking $100 off the originally proposed RRP. The decision comes just days before the tablet's launch date of August 15.
The new price of the 16GB HP TouchPad is $499, while the 32GB version will now cost $599 - down from $599 and $699, respectively.
"HP continually evaluates pricing for its products and is pleased to offer a permanently reduced price on the HP TouchPad products," HP stated in a press release. "The [new price] will help bring the HP TouchPad and webOS to a larger audience, benefitting consumers and developers."
The HP TouchPad is a tablet PC that packs in a dual-core 1.2GHz Qualcomm CPU, 1GB of RAM, Beats by Dr Dre stereo sound, 16 to 32GB of storage and a 9.7in HD screen (1024x768). But its main distinguishing factor is Palm's Linux-based operating system; WebOS. (The vast majority of non-Apple tablets run Android 3.0.)
The HP TouchPad, which has been available in the US since June, has so far failed to bowl over critics. Indeed, our first impressions suggest that the device needs some work. That said, the new price point certainly makes it a more attractive offering, with the cheapest Apple iPad 2 currently going for $579.
[Note: At the time of writing, HP's Australian website is still advertising the original TouchPad pricing of $599 and $699. However, HP has assured us that the new pricing is "effective immediately".]
Further reading:
HP TouchPad: really a tablet gamechanger?
In brief: an introduction to HP's webOS
HP: we'll be top for tablets
