HP TouchPad planned for June, priced at $699?
One of our sources has just provided us with new information surrounding the launch of the recently unveiled HP TouchPad. It's been communicated to us that HP is (or was — it's not clear if things have recently changed) planning on having the TouchPad in market before the end of June.
Context & Ripple Effects
Two days after HP formally unveiled the TouchPad alongside the Veer and its webOS hardware push, BGR reports a source pegging an in-market date before the end of June and a $699 price. Both claims are explicitly unconfirmed — BGR itself flags that plans may already have shifted.
The number matters because HP has reportedly positioned the slate (previously known by the Topaz codename) as highly competitive with Apple's iPad on both hardware and software, and leaked Touchstone v2 accessory plans suggest a launch ecosystem was already being staged. A top-of-range sticker would sit awkwardly against that stated ambition.
First-order effects
- If the $699 figure holds, HP's own competitive framing versus the iPad comes under immediate strain: the rumored 'highly competitive' positioning implies aggressive pricing, and a premium sticker undercuts it before the product ships.
- Buyers and retailers get a concrete launch window — before end of June — turning the February announcement from a preview into a dated purchasing decision.
Second-order effects
- Carriers and retail partners planning webOS shelf space must commit inventory against a moving target, since the report itself concedes the June timing may no longer be current.
- A high entry price would push pressure onto the accessory and software ecosystem — the leaked Touchstone v2 lineup — where attach-rate revenue typically subsidizes thin hardware margins.
Third-order effects
- The episode illustrates how tablet launches in this cycle are priced against Apple's anchor rather than component costs, forcing entrants like HP to choose between margin and perceived competitiveness before the first unit ships.
- If premium-priced webOS hardware struggles to find volume, HP faces structural pressure to reposition webOS beyond tablets — a fork in strategy that would shape the entire Palm-acquired platform.
The trend: Tablet entrants are discovering that pricing against Apple's iPad anchor, not their own cost structures, now dictates launch strategy across the industry.