HP TouchPad Go details galore [exclusive]
So we've seen some FCC details from the 7-inch HP TouchPad Go and even got a few blurry cam photos out of China that revealed a good number of the specs (1.5GHz processor, 16GB storage, etc). But are you ready for the full monty …
Context & Ripple Effects
HP's first tablet went from February's official TouchPad announcement through a spring of pricing churn — $499 entry talk in March, then Wal-Mart listing the 32GB model at $599 — before the June launch. Back in March, PreCentral also flagged that a 7-inch variant might arrive in September, and this leak is the first hard evidence that variant exists.
What changed today: an FCC certification filing for the unreleased TouchPad Go confirms HP built a working 7-inch device, while photos out of China — still unconfirmed — point to a 1.5GHz processor and 16GB of storage. Certification paperwork, not an HP press event, is doing the announcing.
First-order effects
- The FCC filing confirms the 7-inch TouchPad Go is real and far enough along for certification, validating the September timeframe PreCentral floated six months ago.
- HP now has an unannounced product whose core specs are public, meaning its eventual official reveal competes with leaked details rather than setting the narrative.
Second-order effects
- Retail partners like Wal-Mart, already carrying the 32GB TouchPad at $599, face a shelf-space question if a smaller, presumably cheaper sibling lands alongside it.
- A second screen size forces HP to price the two models against each other, risking cannibalization of the 9.7-inch unit it launched only months ago.
Third-order effects
- If certification filings keep surfacing full hardware details before launch, the FCC's database becomes a standing pre-announcement channel that shapes tablet news cycles regardless of what manufacturers intend.
- A two-size TouchPad lineup would push tablets toward the multi-tier structure phones already have, making screen size — not just price — the segmentation axis.
The trend: Tablet lineups are splitting into multiple screen sizes, and FCC certification filings are increasingly serving as unofficial product announcements before manufacturers say a word.