HP TouchPad Release Date and Pricing Leaked?
According to the Boy Genius Report, an anonymous tipster has revealed leaked pricing and release dates for HP's new WebOS 3.0-powered TouchPad. The device is reportedly slated to hit the market by the end of June carrying a $699 price tag. While the exact memory, carrier partners, and radio configuration of this particular TouchPad price point is not specified, it's widely assumed that $699 will represent the 32GB + 3G version, undercutting a comparable-equipped 1st-generation iPad by $30 while bringing a dual-core CPU and a front-facing camera to the party.
This pricing structure places HP in a somewhat odd spot occupying the upper-midrange of the currently available tablets. The reported $699 figure for the Touchpad is $100 to 200 above the lowest-cost Wi-Fi iPads that comprises the majority of the platform's sales volume. Conversely, $699 puts the TouchPad only $100 below the higher-spec'd Android Honeycomb-based Xoom from Motorola. With the annual iPad refresh anticipated in April and the Xoom arriving next week, HP's TouchPad may lose much of its early buzz in the transition from an early February announcement to late June retail availability.
