The latest version of the first webOS tablet has surfaced on Amazon. The HP TouchPad 4G is now available for pre-order, touting a faster 1.5 GHz processor, 32GB of storage, the latest build of webOS (3.0.2) and support for 4G data speeds. It appears HP has beat its roadmap estimates which suggested the 4G slate would debut in late summer or early fall. Can the TouchPad 4G turn webOS into the tablet contender HP had hoped?
According to AllThingsD, the weekend Woot.com HP TouchPad 16GB Wi-Fi fire sale resulted in just 612 units sold. To put this into perspective when the site offered a similar promotion for the Motorola Xoom, more than 2,200 units were sold. If the market will not bite at a sub $400 (£233) price point, the solution must be to offer a 4G model, right?
Not exactly. The HP TouchPad 4G is a U.S. only affair with a launch planned for AT&T. Though a launch could follow in Europe, the hefty price is a tough sell considering the improvements consider of an over-clocked processor, more memory and a 4G radio. Current Wi-Fi TouchPad users could manually over-clock their tablets and pocket the $150 difference (£92).
Of course there is one feature we’ve failed to mention, a feature exclusive to all wireless radio equipped tablets: GPS. Without a cellular radio, location-based services must be passed via bluetooth from a paired smartphone or rely on surrounding Wi-Fi networks. As the Wi-Fi only TouchPad fire sale continues, the 4G model’s $699.99 (£430) price point is becoming less and less attractive.
via AllThingsD
