HP TouchPad to Cost $399 & $499, “Effective Immediately”

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HP decided to offer potential buyers a treat this past weekend, a $100 discount for any TouchPad purchase, a move clearly made to encourage people to purchase its webOS tablet.

According to Engadget the promotion was very appreciated by consumers, and HP wants, “effective immediately,” to permanently cut the price of the 16GB and 32GB TouchPads (the Wi-Fi versions) by $100. The two models would therefore cost $399 and $499, which are very competitive prices for high-end tablets.

Moreover, Staples offers an extra in-store $100 off coupon which can be used on any tablet purchase, including the already discounted TouchPad. That would bring the price of the TouchPad down to $299 and $399 for the 16GB and 32GB version, respectively. Official confirmation from HP is still required though, so you may want to wait a few more days before purchasing a TouchPad.

I said it before, and I’ll say it again, Motorola should definitely keep an eye on HP’s way of marketing the TouchPad. We don’t have any details about the current sales of the webOS tablet, but I’m sure HP would not consider such significant discounts in case the device would be flying off the shelves. HP was quick to react to the wants and needs of the crowds while Motorola took a much longer time to start offering similar discounts for the Xoom.

The TouchPad is definitely a good iPad 2 competitor, it just isn’t an iPad-killer. The tablet features a 9.7-inch touchscreen display with 1,024 x 768 resolution, 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 16/32GB memory, 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera with video-calling support, 1,230mAh battery, Touchstone wireless charging support, Wi-Fi connectivity and webOS 3.0 under the hood.

In case you have purchased your TouchPad webOS tablet for the regular $499 or $599 price tag, then HP will offer you $50 credit towards future app purchases from the App Catalog, the webOS app store. Sure it’s not the same discount, but at least you get to get some free apps for your tablet.

Anyone excited about the HP TouchPad now that it’s about to become $100 cheaper for good?