HP giving $50 discounts on TouchPads to webOS phone owners
updated 05:10 pm EDT, Tue June 28, 2011
HP gives TouchPad price drop to Pre, Pixi users
HP in an unusual tactic gave early adopters of the TouchPad a discount based on loyalty to the webOS platform. Anyone in the US or Canada who can prove they bought a Palm Pre, Pixi, or their Plus equivalents will get a $50 rebate on a 32GB version of the new tablet. The deal is valid anywhere the TouchPad is on sale and will last through the end of July.
The company is also hoping to drive adoption through a Facebook app page for the LaunchLine, a contest based on knowledge of HP. Those who answer questions properly and quickly enough to get into the top 100 will win a TouchPad, and the top 10 will get the "experience of a lifetime," HP says.
Companies often try to drive loyalty for buying multiple devices but rarely provide discounts for those who buy more than one product from the same family. HP's step goes even further to include those who would have bought as far back as June 2009. The offer is partly counting on small numbers, but it also reflects HP's push to get the TouchPad early recognition in a field where the iPad is still dominating usage and competitors like Android and the BlackBerry PlayBook themselves are struggling to get a stake.
