Blackberry gave away Playbooks to anyone who developed an app for it, which resulted in a lot of "developers" who produced low-quality, minimally useful apps.
Is there some quality control that will limit who counts as a developer for the TouchPad? If not, I expect this will have a similar result. And really, even if they get real mobile developers, it may result in some half-hearted ports unless it becomes clear at some point that the platform has some kind of future.
They should recast the program to send out the tablets as loaners, then forgive the debt for the developers who make actually decent apps. A curated giveaway.
"So what does the TouchPad cost to build? The teardown by iSuppli pegs the cost of the components used in the 16 gigabyte version, which sells for $499 at retail, at $306.65. Meanwhile, the 32GB version, which sells for $599, costs $328.65 to build. (The difference, obviously, is memory.)"
HP seems to have no mandatory development requirements, meaning a development such as with the Playbook is somewhat unlikely. Also I suspect that RIM wanted to push with this move more the market'ability of their devices in regards to to the availability of apps and developers than to have actually useful apps produced.
Palm and then HP has a very long history of giving cheap and heavily discounted devices to developers for development purposes. I've been registered as a developer since, 2003 or 4, and it was common practice with the Treos.
According to Palm Developer relations, because there's money to be made on an uncrowded platform. There are plenty of existing TouchPad owners thanks to the firesale, and those that use their devices are willing to pay to improve their experience (since the experience won't likely be improved by HP themselves long-term). And you might have more success short-term by selling smaller apps on the Palm Marketplace than you would fighting for space in Android's.
Here's what HP emailed me on October 28th: "As you signed up for updates on the HP TouchPad, we wanted you to know that we are officially out of stock. Some retailers will have some stock available, but our online inventory is depleted."
I would assume the "coupon" is actually a private link to the HP store with a promo code associated with it. The promo code decays after it is used for a single purchase.
May be available to Canadians, but you appear to need a 'tax identification number' from the IRS to open the account.
"Form W-8BEN should be completed by all Non-US developers planning to make their applications available for sale to US customers/end-users. The form and instructions may be found at the following IRS website ...."
Fortunately the form accepted '-' as a 'valid' number ... we'll see if they try and validate it later.
Q: I’m a non-US developer and trying to register for a Developer Account. Do I need a U.S. taxpayer ID?
A: If you have a US taxpayer ID, please use this number. If you only have a foreign tax ID number you can enter your foreign tax ID number in the Tax Identification Number field.
i.e. For a Canadian individual (like me), you can use your SIN, if you want. Or use gibberish and figure it out later if there are any problems.
Hm, you can only register as a developer if you have a Paypal account - and the Paypal page you are directed to does not work.
Well, perhaps it is for the best, given Paypal's history.
I already got my touchpad (running android now) during the fire sale but this is awesome for anyone who missed it.
Anyone know much it costs to sign up as a developer though to get this deal? It says you need paypal so I'm guessing there is a cost but it doesn't actually list how much it is until you sign up.
There are 2 types of developer accounts. One is free and one is $99. I think you have to have the $99 account to put your apps in the catalog, but the other account gives you access to all the tools and dev resources.
Side note, how is your touchpad's battery life? Mine surprisingly sucked.
I had some hassle filling in the final part of the registration form with my company details, this might help if you're have the same problems:
If you're in the UK and registering with your Limited company, you need to put your company name in the "Tax Identification Number" field, and your VAT number in the "Registration Number" field (if you're registered for VAT, obviously.)
"You will use your PayPal account to pay HP for things like PayPal Account update fees and annual developer membership fees (free for a limited time)."
I'm signing up now but will likely cancel just to avoid any big charges in the future.
I clicked the [email protected] link, and it apparently executes some javascript to unencrypt the actual email address you're supposed to email.
It didn't work, though. I tried Chrome, Safari, and Firefox. I just emailed [email protected] directly -- anyone have any insight into this? I see no errors in my Javascript console, but when I paste the JS call in directly into the console, the return value is undefined.
The JavaScript turns it into the address "mailto:[email protected]?subject=Developer%20Device%20Program%20NA%20TouchPad" (the same email address, but auto-sets the Subject line). It then immediately sets the page location to this link, and the function returns nothing (aka undefined) which should trigger the browser to do what it would ordinarily do when you click an email link but with the revised address.
Why do you need to give a company name in order to register as a developer? Does anyone know if the deal is available to people who have just signed up?
So are they still making a loss at that price? iSuppli seems to think so, they estimate about USD 300 in costs per Touchpad. But if that's true, why did they resume production in late August? And now a developer program for a EOL platform? It all seems sort of bizarre.
This is a musing of mine, so it may be completely wrong.
HP most likely "resumed production" so that they could clear out any remaining stock. I can imagine that they had warehouses full of parts that were just not put together yet and had already paid suppliers for. These would have been written off and either sold back to the vendor or been destroyed. Also, it is entirely possible that HP had a contract with their manufacturer for a certain time period and if they broke that contract they would be out X where X is bigger than Y which is the amount it would cost to build and ship these devices at a loss.
This isn't the first time that I've seen a company do a "last run" to clear out the remaining parts before shutting down a product for good.
It's a good device in general and with android coming in in the future, knowing what I know now, I'd probably still buy it (got one already, so I don't have to).
Going to be really difficult for Palm to compete in the tablet market given their industry instability. They contacted us about getting our game onto an HP TouchPad -- then promptly announced their discontinuation (???).
Plus, Google has already given me a free Galaxy Tab (for attending Google I/O). Among that and my iPad, it's pretty easy to guess which I'll be hacking on.
[+] [-] wanorris|14 years ago|reply
Is there some quality control that will limit who counts as a developer for the TouchPad? If not, I expect this will have a similar result. And really, even if they get real mobile developers, it may result in some half-hearted ports unless it becomes clear at some point that the platform has some kind of future.
[+] [-] cgislason|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] rhizome|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] tectonic|14 years ago|reply
http://allthingsd.com/20110703/hps-touchpad-teardown-its-dee...
[+] [-] stfu|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] joelhaasnoot|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] firefoxman1|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] shadowmeld|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] CWIZO|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] meric|14 years ago|reply
That means Somalia would be out, too.
Now why can't Australian developers have coupons, too?
US, UK, Canada, but not Australia?
[+] [-] unknown|14 years ago|reply
[deleted]
[+] [-] bradleyland|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] tiles|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] crikli|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] sciurus|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ambiate|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] dpapathanasiou|14 years ago|reply
"Coupon codes are not valid anywhere but the HP online store"
[+] [-] mgcross|14 years ago|reply
You have to send an email including your developer user name to request a coupon.
[+] [-] aquark|14 years ago|reply
"Form W-8BEN should be completed by all Non-US developers planning to make their applications available for sale to US customers/end-users. The form and instructions may be found at the following IRS website ...."
Fortunately the form accepted '-' as a 'valid' number ... we'll see if they try and validate it later.
[+] [-] shaggyfrog|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] weekendlogic|14 years ago|reply
Q: I’m a non-US developer and trying to register for a Developer Account. Do I need a U.S. taxpayer ID? A: If you have a US taxpayer ID, please use this number. If you only have a foreign tax ID number you can enter your foreign tax ID number in the Tax Identification Number field.
i.e. For a Canadian individual (like me), you can use your SIN, if you want. Or use gibberish and figure it out later if there are any problems.
[+] [-] chokma|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Urgo|14 years ago|reply
Anyone know much it costs to sign up as a developer though to get this deal? It says you need paypal so I'm guessing there is a cost but it doesn't actually list how much it is until you sign up.
[+] [-] zerovox|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] firefoxman1|14 years ago|reply
Side note, how is your touchpad's battery life? Mine surprisingly sucked.
[+] [-] paulsilver|14 years ago|reply
If you're in the UK and registering with your Limited company, you need to put your company name in the "Tax Identification Number" field, and your VAT number in the "Registration Number" field (if you're registered for VAT, obviously.)
If you're not sure what your VAT number is internationally, you can check it here: http://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/vies/vieshome.do?select...
For the UK, you have to put "GB " in front of your VAT number.
[+] [-] ImprovedSilence|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] maratd|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] 83457|14 years ago|reply
I'm signing up now but will likely cancel just to avoid any big charges in the future.
[+] [-] endlessvoid94|14 years ago|reply
It didn't work, though. I tried Chrome, Safari, and Firefox. I just emailed [email protected] directly -- anyone have any insight into this? I see no errors in my Javascript console, but when I paste the JS call in directly into the console, the return value is undefined.
[+] [-] timothya|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] mgcross|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] iletina|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] aaront|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] morsch|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] X-Istence|14 years ago|reply
HP most likely "resumed production" so that they could clear out any remaining stock. I can imagine that they had warehouses full of parts that were just not put together yet and had already paid suppliers for. These would have been written off and either sold back to the vendor or been destroyed. Also, it is entirely possible that HP had a contract with their manufacturer for a certain time period and if they broke that contract they would be out X where X is bigger than Y which is the amount it would cost to build and ship these devices at a loss.
This isn't the first time that I've seen a company do a "last run" to clear out the remaining parts before shutting down a product for good.
[+] [-] chaostheory|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ra|14 years ago|reply
No love for developers in Australia, New Zealand
[+] [-] unknown|14 years ago|reply
[deleted]
[+] [-] brianbreslin|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] viraptor|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] crikli|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] richtaur|14 years ago|reply
Plus, Google has already given me a free Galaxy Tab (for attending Google I/O). Among that and my iPad, it's pretty easy to guess which I'll be hacking on.
[+] [-] zerovox|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] fernandose|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] tucosan|14 years ago|reply
I sent a request with my developer account name in the email body, but haven't received a coupon yet. Or is this some kind of lottery again?