Where the TouchPad Went Fatally Wrong

TouchPad tablet never sold so well as when HP announced last week that it was ceasing production of the device.

Consumers have cleaned out the market's US$99-per-unit inventory of TouchPads.

At a time when Apple's (Nasdaq: AAPL) selling all the iPads it can mak and manufacturers are launching new Android tablets that are making headway in the market, why did the TouchPad crash and burn?

Many factors play into the answer, falling roughly into four categories: issues with HP's management; a lack of apps; the competition; and patience -- or the lack of it.

HP's Management and the TouchPad

Issues at the top level of HP management may have impacted the TouchPad's future.

First, there was the taint of the firm's previous leadership, said Charles King, principal analyst at Pund-IT.

The TouchPad runs on Palm's webOS, which HP acquired when it purchased Palm under the leadership of then-CEO Mark Hurd, who left under a cloud.

Second, HP's leadership, both C-level executives and its board of directors, seem intent on moving the company away from client products, including tablets, King told TechNewsWorld.

That combination essentially made the TouchPad "the Oliver Twist of tablets -- an unwanted foundling," he remarked.