海归论坛 :: 阅读主题 - [转帖]惠普TouchPad跳楼大甩卖的后果（你买到 $99元的Touchpad 了吗？）

图：躁郁症

惠普TouchPad本周清仓的结果是：技术人员的想法是好的，服务器爆了，TouchPad的价格出现错乱。当然，除了这些问题其他都很好。

惠普这次的大甩卖真的很有启示价值：

TouchPad清仓的惨败影响了惠普在消费者和生意场上的口碑。网站承受不了大量顾客疯抢99美元的TouchPad而导致崩溃，周六惠普的系统出现了故障，无法识别新的价格。惠普在下午修复了这一故障，但其网站出现了如下的错误提示：

Microsoft vbscript compilation error ‘800a03e9′

Out of memory

/LM/W3SVC/600510919/Root/dStore/https://global.asa, line 0

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同时，惠普的客服电话在周六下午被打爆。客服很尽责，但电话实在是太多。周日早上惠普的网上购物系统进一步升级——出现了错误404，这是由于数据库中断造成的。惠普称这是因为顾客的需求量太大。这个理由不错，但惠普本身也是一个卖IT基础设施的公司，为什么不使用更多的服务器呢？或者多一些数据库管理员？或者云服务来处理这个问题？

从大局来说，惠普本可以将这次TouchPad甩卖变成一件好事。惠普本可以使用其内部云来解决问题，从而凸显其数据中心在TouchPad狂潮中的处理能力。相关链接

事实上：我对于惠普的未来有些怀疑。如果我连在HP.com上买一台TouchPad都不行，那我如何相信这个公司能够提供我能使用的其他设备呢？

惠普看起来一团糟。我们从小道消息得知惠普PC业务的主管Todd Bradley直到周三在公司CEO Leo Apotheker家中吃晚餐时才知道公司打算剥离PC业务。这也难怪惠普分离PC部门的消息来得如此突然。TouchPad清仓的失控也显示出了惠普缺乏计划。100亿美元收购Autonomy看起来也有点神经过敏，同时也使得公司处于危险境地。一年内如果Oracle要出价买下惠普也没什么好惊讶的。我们现在确定Apotheker以及惠普董事会已经仔细思考过了公司的总体规划，但是很难说IBM对惠普的未来作用如何。问题在于，惠普有些随性。在商业中，预感很快会变成现实。TouchPad清仓就给了那些批评惠普的人一个好借口。

合作零售商也开始当心惠普未来的动向。一些零售商立即配合了惠普的甩卖行动，而另一些则隔岸观火。Best Buy行动了，而Amazon没有。不管怎样，惠普将不得不补偿零售商。但以后的产品应该不会这样。在7周内消灭TouchPad将是一件值得纪念很久的事。相关链接

平板电脑到底值多少钱。如果像TouchPad这样有缺陷但是仍然有可取之处的设备能降到99美元和149美元，那么其他像Apple iPad这样的竞争对手应该如何反应？如果TouchPad只值99美元，那么Android平板值多钱？最多250美元？惠普TouchPad的清仓显示出价格对于消费者以及市场占有率的重要性。在惠普这样大幅度降价的情况下没有供应商可以赚到钱。BetaNews的Joe Wilcox认为平板电脑的市场定价被惠普的大降价给毁了。我也倾向于这一结果。

via zdnet.com

英文原文如下：

HP's TouchPad fire sale: The fallout
By Larry Dignan | August 21, 2011, 6:37am PDT

Summary: HP’s TouchPad liquidation sale says a lot about the company, the tablet market and its ability to keep an e-commerce site running.

HP’s TouchPad liquidation sale this weekend was telling on multiple fronts as techies drooled over a good deal, servers blew up and the tablet market pricing structure was upended. However, the fallout may go well beyond those areas.

It’s a bit stunning how a liquidation sale—16GB TouchPad for $99 and 32GB for $149—can be so revealing.

Here’s a look at the fallout:

HP’s TouchPad liquidation fiasco hurts its reputation with consumers and businesses. HP’s Web site couldn’t handle the load as the masses tried to land a TouchPad for $99. On Saturday, HP had a cart glitch that where the company’s systems wouldn’t recognize the liquidation prices. By time, HP fixed that issue Saturday afternoon, the company’s e-commerce site served up a series of errors that looked like this:

Microsoft vbscript compilation error ‘800a03e9′
Out of memory
/LM/W3SVC/600510919/Root/dStore/https://global.asa, line 0

Meanwhile, HP’s call center blew up Saturday afternoon. The reps did the best they could—and I had a good experience—but they were outgunned by orders. On Sunday morning HP made progress with its shopping cart—the site delivered 404 errors, which are a step up from database outages. HP spun this as a case of overwhelming demand. That’s fair enough, but HP also sells IT infrastructure—adaptive infrastructure to be specific. Why didn’t HP throw more servers at the problem? How about a few database admins? How about some cloud capacity to handle the demand spike?

In the big picture, HP could have turned this TouchPad liquidation lemon into lemonade. HP could have used its internal cloud to handle the spikes. If HP handled the traffic well, it could have spun a whitepaper out of it to pitch its wares. In the end, HP could have highlighted how its data centers saved the day even amid TouchPad adversity. Also: HP TouchPad insult to injury: Cart glitch hampers SMB fire sale

The reality: If I’m an SMB, say one of those self-serve yogurt joints popping up all around my house, I’m a bit skeptical about HP in the future. If I couldn’t complete a TouchPad sale on HP.com how will the company run my infrastructure?

HP looks willy nilly. We’ve heard through the grapevine that Todd Bradley, the guy who runs HP’s PC business, didn’t find out that the company was going to spin off the unit until a Wednesday night dinner at CEO Leo Apotheker’s house. It’s no wonder that the news of HP’s PC unit spin-off looked rushed. The inability to handle the e-commerce load for the TouchPad liquidation also highlighted a lack of planning. And the $10 billion purchase of Autonomy also looked a bit jittery and leaves the company vulnerable. Don’t be surprised if Oracle launches a hostile bid for HP within a year. Now we’re sure that Apotheker and HP’s board has a well thought out master plan, but it’s hard to argue for an IBM moment for the company right now. The problem: HP appears to be winging it. In business, perception can become reality in a hurry. The TouchPad liquidation is another data point for HP critics to use.

Retail partners are going to be wary of HP going forward. Some outlets went with HP’s liquidation pricing right away. Others chose to sit out the sale. Best Buy flip flopped. Amazon pulled out. In any case, HP will have to cover retailers on inventory and costs, but no future product launch from the company will be looked at the same way again. Killing the TouchPad in a mere seven weeks will be remembered for a long time. Also: BestBuy.com is offering the HP TouchPad for $100 until supplies run out

Tablet pricing is shot. If the TouchPad—a flawed device that still managed to have a lot of redeeming qualities—calls for an exit after a few weeks and a $99 to $149 price tag what does that say for all the other Apple iPad rivals? It’s no wonder retailers initially balked at HP’s prices. If the TouchPad is ultimately worth $99, what’s an Android tablet worth? How about $250 max? HP’s TouchPad experiment showed what price matters to consumers and the path to market share gains on Apple. The rub: No tablet maker can make money at HP’s fire sale prices. Something has to give. BetaNews’ Joe Wilcox argued that tablet pricing is ruined after HP’s fire sale. I’m inclined to agree.