Best Buy pulls HP TouchPad from U.S. stores; HP to refund early buyers

For those who got up early this morning to beat the crowd at Best Buy and pick up an HP TouchPad for $99.99, well it would have been best if you had just hit the snooze button. Unlike its Canadian partners up north, U.S. Best Buy stores will not be selling the HP TouchPad at the fire sale prices directed by the Palo Alto firm. Instead, the big box retailer is packing up the webOS flavored tablets for return to HP. Best Buy's web site has removed the tablet which has disappeared from the site as though it were in the Witness Protection program. The only hint that such a product ever was offered at Best Buy is the $30 screen protector available online. If you think you'll have better luck buying directly from the manufacturer, at HP's web site, both the 16GB and 32GB versions of the TouchPad are listed as being out of stock.

There is good news, though, for those who paid the higher prices for the tablet when it was originally launched. HP is refunding the difference between the higher prices and the new discounted prices it set forth yesterday, as we reported. You will need to call HP or the store where you purchased the TouchPad. The new prices as set forth by HP are $99.99 for the 16GB tablet and $149.99 for the 32GB variant.

source: webOSRoundup, BestBuy via Engadget