HP TouchPad is Back at Best Buy

On Friday, a news release announced that HP's TouchPad that was back for sale again at Best Buy. The retailer will be selling the 32 GB version for $149 with the purchase of an HP laptop, Compaq laptop or desktop of either make.

The tablet will also be available separate from the bundles, but it would go for its original sale price of $599.99. HP also says their online inventory is all sold out at this point.

According to HP's social media strategist Mark Budgell, other retailers will also be stocking a limited amount of the tablet. Back in August this year, the company already announced that they would only be making a limited supply of the TouchPad though today's end of the fourth fiscal quarter.

Some sources are rumoring that HP's initial tablet shipment is somewhere between 1.8 million and 2 million, but another source believes otherwise. At this point, it's going to be hard to gauge how fast the TouchPad will sell out this time.

Earlier, HP dropping the price to $99 spurred mad chaos over the cheap tablet. Before the price cut, Best Buy was actually telling HP that the tablets were selling so poorly the company needed to take their supply back. Now, HP is tweeting to let people know this is their last chance to buy their TouchPads. You can still purchase them online now through Amazon and eBay.

Nevertheless, these sources are also saying it's already a loss-loss situation for the company. HP taking the tablet out of production in between actually had no effect on its profit, because parts were already manufactured and paid for. Even at the current selling price of $149.99, it costs the company $328.65 to make the 32 GB tablet. Right now, HP might as well take the opportunity to sell a couple of their laptops.

With so many new tablets priced in the $150-and-up range, will HP's TouchPad stand a chance against others this holiday season? Whatever its fate is, this will likely be the last we hear of HP's short-lived TouchPad.