UPDATE: TouchPad Sales Delayed a ‘Few Weeks,’ HP Offers 25% Off All Merchandise

TouchPad sales will be delayed at least a few weeks, according to the latest update from the HP team, which instead extended a 25 percent discount off all HP merchandise to its customers.

In an email sent to customers on Tuesday, HP said the TouchPad sale would be delayed for a few more weeks, citing an overwhelming demand for the heavily discontinued $99 tablet computers.

The overwhelming demand for this product in recent days has made it difficult to fulfill your request at the present time, and we are working to make more available as soon as possible, HP wrote. While we do not yet have specific details, we know it will be at least a few weeks before we have a limited quantity available again.

The email continued on to extend an offer of 25 percent off all HP Products usable through Aug. 31 to those anxious to get their hands on a $99 TouchPad. The offer is redeemable through a unique coupon code, extending a 25 percent discount off all printers, ink, HP accessories and PCs priced at or above $599.

We are grateful for your patience and loyalty and to show our gratitude, we are offering you an exclusive one-time opportunity to save an additional amount on all of our products, valid through the end of the day tomorrow, Wednesday, August 31, 2011, the email said.

Public Relations Manager Mark Budgell confirmed the time frame for HP TouchPad availability on HP's blog, The Next Bench, though he did not mention anything about the 25 percent discount on all HP products.

We don't know exactly when these units will be available or how many we'll get, and we can't promise we'll have enough for everyone. We do know that it will be at least a few weeks before you can purchase, Budgell wrote.

The HP TouchPad sale erupted after HP priced its discontinued tablet computer device at $99 for 16GB and $149 for 32GB, down from $500 and $600 when the models were released in July.

Electronics retailers around the country struggled to keep the TouchPad, which has been discontinued by HP in an effort to focus on software development, on shelves when the sale began Aug. 20.

Pleasantly surprised by the response in sales, HP decided to extend the TouchPad sale for round two, putting the remainder of stockpiled tablets in warehouses up for sale. The sale built up a hype surrounding availability dates, as HP released daily updates with phrases like any day now and early in the week promising a second wave of sales last week, which HP did not fulfill.

According to HP, the best way to stay updated on HP TouchPad availability is to sign up for an alert on HP's Web site to be notified when more $99 TouchPads are in stock.