Though it was short on surprises, Apple's iPad 2 unveiling undoubtedly had the effect the firm was looking for: the majority of analysts are now giving its rivals short shrift.

HP isn't ready to roll over just yet, with snaps of a supposed release schedule for a major US retailer suggesting TouchPad is likely to go toe-to-toe with iPad 2 in terms of price, if nothing else.

The price is right

As detailed by PreCentral.net, said shot has TouchPad down for a June release in the US, with its lowest RRP coming in at $499 – presumably for the wi-fi only 16GB release.

That would put it exactly in line with iPad 2's pricing, with the 32GB release also matching Apple's tablet with a price of $599

Prices for the yet-to-be-announced but heavily rumoured 3G equipped models are, naturally, not yet known, but the current pricing structure suggests it's unlikely HP won't look to match Apple in those particular battles either.

Opal on board

TouchPad will be the first webOS tablet, sporting the much heralded version 2.0 of the firmware.

Though Android is set to make up the bulk of iPad 2's competition, TouchPad has managed to garner a portion of interest purely because of the quality of the platform – Palm's OS earning plaudits throughout its history for usability.

PreCentral.net's scoop also suggests HP's 7-inch tablet – codenamed Opal – will hit retail in the US in September, with its price yet to be determined.

[source: PreCentral.net]