Windows 8 Dev Tablets Already on eBay
The Samsung tablets Microsoft handed out to developers during the BUILD conference are already appearing on eBay, and they aren't cheap.
Last Tuesday during Microsoft's BUILD conference, the company handed out 5,000 Samsung tablets packed with a preview version of Windows 8. Developers cheered at Microsoft’s surprising sweep of generosity, but many seemingly repaid the favor by selling their expensive gifts on eBay at over-bloated prices.
Case in point: this eBay listing shows the Samsung Windows 8 BUILD developer tablet for a current bid of $2,700 USD. But it's not just a tablet: this bid is for a bundle consisting of the Windows 8 tablet, a dock with USB, HDMI and Ethernet ports, a Bluetooth keyboard, a touch pen, a unique carrying case, and a pre-paid 12-month 2 GB/month AT&T data contract (SIM card not activated).
As for the Samsung tablet, it's similar to the just-announced Samsung Series 7 slate but includes new and improved components including an ambient light sensor, a gyroscope, a Bluetooth LE chip, a Trusted Platform module and NXP's Near Field Communications chip (NFC). The tablet also offers a 2nd-generation Intel Core i5 CPU, 4 GB of DDR3 memory, a 64 GB SSD, a Samsung Super PLS 1366 x 768 11.6-inch display, a microSD card slot and more.
"This auction is a brand new, limited edition tablet PC which was given at the Microsoft Build Windows conference in Anaheim on 9/13/2011," reads the auction description. "It is running a pre-release developer preview version of Windows 8 and is a powerful development machine for that upcoming platform."
Other Windows 8 BUILD tablets appearing on eBay aren't quite so expensive, ranging from $1,525 USD to $2,275 USD.
lol, they'll just claim they lost it at the post office =D
In any event, these tablets do not have to be returned. All Microsoft cares about is that people develop apps for Windows 8. If eBay can transfer some tablets from people who aren't going to use them to develop apps to people who are, they'll be happy.
Instead of selling it for a quick buck they could actually use the advantage to do some actual work, start a business and make a lot more money than the $2000 they hope to get.
I wonder what kind of idiots would buy these?
What we really need is for one to fall into the hands of a good tech benchmarker and give it the thorough write up it needs.
maybe the idiots who are great developers but coulnt go to the conference so they didnt recive a tablet, the kind of idiots who know what INVESTMENT is and are willing to pay 2000$ to get one of this tablets and develop a multimillionaire app like ANGRY BIRDS.
I wonder if these tablets can be used for productivity, not just fun and games like the ipads. The damn things can't even copy files to/from itself.