Wikipad CEO Defends Tablet's Steep Price
Wikipad's CEO says the tablet's 10.1-inch size justifies its price.
Engadget recently conducted an interview with Wikipad CEO James Bower to talk about the upcoming gaming-focused Android tablet. Measuring at 10.1-inches, the $499 pricetag seems comparable with Apple's iPad 3 and other similarly-sized Android tablets on the market. But for a gamer, the price is rather steep.
Adding to that, some may argue that the Android platform really doesn't sport a robust library of games on the same level as Sony's PlayStation Vita. Android apps are designed to be short, sweet and cheap unless they're from Gameloft or EA. Vita's Uncharted: Golden Abyss is around 3.2 GB and Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus weighs 2.3 GB – they're big, they're expensive and take a while to conquer.
So when you compare the actual pricetag of the PlayStation Vita and the Wikipad, the latter's price tag seems a little obnoxious. But Bower says it's all about the size: Wikipad is double the price because it's double the size of Vita's 5-inch screen.
"If you buy a tablet that's seven inches, you can get a $199 tablet -- it's called a Google Nexus or a Kindle Fire," he said. "If you're gonna get a full 10-inch tablet, a tablet to this quality, you're gonna spend $499 to $749. If we were talking about a 7-inch device or a 5-inch device, and we were at this price point, then it'd be a different story."
He goes on to say that it makes sense to purchase the Wikipad if you're going to purchase the $249 PlayStation Vita and the $499 iPad 3 anyway – it's the best of both worlds for one set price. Bower said he even wants the device to cross over between students, gamers and professionals, but the company's partnership with GameStop seems to indicate a primary focus on an extremely fickle gaming audience.
Unfortunately, the Wikipad may be a tough sell. A tight economy pushed Nintendo to lower the price of its 3DS handheld unit just months after it hit the North American market. The PlayStation Vita is seemingly having similar issues although Sony refuses to budge from its $249 base price point. Even more, the 7-inch tablet market has exploded thanks to the Kindle Fire, indicating a strong preference for low cost, high quality, mobile devices.
Bower doesn't seem worried. Even more, his company doesn't have to sell tens of thousands to do extremely well. "With what we have in pre-sales and pre-orders, we're already gonna be profitable this year," he said. "It's all about going into next year, and the product development and the marketing, and building the brand from there," Bower said. "It's up to us to craft the message correctly and get everybody excited about this device."
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The Android-powered Wikipad is expected to launch on October 31, just days after Microsoft goes live with Windows 8 and its Surface tablets. Supporting gaming services will include Sony's PlayStation Mobile and Gaikai as well as optimized games available through Google Play.
To read the full interview with Engadget, head here.
Kevin Parrish has over a decade of experience as a writer, editor, and product tester. His work focused on computer hardware, networking equipment, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, and other internet-connected devices. His work has appeared in Tom's Hardware, Tom's Guide, Maximum PC, Digital Trends, Android Authority, How-To Geek, Lifewire, and others.
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Vorador2 The problem is not the device itself. It's the apps, very few are going to be optimized for a controller on a tablet.Reply
And well, the screen is nothing to write home about. For that price, one would expect to get a better screen, specially when at that price point it goes against the iPad 3. -
jerm1027 ReplyIf you buy a tablet that's seven inches, you can get a $199 tablet -- it's called a Google Nexus or a Kindle Fire," he said. "If you're gonna get a full 10-inch tablet, a tablet to this quality, you're gonna spend $499 to $749
Considering the 7 has slightly better hardware, and the OUYA is only $99, that must be one hell of a 10" to justify $300-$400; something that should put the iPad 3's to shame.
On a serious note, drop the price or don't expect sales. You don't have a gaming library, or developer partnerships like OUYA or Sony and there 10" tablets that are cheaper with equal or better hardware. -
freggo Never even heard of them before this article.Reply
No GPS... and $500?
Screen res. not even close to an iPad (and I am no Apple fan).
Sorry, but I don't see this flying off the shelves.
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chomlee jerm, thanks for the OUYA reference. I never heard of it before but THAT actually sounds exciting.Reply
This particular device is just another tablet that will fail. -
bluerhythm I would much rather prefer to own just the controller itself as a attachment to my tablet.Reply -
Zingam ReplyWikipad CEO Defends Tablet's Steep Price
Wikipad's CEO says the tablet's 10.1-inch size justifies its price.
Then buy yourself one :D And you'll have at least one sold!
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Belardo Its kind of like 3DO all over again... hardware priced high because software is priced low... flopped.Reply
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nocteratus I have a 10.1" tablet Android base with almost the same specs and with 32Gb of storage and instead of a controller I have something much more useful, I can put a mobile dock with more features.Reply
And I paid $400. -
Old_Fogie_Late_Bloomer I was going to say something to defend this device--after all, hardware controls plus plenty of options for emulation make for an enticing proposition.Reply
But then there's the Archos Gamepad. And it's really hard to imagine that I'd spend the extra $300+ on a Wikipad...