Wintel Tablets Could Cost Up to $900
There are rumors that Microsoft-/Intel-based tablets could be substantially more expensive than Android-/ARM-based versions.
According to information reaching us from Taiwan, Wintel tablets could retail somewhere from $599 to $899 as both Intel and Microsoft allegedly refuse to drop their hardware prices.
$900 for a tablet is a tough one to swallow for consumers and could prevent Microsoft and Intel from competing with Google and ARM effectively. Digitimes suggests that both Microsoft and Intel are caught between a rock and a hard place as they could lower their product prices to gain market share, but they would damage their average product margins and possibly cannibalize some notebook sales with hardware and software that have substantially higher profit margins.
There was no confirmation from Microsoft and Intel that would indicate that their upcoming tablets will, in fact, be as expensive as Digitimes reported. However, it is likely that tablet vendors will find cheaper ARM-based SoCs from Nvidia, Qualcomm and Texas Instrument's much more appealing. In such cases, Microsoft may have still opportunities to pick up partners for Windows 8 on ARM, but Intel could find itself under substantial pressure.
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s3anister Not that I'd like to shell out ~$900 but if the hardware and the OS are there it wouldn't be the end of me to do so if that means not killing profit margins and worsening working conditions for those workers overseas who make these.Reply -
Thunderfox Well, an x86 tablet would basically be an ultrabook without a keyboard, and Intel is having a hard time keeping those things under a grand, so I suppose it makes sense.Reply -
ukee1593 If Microsoft and Intel don't market their products competitively they simply won't gain any market share! Its that simple.Reply
If Intel refuses to drop chip prices, then WinAMD tablets might sell better. The current Windows tablet running on an AMD Brazos CPU by MSI (The Windpad 110W) Can be bought for just $600 US, Which is only $100 more than Android tablets. If AMD can do it ... why can't Intel/MS?
An AMD Brazos Tablet dual Booted with Android and Windows 8 would be awesome ... -
The top-end iPad 2, with 3G and 64GB of storage, costs $829 at the Apple Store, and runs on a dual-core ARM SoC. If Microsoft and Intel can put out a tablet not too dissimilar to the Samsung Series 7 Slate (which was the basis for the "//build/" conference tablet that Microsoft gave away free last September) for under a thousand dollars, then I they'd have the better 'value proposition' in any case. I have one of those build-conference tablets, and I can pop it in the dock (into which I have plugged a full-size keyboard, mouse, and a 22" monitor), and instantly I have a full-blown computer that runs Word, Excel, and Visual Studio.Reply
Pull it out and take it with me, and it's a tablet with a fantastic screen (1366 x 768), a great HTML5 browser (IE10), and 64GB of storage, not to mention built-in 3G. And it came with a bluetooth keyboard.
Since Samsung sells a Windows 7 version of this (the Series 7 Slate) for about $1000 even, or less with promotions, I'm hoping they can put out a new Ivy Bridge-based version for about the same.
Another key thing is that this is for *Intel* powered tablets. Windows on ARM (WOA) tablets are going to run on the same (lower-power) architecture that runs the iPad, and Galaxy Tab line of tablets (and the new, promising-looking Transformer Prime). So a "true" comparison would be a Windows 8 on ARM tablet to either an iPad or Android tablet. The x86 tablets are capable of running desktop software, and filling in as a laptop, while the ARM tablets are not (at least, not yet). -
joytech22 They mark up their prices by like 100% over the manufacturing and packaging costs anyway, hell I'd be happy if I made a 5-10% profit from something especially if it's being mass-produced. It would still be more money to roll in than you could spend.Reply
Yet somehow.. Greed always wins them over.
I mean seriously.. Amazon did good with the Kindle fire and although they make a loss, I would have easily paid $250 for a device like that (well, here anyway). And yes I know they earn back some money on book sales etc..
Aren't they learning anything from companies like that? -
laos62 Why that expensive tablet when a netbooks can be priced below $400 incl Intel Atom and Win7 ? They are not gonna have an i7 in thereReply -
lucky015 This is News? It has been the prediction of those of us not simply mesmerized by overpriced pointless tech for a long time.Reply
Tablets are beginning to gain less and less ground by the day, They are merely an accessory with no particularly different use.
The iPad has made it this far solely because of its novelty and fan-boy attitude of their customer base, Android tablets are picking up a little as a cheaper alternative because of the free OS and the low cost tech designs from the likes of Qualcomm, T.I, Samsung, nVIDIA and a few others.
"Wintel" tablets sacrifice the best thing tablets have going for them so far, They are a low cost device, Increased functionality will help for some customers but not the majority. -
lucky015 KirkaiyaThe top-end iPad 2, with 3G and 64GB of storage, costs $829 at the Apple Store, and runs on a dual-core ARM SoC. If Microsoft and Intel can put out a tablet not too dissimilar to the Samsung Series 7 Slate (which was the basis for the "//build/" conference tablet that Microsoft gave away free last September) for under a thousand dollars, then I they'd have the better 'value proposition' in any case. I have one of those build-conference tablets, and I can pop it in the dock (into which I have plugged a full-size keyboard, mouse, and a 22" monitor), and instantly I have a full-blown computer that runs Word, Excel, and Visual Studio.Pull it out and take it with me, and it's a tablet with a fantastic screen (1366 x 768), a great HTML5 browser (IE10), and 64GB of storage, not to mention built-in 3G. And it came with a bluetooth keyboard.Since Samsung sells a Windows 7 version of this (the Series 7 Slate) for about $1000 even, or less with promotions, I'm hoping they can put out a new Ivy Bridge-based version for about the same.Another key thing is that this is for *Intel* powered tablets. Windows on ARM (WOA) tablets are going to run on the same (lower-power) architecture that runs the iPad, and Galaxy Tab line of tablets (and the new, promising-looking Transformer Prime). So a "true" comparison would be a Windows 8 on ARM tablet to either an iPad or Android tablet. The x86 tablets are capable of running desktop software, and filling in as a laptop, while the ARM tablets are not (at least, not yet).Competing with apple over "Value for money" for years has been one of the simplest things in the world, It is just a matter of finding something to overcome their customers fan-boy attitude.Reply
Fighting Apple is one thing but Android tablets are becoming a whole different ball game.