win 8 tablets Intel-Microsoft impasse may price Win 8 tablets high

[Muhammad Farrukh]

Intel, Microsoft may start W8 tablets at 599 plus

An insistence on earlier pricing policies from Intel and Microsoft may put Windows 8 tablets out of contention, notebook PC builders getting into the field claimed Monday. Intel was reported by Digitimes contacts as unwilling to cut profit margins on its Clover Trail-based Atom chips, while Microsoft wasn't planning on trimming its Windows 8 price. As such, Intel-based Windows 8 tablets might start at a minimum $599 and scale up to $899, all well over the benchmark $499 price of the iPad.

The two sides may be facing an uncomfortable middle ground because of the nature of a "Wintel" PC, the insiders argued. If they do decide to cut prices on Clover Trail and Windows 8, they could build market share but would also be cutting prices on conventional PCs and cut profit across the board. Should Intel decline to cut prices, though, it may send some companies running to cheaper ARM-based tablets to get closer to an ideal price.

While strictly an observation, the tipsters saw these plus the Android situation as a confluence of multiple factors that would ultimately favor Apple. Along with Windows 8 tablets being too expensive, quad-core Android 4.0 tablets from ASUS, Lenovo, and possibly Samsung might only arrive on or after the rumored launch of the iPad 3 in March, overshadowing their efforts.

Windows 8 tablets themselves aren't due to show until the release of the OS roughly in the second half of the year, giving both Android and iOS ample lead time.

http://www.electronista.com/articles/12/01/16/intel.microsoft.may.start.w8.tablets.at.599.plus/#ixzz1jh1Pswxg

[Mr. Gibs]

https://www.neowin.net/news/windows-8-tablets-to-be-priced-as-high-as-999 ;)

[Muhammad Farrukh]

Microsoft has a big battle ahead to overcome the overwhelming popularity of the iPad on the tablet computing front, and its Intel-powered slates might be starting at a distinct disadvantage if a DigiTimesreport is to be believed. The site indicates that neither Intel nor Microsoft are willing to cut their prices to help manufacturers, the former providing the Clover Trail hardware and the latter the Windows 8software, which could see these machines starting at $599 and going way up from there. This could send manufacturers looking for lesser-expensive ARM-powered hardware, creating tablets incapable of executing the current gamut of x86 Windows software. Will users pay a premium for app compatibility as tablet prices on other platforms plummet? Just how attached are you to that copy of Wing Commander you've been hanging on to for decades?

Engadget

[remixedcat]

here;s the thing though... lets just say for its and shiggles.... people will buy a windows 8 arm tablet at the lower price point and since they've been sold the idea they can run desktop apps on it, will try to install photoshop or premiere on it and it wouldn't work (unless they compile an arm version) and get mad and return the tablets...

what if companies like adobe won't compile photoshop or premiere for arm devices?

I really hope the companies make this clear or people will be very dissapointed.

[Zain Adeel]

This was clearly expected.

Why would one purchase an ARM based device if He/She can get a full blown x86 tablet that will run legacy apps aswell.

Also. I know x86 devices will be thicker and offer lower battery life. But they also will sport bigger HDDs if this years tablets are to be followed whereas ARM tablets will offer smaller cap SSDs in the 64GB to 128GB range im dead sure!

[Melfster]

If you look at how slow Microsoft moves...They are really are in trouble in the low end. In a lot of areas browser, mobile phone, search they either failing or not gaining traction. I think they really need a management shake-up. Of course this won't happen before windows 8 releases. But if it does not sell well....I think Ballmer as well as other management of microsoft could be in trouble.

[Zain Adeel]

Actually i dont agree with you if you mean their products are inferior.

Whether its Browser or Mobile Phones or Bing Search.

I use all of them and they compete with the very best and provide counter features if not the same.

What microsoft needs is to change their image.

They are not associated with people as for example Apple is.

They need to do that.

Redo their image in some way. Advertise the hell out of their products.. Specially Bing and WP7. Bing is amazing. They also have maps which are brilliant if you live in the US.

They need to expand it. Now i own a WP7 device but i have to use google maps because there are no bing maps for where i live.

The bing experience would be so much better only if i can use it.

They need to expand.. Globally. They focus on their customers in the US. what about the rest of the world?

I plan to develop apps for windows 8. But im sure i cant register from my country directly as a developer.

So they need to expand their services to the whole globe. And advertise it everywhere!

[remixedcat]

This was clearly expected.

Why would one purchase an ARM based device if He/She can get a full blown x86 tablet that will run legacy apps aswell.

because it would be cheaper to them... saving 200-400 bucks savings,.. would be a big deal to a lot of people...

[Zain Adeel]

What i meant was..

if i can buy a x86 for the same price as an ARM tablet.. why would i buy an ARM tablet?

ARM wouldve needed to further reduce their prices and that is not going to happen... in 2 years or so.

There are low price tablets but those have smaller screens or slower hardware.

[remixedcat]

yah I guess I was asking too much to have a windows 8 tablet to run x86 apps for 400 bucks or less ;-( mabye some day... ;-(

[Arceles]

What i meant was.. if i can buy a x86 for the same price as an ARM tablet.. why would i buy an ARM tablet? ARM wouldve needed to further reduce their prices and that is not going to happen... in 2 years or so. There are low price tablets but those have smaller screens or slower hardware.

Clearly ARM right now lost its purpose, ARM tablets where supposed to be cheap, far cheaper than an x86 tablet but... oh well, fashion seems to be getting into tablets and price with it.

[+DKAngel Subscriber²]

i would presume the arm version will be cheaper

[capr]

yah I guess I was asking too much to have a windows 8 tablet to run x86 apps for 400 bucks or less ;-( mabye some day... ;-(

It honestly is... but I will totally pay up to $1500 for a tablet as long as it runs the application I want and works the way I want. i.e. I need to be able to run onenote and write on it with a pen.

[remixedcat]

ouch that's way too pricey for a tablet....

not unless it cooked gourmet meals for me.....

[Zain Adeel]

Yess.. $1500 is too expensive . .

I very much like the Samsung slate 7 ..

Its pricey. But you get a dock with iy. A keyboard. And you get a pen. N that is sweet to actually use it. Great tablet for artists. I can't wait to buy it when windows 8 comes out. I trust Samsung with the hardware. But I wish we see such tablets for under 600. That will.totally eat android on the high end.

Yess.. $1500 is too expensive . .

I very much like the Samsung slate 7 ..

Its pricey. But you get a dock with iy. A keyboard. And you get a pen. N that is sweet to actually use it. Great tablet for artists. I can't wait to buy it when windows 8 comes out. I trust Samsung with the hardware. But I wish we see such tablets for under 600. That will.totally eat android on the high end.

[ShiZZa]

get a new job if you can't afford $1500 toy.

[remixedcat]

....in this economy,...

[PGHammer]

Yess.. $1500 is too expensive . .

I very much like the Samsung slate 7 ..

Its pricey. But you get a dock with iy. A keyboard. And you get a pen. N that is sweet to actually use it. Great tablet for artists. I can't wait to buy it when windows 8 comes out. I trust Samsung with the hardware. But I wish we see such tablets for under 600. That will.totally eat android on the high end.

Yess.. $1500 is too expensive . .

I very much like the Samsung slate 7 ..

Its pricey. But you get a dock with iy. A keyboard. And you get a pen. N that is sweet to actually use it. Great tablet for artists. I can't wait to buy it when windows 8 comes out. I trust Samsung with the hardware. But I wish we see such tablets for under 600. That will.totally eat android on the high end.

In short, you are saying that the ability to run real applications (or even light games) is worth no price premium whatever over an iDevice (iPad2, for example) or Android tablet or slate.

The SAMSUNG Series 7 is pricey due almost entirely to that i5 inside - it's overkill for a slate or tablet - and the price reflects that. It's priced like a notebook with the same CPU - i3, actually, would be a better choice if you wanted to lower the price. (And despite that seemingly high price, that's exactly what the Series 7 competes with; notebooks, not netbooks, which it simply embarrasses. It also beats several NOTEBOOKS like a big bass drum in a marching band.)

I respectfully disagree - tablets and slates that can run real applications have - and certainly deserve - a premium in terms of price over the iPad2 or any Android tablet.

If anything, it's ARM-based tablets and slates that don't deserve a price premium over either iPad2 or Android - because they are just as limited in terms of applications (due to the lack of ARM traditional applications).

Here's how I see the market breakdown: low-end tablets and slates (mostly Android)->midrange ARM-based tablets and slates (and the iPad2)->x86 tablets, slates, and Ultrabooks (the space currently occupied by high-end netbooks, which they will largely replace)->midrange notebooks->desktop-replacement notebooks->gaming notebooks.