Glad to see a journalist point out something I was noticing. Tablets are too expensive. The iPad set the price point for tablets and given its success every-other "me too" tablet on the market has tried to copy Apple's functionality AND Apple's price point.
However, tablets are functionally similar to netbooks yet cost twice as much.
I have a hacked nook color that I'm using for a tablet because I was able to get that for $200. Until full-featured tablets hit the $250-$300 price point I'm going to stay with my nook color.
Apparently, I'm not the only price-conscious shopper in the market for a tablet. At $600 HP couldn't sell hardly any of their Touchpads. It was so bad that the discontinued the tablet and it had only been on the market for several weeks.
Yet, at $100-$150 they all but disappeared from every store, everywhere in a couple of days. Remember, this is for a discontinued product. That will turn a lot of shoppers away and they still flew of the shelves.
The market is dying for a viable, affordable tablet at a lower price-point.
I actually had a 32GB in my "shopping cart" all set to check out with free shipping the Friday night the clearance started, but I honestly didn't even have that money. I'm still kicking myself. Particularly now that there's an attempted Android port underway.
The sudden desirability of the device was of course due to heavy discounting.
Currys and PC World were selling their stocks off for just £89, down from
the original RRP of £399.
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I remember when the iPad first came out, the pundits all predicted a low end price point of $999. Or maybe $899. And Apple blew them out of the water with $499.
ReplyDeleteNow that the lower price point is what people are shooting for, they are finding it very difficult. It's not hard to sell $400 worth of parts for $99. It would be much harder to sell $150 worth of parts for $200.
I think companies would sell a $200 tablet--if they could figure out how to make money doing so. What features would you be willing to give up to get it to that price point though? Is your list the same as everyone else that wants a cheap tablet?
Wifi, android, touchscreen and a reasonable processor are about my only requirements.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I don't believe it's impossible to build a good, cheap tablet. Netbooks offer specs that can matchor exceed that of the iPad and they sell for $300 and often after paying the "MSFT tax".
Now, I fully appreciate that a tablet is a much smaller form factor and much more highly integrated where even something as small as a netbook has much more room and doesn't need parts that are so highly specialized.
All that said, it seams to me that all of the "me too" tablets out there are trying to "out feature" the iPad and a comprable price point and the answer (if they ever really want to establish a platform) is to build an iPad-1 competitor at a much cheaper price point.
The upcoming $250 Kindle looks like it should be a perfect fit.
ReplyDeleteActually... most people are speculating that Amazon's forthcoming tablet will be closer to a Nook Color then a full-fledged Android tablet.
ReplyDeleteI would definitely want a native gmail app and access to Google's Android Market and I would doubt the latter will be particularly likely (particularly given Amazon's own competing market).
However, it looks like Lenovo, for one, might be making a tablet at just the right price point.
Amazon came out with their seven inch tablet which should meet all your requirements and is only $199.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-09-28/amazon-unveils-199-kindle-fire-tablet.html