Slash A THIRD off Surface RT price or it's toast, Microsoft told Microsoft needs to hack a third off Surface RT prices and widen distribution to give the fondleslab a fighting chance to compete, said equities analyst Detwiler Fenton Group (DFG). The ARM-powered device isn't winning many friends apart from the software giant's rank and file. Only last week the firm was reported to have …
I don't believe you. Nobody's had time to both buy and pawn one of these, let alone two. And the MS employees who get them for free aren't allowed to pawn them or sell them on unless they want to get fired.
I haven't seen any in the wild and I'm not surprised. When Surface tablets were announced, they were promoted as a reference design. Ballmer specifically played down how many they'd sell to "a couple of million" or basically, "not many".
So this whole story is pretty much a non-story. Device not intended to hit mass market volume does not hit mass market volume. Dog bites man. Nothing to see here, move along.
Actually yes they have, and plus as someone who's family member owned a pawn shop you would be surprised at what comes in, and how much is stolen property ;)
The days when I used to fix comps, and game systems at the shop I would see people bring in brand new boxed devices that sold for hundreds, and take $40(so you had a good idea they were nicked), but as long as for 1 month the serial number wasn't reported as stolen it could be sold. Seeing they went on sale in October if the law is the same as here its quite possible they could be in pawn shops. Also that is the pawn shops that do things legally, I seen quite a few that will buy something and throw it right up for sale not doing the mandatory 30 day hold.
I'd pay the 399 if it came with cover/keyboard AND 64Gb AND the Tegra 3 was replaced with a state of the art ARM SoC. I tried using one and its a neat device but for me a bit underpowered for what it tries to do - shades of the iPad 3 experience now corrected by the 4th generation.
As it stands, looks more like a reference device and something for developers and evaluators, not a mass market product. Limited distribution and priced high to avoid discouraging OEMs from making RT product. Nexus 7 sales were low to begin with as well, no reason to damn Android.
One of the new cortex a15 socs or an a6x equivalent. Tegra 4 Wayne looks promising but lets see if it makes CES. Bump the display to 1080p and for me Its an iPad beater. Your mileage may be different. as commented already this doesn't appear to be a Microsoft objective with surface rt.
There's no shame in trying and failing, though we do expect that more from things that are new rather than copycat products.
Its just a little sad when companies feel that they have to hype their products beyond reality and everyone can see what is happening.
I’m pretty sure plan-A was for the MS Surface to seed the market with some cheap ($199) kit to get the ball rolling to kick-start app development and OEM build-out. Plan-B is Plan-A knobbled by the hardware vendors to protect their margins.
there is no market for ANOTHER premium tablet.. it’s commit or walk time! Commit means price cuts; Walk means sacrificing the flank & strategic oblivion.
… so Mr Ballmer, listen to the {Chairman; Marketing; Analysts; Partners; Customers}, and give us a price cut in time for Christmas!
The surface RT needs proper distribution (that means IN STORES - maybe Steve Ballmer can afford to buy a high-end tablet without getting to try it out, but most people can't, and it's not like there are microsoft stores everywhere). It needs this much more desperately than it needs a price cut. And it needs a price cut pretty badly.
Seriously, if I was seeing one every time I went into Micro Center or Best Buy, it'd start to tempt me. But as it is, I don't even know where a Microsoft Store is.
A tablet computer that feels good (like the surface) and looks good (like the surface) and has a novel keyboard (which looks like it'd suck, but is pretty good) - you need to get that into the hands of shoppers so they can see it and try it.
for something that's neither a toy nor a tool. And to make it into a useful tool, I'd need to be able to install the progs I need, which I can't do. So, MS: FO!
Actually, I wouldn't want to work on a 10 inch screen anyway, a pair of new eyes still costs considerably more ;)
...asking $600 for a Windows 8 R(e)T(arded) version tablet that DOES NOT RUN ANY DESKTOP APPLICATION?
Pricing the Windows 8 Pro tablet, the one that might be actually useful, HIGHER THAN (those already-overpriced-thus-miserably-failing) ULTRABOOKS?
Seriously, whatever this clueless, angry, bald, chair-throwing beancounter is smoking it must be some very strong, hallucinative drug.
Ballmer is HOPELESS, an utterly clueless idiot. It's going to cost MSFT a LOT OF MONEY and clout.
Just got a Nexus 7 for under the tree. Got it because i wanted a small, cheap tablet to primarily read books on and whatever else I can do with one . Having Android was a plus.
I'm not knocking the Ipad or Surface, I just didn't know if I would like a tablet so I didn't want to spend mucho bucks on one. I also didn't want to be locked into having to do all my primary purchase from one location and no jailbreaking or hacking. My order of consideration was:
Ipad-To expensive and too locked in to Apple. Very good interface and construction though.
Surface-Way to expensive for a tablet with Windows 8. Too many complaints about using it. Just too cautious to spend that much money on relearning Windows again.
Kindle HD- Good price, exactly what I was looking for, but locked into Amazon?
Nook- Same thing, just not sure about it.
Galaxy- Honestly, this blew my mind. Everything they make they seem to name "Galaxy". Not sure which one to buy, and the one I liked was too expensive.
Nexus-right price, right OS, nice interface. size ok......so well see.
We could of sold loads of the bloody things for the number of times we've been asked if we can get them...and the Pro version which ok isn't out. And the number of customers who actually think companies selling directly is stupid. Joe punter wants to have it in front of them, they want to play with it before buying. They don't just go see website and throw a credit card at it unless it has an Apple sticker on it. MS, give it to the channel and let us sell it!
Wow – didn’t know all this was the happening. I hope the Surface goes under and sink – I hope the worst for MS – so that Blamer gets a wake up call to incompetency. The guy is just bad news for MS – and this wont be the last time that Jonah will cause problems. The MS tanker will sink if he stays on board: I hope he stays on.
I understand that 64Gb playbooks are selling like hotcakes (a curry's manager's words), a fact, albeit locally, also confirmed by 6 non techy friends who have bought them, and are very happy.
£129 for a 64Gb tablet, Microsoft, this is what you are competing with , don't try to compete with the fruity folk
People who want iPads will buy iPads, for whatever reason,
I have one for work and it's pretty good, but not sure I'd shell out my own money for one, I also have had a playbook for over a year, courtesy of RIM, the build quality is undeniably excellent, it's feels great, the multi tasking interface is great, it's duties are now mostly a browser, vlc, xbmc remote and email. I can't really fault it, the battery life is stunningly good.
People buy consumer goods with two things, hearts and wallets, I'd be surprised if Ballmer was in many people's hearts........
I'm thinking of getting a tablet, I'm quite interested in the Surface pro, but where the fudge can I get my hands on one? Try it. Poke it a bit. Pull the stupid port covers off and have a fiddle. Find out my hands don't fit on the thing. HMV have a range of tablets to play with. Every phone store on every high street in the country has iPads coming out their wazoo, so why the fornication should I pay MS over-the-odds for a device I don't even know if I like yet. I can't even visualise how big the thing is.
MS should have simply released it to all general retailers with an RRP. If it's a well built as people say, they will be picking up sales from people (like me) who don't want an iPad. If it doesn't sell, the retailers will knock the price down and it'll pick up.
A tablet is an expensive luxury. I don't need a fancy eReader or portable video device, or touch toy. I need something that will run full fat programs, can interface with all the other computer gear in the house and at work and in an always on, highly mobile form factor . The Surface appears to be able to do all of this but, right now, no sale
Because MSFT refuses to accept reality which is thus: NOBODY buys Windows because they LIKE the brand, they buy it because they have a ton of Windows X86 software to run! What you have is a "WINO" Windows In Name Only, and nobody wants a Windows that don't run Windows programs. I mean why would they? Android units are MUCH cheaper, Apple has the better branding, and both have MUCH more apps.
As a retailer who is telling his customers to avoid Win 8 like an STD I'm just gonna kick back and enjoy the fail, because rather than listening to their customers and giving them what they want Ballmer would rather try to make MSFT into an ersatz Apple and nobody wants an ersatz. So I say kick back and enjoy , I'd say you can get them on Woot! in 6 months for $99 but knowing Ballmer's ego he'll probably have them buried in NM next to the ET carts rather than admit he failed.
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