OK, so I am about to receive a nice little bonus from my company here in London UK! I will come out the other side with just over £500.
my question is: Should I take the plunge and buy the Xoom?
some info:
1. This buy is purely to spoil myself. I dont 'need' a tablet. I have a PS3, HDTV, killer HP laptop , etc! (btw crysis 2 out this Friday...yay! )
2. No, I dont want an Ipad. (yes I have used/owned an iphone before...3GS)
3. Yes, I have an android phone (HTC Desire HD...R00t'd n Rom'd)
4. Yes I want honeycomb
5. I dont have any experience with motorola products. are they any good?
6. Samsung's 10.1 Galaxy tab seems to be a contender as well. Samsung's products are nicely spec'd but they have a tendency to feel cheap/plastic-eeey.
So i'm putting myself in the hands of XDA!
Help me decide please! and if you could elaborate (not just Yes or No) that would be fantastic! If its a NO, what are my options for tablets? (minus the Ipad)
THANX!
LOL...36 views....and No replies!
I'd be impressed if you could get a Xoom for £500 given that, right now, they're exclusive to deals on Verizon so you'd have to buy someone out of a contract on that and cover the cost of import??
When it arrives in the UK I suspect it's price will exceed £500 by some margin - it's likely to compete with an iPad2 3G and the UK's sim-free/unlocked market isn't noted for bargains (and the lock-in prices on the old Galaxy Tab remain silly even now).
somewhatdog said:
I'd be impressed if you could get a Xoom for £500 given that, right now, they're exclusive to deals on Verizon so you'd have to buy someone out of a contract on that and cover the cost of import??
When it arrives in the UK I suspect it's price will exceed £500 by some margin - it's likely to compete with an iPad2 3G and the UK's sim-free/unlocked market isn't noted for bargains (and the lock-in prices on the old Galaxy Tab remain silly even now).
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Click to collapse
Xoom is scheduled for UK release 1st week of April. PCworld announced they will stock it sim/contract free for £500. Thats the Wifi only version ofcourse.
£600 for 3G/wifi @ the carphone warehouse
It's been posted in other forums, but since gTab was my first tablet and I know some of you are interested in the newest round of tablets, I'm reposting it here. Now's your chance to grab a HC tablet for $100 off:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1177461&page=4
That thread has some success stories of people getting the $100 of at Office Depot as well.
You need to use the coupon in store (not online) and in some cases people have found the in store proces to be marked up by about $100. When pressed, the stores say the price is a mistake and they will match the online price and then apply the coupon, so you actually get $100 off.
But you'll pay sales tax.
Every store in Northern Virginia is sold out of all Android tablets. Just saying.
For those that want the Transformer, but since it is sold out at Staples.com and not available in stores, Office Depot does price matching. However, I spoke with my closest Office Depot (Plymouth Meeting) and they said coupon matching is only available for the Acer Iconia and the Blackberry Playbook. They do not match coupons for items that Staples does not stock in it stores (ie: online only, like the Transformer). Boo!
I have heard roomers of people getting around this, but I guess it depends on who is working.
Got me a Dell Streak 7, Rooted and installed HC 3.2 on it... Most easiest device to Root/ Rom Ever...
im selling this piece of crap VS now... not that the device sucks (ITS GREAT) the lack of support is why
Got last Thursday an Acer Iconia A500, nice tablet. My old gtablet goes to my stepson.
Happy with my purchase ($299+tax)
According to a source at engadget.
http://m.engadget.com/2012/08/14/microsoft-surface-199/?icid=eng_latest_art
If it's true, then I am pre-ordering one!
I am still waiting for pricing on the pro but this sounds sweet, why not get both!
Sent from my Radio Shack TRS - 80
Now if the Pro were so nicely priced...
groaner said:
I am still waiting for pricing on the pro but this sounds sweet, why not get both!
Sent from my Radio Shack TRS - 80
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ronaldheld said:
Now if the Pro were so nicely priced...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was waiting for the pro as well but how is this even remotely possible to be the price. A 10 inch tablet with decent specs . I will definitely buy at that price and if it stinks the kids will get it and its on to the pro for me.
I refuse to believe it. I'm still expecting $499 or around there and won't believe such ridiculously low prices unless they come with loads, and I mean loads, of evidence.
Yeah I sadly have to agree, especially since there aren't any other news sources corroborating the rumor. I would expect a price of at least $400 on this--although $199 would be awfully nice...
If it's $199 there needs to be some pay-off - a way to make the money back. When they did this with the Xbox they made money back from Xbox Live subs and software sales. In the case of Surface, if it costs $300 to bring each unit to market and they then go on to sell them for $199, they're gong to need to make at least $100 off each user. This won't happen from Windows Store revenue alone; Microsoft only bag a 30% cut (so on average, users would need to spend over $300 on the Store just to break even). They could be looking at a subscription model like the $99 Xbox 360? But what would they include? More SkyDrive storage? Office 365? Xbox Music? Unlike with the Xbox, there isn't any essential subscription to add on.
You forgett one thing. Market shares. How do you put a price on market share. The next model will have x amount of free sales depends of success and marketshare by surface.
It could easily be 200. Amazon did it with the Kindle and made thier money from book sales.
Microsoft will make it back in software from the surface store. That is if they get a solid backing from devs.
As was said above. Maybe I'll get this and get the pro after release.
Sent from my Radio Shack TRS - 80
groaner said:
It could easily be 200. Amazon did it with the Kindle and made thier money from book sales.
Microsoft will make it back in software from the surface store. That is if they get a solid backing from devs.
As was said above. Maybe I'll get this and get the pro after release.
Sent from my Radio Shack TRS - 80
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Kindle Fire:
7" Display
1024 x 600 resolution
Last gen (even at the time it was released) 1 GHz dual-core A9 processor
512 MB RAM
8 GB storage
Micro-USB
No SD slot
No camera
Plastic
Surface RT:
10.6" Display
Likely 1080p resolution (or greater)
Full-sized USB
Micro SD slot
Built in kickstand
2 cameras
Proprietary VaporMg casing (vapor-deposited magnesium)
32 GB or 64 GB storage
Tegra 3+ likely
1-2 GB RAM
The Surface RT is not even remotely comparable to the Kindle Fire, and for that matter, even the Nexus 7, and people need to stop comparing those low-grade tablets to the RT. The only official thing we know about pricing from MS is that it is supposed to be priced similarly to comparable ARM tablets. Comparable ARM tablets are in the $499+ range, not anywhere near $200.
http://www.pc-tablet.com/4441-microsoft-surface-rt-tablet-200/
The casing and glass alone of the Surface RT is expected to cost $150. The entire BOM of the Kindle Fire was approximately $200. The BOM of the Surface RT should well exceed $300. It wouldn't just have to have a subscription model to be sold at $199, it would have to have a ridiculous subscription model to be sold at that price.
No one has even mentioned the other main red flag that pops up with this ridiculous rumored price: brand image. A $200 price tag is the absolute best thing for MS... if their main goal is to kill brand image. Yea, release hardware that is on par with $499-$699 devices and sell it for $200, that it just perfect if your goal is to cheapen brand image.
There's only 2 likely things to happen: 1) these low prices rumors are a bunch of BS (most likely), 2) an unexpectedly low price will be the actual price and it will be subsidized by a ludicrous subscription model.
The Janitor Mop said:
Kindle Fire:
7" Display
1024 x 600 resolution
Last gen (even at the time it was released) 1 GHz dual-core A9 processor
512 MB RAM
8 GB storage
Micro-USB
No SD slot
No camera
Plastic
Surface RT:
10.6" Display
Likely 1080p resolution (or greater)
Full-sized USB
Micro SD slot
Built in kickstand
2 cameras
Proprietary VaporMg casing (vapor-deposited magnesium)
32 GB or 64 GB storage
Tegra 3+ likely
1-2 GB RAM
The Surface RT is not even remotely comparable to the Kindle Fire, and for that matter, even the Nexus 7, and people need to stop comparing those low-grade tablets to the RT. The only official thing we know about pricing from MS is that it is supposed to be priced similarly to comparable ARM tablets. Comparable ARM tablets are in the $499+ range, not anywhere near $200.
http://www.pc-tablet.com/4441-microsoft-surface-rt-tablet-200/
The casing and glass alone of the Surface RT is expected to cost $150. The entire BOM of the Kindle Fire was approximately $200. The BOM of the Surface RT should well exceed $300. It wouldn't just have to have a subscription model to be sold at $199, it would have to have a ridiculous subscription model to be sold at that price.
No one has even mentioned the other main red flag that pops up with this ridiculous rumored price: brand image. A $200 price tag is the absolute best thing for MS... if their main goal is to kill brand image. Yea, release hardware that is on par with $499-$699 devices and sell it for $200, that it just perfect if your goal is to cheapen brand image.
There's only 2 likely things to happen: 1) these low prices rumors are a bunch of BS (most likely), 2) an unexpectedly low price will be the actual price and it will be subsidized by a ludicrous subscription model.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Surface RT has a resolution of 1,366 x 768.
there is something here that just doesnt make sense
why is there a huge price difference
the new intel atoms will be fanless
so i dont see how it will be that more expensive
i guess they are pushing ARM tablets/Win8 for market adoption purposes
The Janitor Mop said:
Kindle Fire:
7" Display
1024 x 600 resolution
Last gen (even at the time it was released) 1 GHz dual-core A9 processor
512 MB RAM
8 GB storage
Micro-USB
No SD slot
No camera
Plastic
Surface RT:
10.6" Display
Likely 1080p resolution (or greater)
Full-sized USB
Micro SD slot
Built in kickstand
2 cameras
Proprietary VaporMg casing (vapor-deposited magnesium)
32 GB or 64 GB storage
Tegra 3+ likely
1-2 GB RAM
The Surface RT is not even remotely comparable to the Kindle Fire, and for that matter, even the Nexus 7, and people need to stop comparing those low-grade tablets to the RT. The only official thing we know about pricing from MS is that it is supposed to be priced similarly to comparable ARM tablets. Comparable ARM tablets are in the $499+ range, not anywhere near $200.
http://www.pc-tablet.com/4441-microsoft-surface-rt-tablet-200/
The casing and glass alone of the Surface RT is expected to cost $150. The entire BOM of the Kindle Fire was approximately $200. The BOM of the Surface RT should well exceed $300. It wouldn't just have to have a subscription model to be sold at $199, it would have to have a ridiculous subscription model to be sold at that price.
No one has even mentioned the other main red flag that pops up with this ridiculous rumored price: brand image. A $200 price tag is the absolute best thing for MS... if their main goal is to kill brand image. Yea, release hardware that is on par with $499-$699 devices and sell it for $200, that it just perfect if your goal is to cheapen brand image.
There's only 2 likely things to happen: 1) these low prices rumors are a bunch of BS (most likely), 2) an unexpectedly low price will be the actual price and it will be subsidized by a ludicrous subscription model.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It has already been announced that Intel tabs are gonna be $300 more than their RT counterparts. I'll edit with source as soon as I can.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using xda app-developers app
Dadstar said:
It has already been announced that Intel tabs are gonna be $300 more than their RT counterparts. I'll edit with source as soon as I can.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using xda app-developers app
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Click to collapse
http://m.engadget.com/2012/08/17/windows-8-rt-tablets-to-sell-for-300-less-says-lenovo/ I've got your source right here :thumbup:
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app
The Case for the $200 Surface RT Tablet
So we've heard about rumor. Along with the arguments. The prevailing chatter is that it's "too good to be true," that MS wouldn't be dumb enough to lose its shirt selling the RT tab for well under its cost, that it would damage its "brand image," that it would antagonize its partners, etc. etc.
All with good common sense, to be sure. We should heed the conventional wisdom of never selling below cost, and never upsetting our business partners, no?
It's also the conventional wisdom that Win RT, as version 1.0, will be buggy--against the polished, popular, and entrenched iPad. It's conventional to think that with a handful of apps, RT can't compete with iPad's established ecosystem. And it's very conventional to think that a "normally" priced Surface RT (same as iPad 2 or 3) will surely fail because of all these disadvantages. Again, conventional wisdom.
So, if following conventional wisdom, RT is doomed to a sure failure. And how much money will MS lose if RT fails? Would MS even survive if its touch initiative fails? How much money is MS' survival worth?
That's really the question to ask. Rather than worrying about a petty pittance of a loss leader, we should ask, how can MS succeed in its competition against the iPad. See the forest, not the trees.
There's one surefire way to sell tablets, no matter what the disadvantages: CHEAP. HP has proved it with the TouchPad. Amazon and Google did the same for the KF and N7. So MS will lose a few millions, or tens or hundreds of millions in a $199 Surface RT. Ask: Would MS lose more if RT fails? If MS itself fails?
How much did MS pay to Nokia to prop up Windows Phone? A few BILLION dollars? Is WP more important than RT? How much did MS invest in B&N Nook? A few HUNDRED MILLION dollars? Are ebooks more important than RT?
That's what the $199 Surface RT tablet would mean: An investment in MS' continued survival.
Now, to cover some of the arguments raised against it:
. It would damage its "brand image": As of now, Surface has no image to uphold. It's a new brand. And before you worry about "image" so much, think of the damage if Surface flops, just as all of the prior like-priced Android tabs that flopped. Should we worry about the brand image of the Zune? Or Kin?
. It would upset OEMs: And...what? They'll abandon Windows to support other platforms? Like they've ALREADY TRIED with Android, and Linux before that? Where else are they going to go? Apple?
People raised the cliched argument that you can't compete against your partners. It's bollocks. Businesses compete and cooperate with each other all the time. The term is coopetition. Look it up. (also try: frenemy). MS would not be alone in this. Google has already done this with the Nexus 7, and the Motorola acquisition.
As of now, there is no market for Windows RT. You can't have competitors if there's no market. Someone has to establish a market, and it can only be done by MS. Selling the Surface RT for $199 is one good way to do that.
This isn't to say that the $199 RT tablet will, or should happen. But it's a plausible option, and one I'm sure MS is pondering upon. Regardless of whatever failings it may have, MS still has good enough management who can see the forest, and ignore the hoi polloi worrying about a few measly trees.
e.mote said:
So we've heard about rumor. Along with the arguments. The prevailing chatter is that it's "too good to be true," that MS wouldn't be dumb enough to lose its shirt selling the RT tab for well under its cost, that it would damage its "brand image," that it would antagonize its partners, etc. etc.
All with good common sense, to be sure. We should heed the conventional wisdom of never selling below cost, and never upsetting our business partners, no?
It's also the conventional wisdom that Win RT, as version 1.0, will be buggy--against the polished, popular, and entrenched iPad. It's conventional to think that with a handful of apps, RT can't compete with iPad's established ecosystem. And it's very conventional to think that a "normally" priced Surface RT (same as iPad 2 or 3) will surely fail because of all these disadvantages. Again, conventional wisdom.
So, if following conventional wisdom, RT is doomed to a sure failure. And how much money will MS lose if RT fails? Would MS even survive if its touch initiative fails? How much money is MS' survival worth?
That's really the question to ask. Rather than worrying about a petty pittance of a loss leader, we should ask, how can MS succeed in its competition against the iPad. See the forest, not the trees.
There's one surefire way to sell tablets, no matter what the disadvantages: CHEAP. HP has proved it with the TouchPad. Amazon and Google did the same for the KF and N7. So MS will lose a few millions, or tens or hundreds of millions in a $199 Surface RT. Ask: Would MS lose more if RT fails? If MS itself fails?
How much did MS pay to Nokia to prop up Windows Phone? A few BILLION dollars? Is WP more important than RT? How much did MS invest in B&N Nook? A few HUNDRED MILLION dollars? Are ebooks more important than RT?
That's what the $199 Surface RT tablet would mean: An investment in MS' continued survival.
Now, to cover some of the arguments raised against it:
. It would damage its "brand image": As of now, Surface has no image to uphold. It's a new brand. And before you worry about "image" so much, think of the damage if Surface flops, just as all of the prior like-priced Android tabs that flopped. Should we worry about the brand image of the Zune? Or Kin?
. It would upset OEMs: And...what? They'll abandon Windows to support other platforms? Like they've ALREADY TRIED with Android, and Linux before that? Where else are they going to go? Apple?
People raised the cliched argument that you can't compete against your partners. It's bollocks. Businesses compete and cooperate with each other all the time. The term is coopetition. Look it up. (also try: frenemy). MS would not be alone in this. Google has already done this with the Nexus 7, and the Motorola acquisition.
As of now, there is no market for Windows RT. You can't have competitors if there's no market. Someone has to establish a market, and it can only be done by MS. Selling the Surface RT for $199 is one good way to do that.
This isn't to say that the $199 RT tablet will, or should happen. But it's a plausible option, and one I'm sure MS is pondering upon. Regardless of whatever failings it may have, MS still has good enough management who can see the forest, and ignore the hoi polloi worrying about a few measly trees.
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Click to collapse
markets:
laptop
ultra tiny pc
some phone (since wp7 didn't happen)
ipad ( like it or not, ownage)
some android 10" tab
some Android 7" tab
ohhhhhhh loooook 4.5" phone/tab!
wayyyyy up there, ultra tiny laptops happened. they run full windows ( or Linux, or Mac os, or bad) and cost $239.
where is the market for a ultra ultra tiny, non-full-os, fragile, too big to pocket ... machine?
the pro/dev device makes more sense, but surface at $5-700 , the ipad is a 800 lb gorilla in the room again, and much cheaper.
edited, guessing surface price lower
emote: very good, convincing points. I am now convinced that MS just might do this. $199 cheap? I'm still very hesitant, but I wouldn't be entirely surprised anymore if they released it at around $300 and not the $500 I have been expecting.
I still think $199 cheapens brand image. You have to understand what I mean: of course it isn't coming in and making an already established, and presumably high quality, brand cheaper. Yes, it is the first product of its brand for MS. What I mean is that it is coming in and instantly making that brand cheap. So, instead of cheapening an already established thing, it is the establishing thing and it is establishing the image of that brand as cheap out of the gates. Most $199 tablets are small. The Surface RT will be compared to the iPad because it is iPad sized. When people look at them side by side, and see the Surface is less than half the cost, they will absolutely you-cannot-contradict-this think it must be inferior to the iPad.
Basically: Apple has been building BMWs for a while. MS is just now entering the car game, and their first model is an Audi, on par with Apple's BMW. Except MS priced it like a Honda, and so everyone is confused and thinks Apple's BMW must be way better.
>I still think $199 cheapens brand image...it is the establishing thing and it is establishing the image of that brand as cheap out of the gates
Do you think Google's Nexus brand is cheapened because of the $199 N7? How about any subsequent tablet from HP because of the $99 TouchPad? Do you expect every HP tablet to be $99 from now on?
The first priority is the product's success, and whatever else comes after. If Surface RT flops, it won't matter what its brand image is.
For MS, even the product (Surface) isn't as important as the market. If Surface needs to be the sacrificial lamb so MS can establish Win RT, then it will happen. An easy fix to that is for Surface to become a "cheap" brand, and to establish a new "premium" brand. Remember, there is yet no equity invested in the Surface name.
>When people look at them side by side, and see the Surface is less than half the cost, they will absolutely you-cannot-contradict-this think it must be inferior to the iPad.
Then using your example, a Honda must be inferior to a BMW, since it costs less?
Obviously, that's not true in every aspect, or even in many aspects. The Honda is better in some things--reliability, practicality, fuel efficiency, bang/buck, etc. Each caters to a different demographic. Similarly, Nexus 7 can do some things better than iPad, and some worse. It's not as popular, but "inferior" is not in the perception mix. Ditto for a $199 RT if that happens.
How MS prices the RT depends on what it wants to do with the Surface line. If Surface was intended as a tech template for OEMs to follow rather than to grab market share, then price will be ~$500, and sales will be lackluster. But if the rumor is true of 3 million Surface tablets being made, this isn't the intent.
By tying the tablet platform to its Windows cash cow, MS was hoping to leverage the Windows userbase to push its tablet effort. But many indications are that Win8 itself will have a mixed reception, so it has no coattail to ride. There is precious little else MS can use to establish WinRT as a platform, other than going for low price. Google did the same for Nexus 7, and it's working so far.
I agree that a $199 RT isn't cast in stone, but it looks to be under consideration, rather than being another net rumor. Acer's CEO didn't just pull the $199 price point out of a hat in his rant against Surface. He must have been privy to the memo.
car analogies.... great!
toyota, honda introduce hybrids. not really electric, not really full size... ape **** demand, they sell and run forever.
skip forward TEN PLUS YEARS
Chevrolet: HEY LOOK WE MADE A HYBRID TOO!!! (fanfare, loud lies about paying back the loan, loud promises about being a new, swift corporation)
no one cares.
the price point matters about as much as if its painted brown or beige. getting to market while there still is indecision is the key. there is very little indecision now, today, when people look for a tablet.
ipad ... owns
someandroidthing..... 2nd place
surface ..... customer Google's, sees its really a $40000 table, not a tablet... back to I pad vs android.
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