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  • Ushio01 - Wednesday, August 31, 2011 - link

    You can't charge the same as Apple and get sales why can't any company understand this?
  • Stuka87 - Wednesday, August 31, 2011 - link

    Yeah, but at least they are not way higher.

    Especially if you look at the likes of the Xoom and the HTC Jetstream (Which is laughably priced at $850 without 2yr contract, and it doesn't have WiFi).

    $499 at least puts Sony in range for people to look at it, rather than laugh and walk away.
  • GotThumbs - Wednesday, August 31, 2011 - link

    You should do some price checking...Xoom WiFi 32gig is available for $100 less than equivalent ipad.

    Xoom 32gig 3G is 499 with contract and $670.00 without. Apples 32gig is $729.00 with month to month service. There are less expensive options available for anyone who takes the time to look.

    Best wishes.
  • melgross - Wednesday, August 31, 2011 - link

    The HTC is selling for $700 on contract or $850 without.

    The Zoom isn't selling, so they lowered the price. It still isn't selling. Maybe drop it to $99 as HP did with the Touchpad when they discontinued it. Yeah, that's the ticket!
  • Bozzified - Thursday, September 1, 2011 - link

    Considering that Android tablets are rapidly rising in marketshare (iPad is at 60% now and was at 94% only few months ago), I would say all those tablets you are saying are not selling are magically disappearing.

    Considering Android tablets have better hardware, better connectivity, better display and are still slightly below cheapest iPad, I would say they are a killer deal.
  • medi01 - Thursday, September 1, 2011 - link

    Where does the 60% figure come from? Last time I checked it was 74%. (but indeed, Android is gaining market shere, there is no doubt)
  • robinthakur - Friday, September 2, 2011 - link

    Android tablets are totally not worth the hassle. Everything just felt hideously and unecessarily complicated. I returned my Xoom and bought an iPad2. For any decent Apps like Tenori-on or for anything by anybody reputable (especially true if it is your primary work device), don't bother with Android solutions (at this time).
  • appliance5000 - Sunday, September 4, 2011 - link

    The ipad is your primary work device? really

    What does that entail beyond what android can do?
  • marvdmartian - Wednesday, August 31, 2011 - link

    Exactly! Just as I stated, earlier today, concerning the HP tablets.....if you bring your product to market, and cannot compete with Apple in the apps area, then you can't compete with their price point.

    Of course, Sony has long been a company that has charged a premium for their name, but in this case, I believe they're making a mistake. Come out at $350 and $450, and you might stand a chance. Otherwise.....

    Oh, and I'm not certain that coming out with two tablet, and naming them S&P, is such a great idea right now! LOL
  • GotThumbs - Wednesday, August 31, 2011 - link

    Every Apple fan seems to want to focus on the APP count. Who out there has over 1,000 APPS on his/her tablet? There is lots of junk available out there so APP count alone is a weak argument. Also, its only a matter if time till quality APPs are re-created for Android Market as the number of Android tablets owned by consumers is ever increasing.

    A tablet IS NOT a laptop and you will never have the work load for a tablet as you will with a laptop/desktop. Tables are great for email, reading, basic web-surfing and time wasting games....

    Best Wishes.
  • retrospooty - Wednesday, August 31, 2011 - link

    "Every Apple fan seems to want to focus on the APP count. Who out there has over 1,000 APPS on his/her tablet?"

    Agreed... Do we really need 30+ fart apps? No, we just need 1 good one.
  • Bozzified - Thursday, September 1, 2011 - link

    Exactly.. but here's a dose of reality.. unlike iPad, Android apps actually work great on Honeycomb even if they are not optimized because they are being built like for Windows. With scalable and liquid layouts due to variety of screens on Android platform.

    So, the same thing Apple fans have been spitting on is a huge benefit now for Android tablets.
  • robinthakur - Friday, September 2, 2011 - link

    All Apps I run with the exception of 2 are universal Apps or made for the iPad. Apps *should* be redesigned for a tablet, as anyone who has used Mail on the iPhone versus the iPad can attest, that the layout on iPad is far better use of the increased space. Otherwise it would just be a big iPod Touch ;) Agree with you in principle though on scaleable vector based graphics. I'm not a "fan" of Apple, but I do use their products. Alot of Android fans clearly aren't buying their tablets or the sales figures wouldn't be so dire.
  • robinthakur - Friday, September 2, 2011 - link

    My iPad2 is my primary work device now, so I dispute your assertion that they won't have the same workload as a laptop. I can create presentations, Excel spreadsheets, Word docs, take notes, draw diagrams and record sound and if i need to i can remote into our windows environment. Job done, and yes i'm well aware that my Tablet with better battery life and far less weight is not a laptop.

    Apps are actually important if the one you need isn't available on your chosen platform as is the general rule on Android. On iPad when you get one you download the Apple suite of Pages, Numbers and Keynote plus all the other bits and bobs like Bloomberg, SharePrice Garageband etc and you are sorted to be able to work. Developers support the Apple platform far better IME because they simply make far more money from it!
  • shivoa - Wednesday, August 31, 2011 - link

    Yes, exactly! It's just as my good friend repeatedly says about Apple computers, "if you bring your product to market, and cannot compete with Microsoft Windows in the software selection area, then you can't compete with their price point."

    The only chance Apple computers have of competing with a Windows machine, which has a vastly larger ecosystem of apps, is by competitive pricing and undercutting the competition. Compelling OS experiences and interesting (or even just slick) hardware offerings with an app range that is good enough for significant coverage of the competition range is simply not enough. This is clearly why Apple should give up selling laptops as they simply don't have the app support to compete with Windows and are absurdly pricing with a premium rather than undercutting the similar hardware that comes with the far more vibrant ecosystem.

    Or maybe the Android ecosystem is potentially vibrant enough to create compelling and unique experiences on top of the standard features all tablet users expect. Maybe we're an OS revision or two away from that being at all practical, but I wouldn't call it foolish to invest in a potentially massive market which has yet to find a clear second place man or even leader competitor.
  • melgross - Wednesday, August 31, 2011 - link

    That's a joke, right? You do know that PC manufacturers are so concerned about meeting Apple prices on the Airs that they have demanded that Intel GIVE them $100 for each notebook they make, and cut the price of the CPU and support chips in half. intel has also started a $300 million fund to help.

    So you think that Apple isn't competing on price? Where have you been?
  • retrospooty - Wednesday, August 31, 2011 - link

    I see the reality distortion field is in full effect on this one. Way to pick on example out of dozens of products and make a moot point. Apple's PC and laptop prices are rediculous.
  • Kristian Vättö - Thursday, September 1, 2011 - link

    Take a look at the article below this. Samsung is selling a better laptop for 50% of the price. Some Apple products are reasonable priced, but there are many which aren't.
  • robinthakur - Friday, September 2, 2011 - link

    You are hilarious, I dof my hat to you. Shame this lot don't get sarcasm.
  • medi01 - Thursday, September 1, 2011 - link

    This app argument is utterly ridiculous.
    One competitor has hundreds of thousands of apps more than another one? So what?

    It's more about quality than quantity. On well written OS you shouldn't absolutely need any apps at all, when with Apple you are semi-forced into buyng some.
  • robinthakur - Friday, September 2, 2011 - link

    It is quality over quantity, I agree, and Apple easily winds on that front too currently. I suppose your argument that calculator and notepad are the only tools you need? Apps are invaluable to being able to use my iPad in all scenarios.
  • Kristian Vättö - Wednesday, August 31, 2011 - link

    Well, making loss isn't that great of a business scheme either.
  • sleepeeg3 - Thursday, September 1, 2011 - link

    Sure you can. The Sony Table S includes:
    * Better resolution
    * Better camera
    * USB port & SD Card slots
    * Android OS

    All of those could provide a more compelling reason to buy the Sony Tablet.

    The iPad 2:
    * Bigger battery (6944 mAh vs 5000 mAh)
    * Apple OS
    * 3G option

    The Tablet P looks interesting as an uber expensive clamshell, smartphone option with an inferior camera, but with Sony about to release a 12MP Xperia, it seems like an inferior option. I like the concept of the mini-tablet, though. Who wants to bet that is the future of smartphones? Nintendo sure was visionary.
  • medi01 - Thursday, September 1, 2011 - link

    You sure can.
    "I'd never buy something from apple" crowd is rather big. At least in Europe.
  • Focher - Thursday, September 1, 2011 - link

    It's not big enough to matter. The sales statistics speak to that fact. The biggest problem entrants have into the tablet market is that a significant part of the sales are going to "new" consumers. And those "new" consumers" are disproportionately focused on which iPad to get, not which tablet.

    The Robert Scoble question remains. A tablet entrant needs to be able to answer the question "Why would someone buy this instead of an iPad?" So far, none of the Android tablets have given a very satisfactory answer to that question. That's not my opinion. That's sales statistics.
  • smartpatrol - Wednesday, August 31, 2011 - link

    It was beginning to look like Sony was avoiding the Android tablet flop market altogether.

    Finally, they're releasing a couple Android flops of their own.
  • GotThumbs - Wednesday, August 31, 2011 - link

    Sony is making a mistake with its pricing strategy. As HP has found out....demand for your product WILL increase with price reductions. At this time, SONY does not offer much more than what is already available to consumers when comparing other Android tablets and even the much despised (by me at least) IPAD group. A better initial pricing strategy would benefit Sony than its current.
  • melgross - Wednesday, August 31, 2011 - link

    What HP found out was that dropping the price of their tablet from $500 to $450 didn't work. They found that dropping it to $400 didn't work. And one site that sold them for $369 I think it was, didn't work either.

    How much money should a company lose on each sale before they sell enough to say that it's a success?
  • yannigr - Wednesday, August 31, 2011 - link

    $500 for a Sony? maybe if it was a TV. But for a tablet? I think not. They will never learn. Maybe they don't want to learn. They are also selling laptops and netbooks, so why create an alternative that it is cheaper? No reason.
  • MarkLuvsCS - Wednesday, August 31, 2011 - link

    and the $399 transformer will likely sell considerably more than the sony. Thrive is around same price as well. I think android tablets now really are going to be held to the $399 price point. I just don't see tablets doing significantly better pricing so close to ipads. By the time sony gets this to the market asus may be releasing transformer2 pretty close.
  • medi01 - Thursday, September 1, 2011 - link

    Why? Nobody cares about build quality these days?

    PS
    If Apple would create a tablet of this form, US media would be crying about "revolutionary shape" all day long. But for Sony most would settle with it being a disadvantage.
  • tech6 - Wednesday, August 31, 2011 - link

    Since Tegra is about to be superseded by the next gen of mobile chipsets from Nvidia, this seems like an off time to enter the game.

    Also, I do have some misgivings about anything open source from Sony - the company that is known for pushing proprietary technology is no embracing open standards?
  • bupkus - Wednesday, August 31, 2011 - link

    They're no hope to lead a market where they're truly playing catch-up.

    Hell, they're even behind hp!
  • wrack - Wednesday, August 31, 2011 - link

    When will these companies understand? They are entering a market won by iPad. If they even remotely want to get in then lower your prices.
  • teng029 - Wednesday, August 31, 2011 - link

    i'm surprised Sony would want to enter this market at all. unless there's some compelling reason or feature built in to these devices that would separate them from all other tablets running Honeycomb (which I doubt), or perhaps a lower price point than the other Android tablets (which they won't), why would consumers choose this over something like the Galaxy Tab, or an Asus Transformer, or any other Android tablet that's already out?

    Sony seems to have neglected the fact that they not only will end up playing catchup with Apple, but all other tablet manufacturers. one wonders if these companies do any consumer research at all..
  • melgross - Wednesday, August 31, 2011 - link

    You know, I would like to think that the people responsible for these things aren't completely stupid. They design the best tablet they can. Then they price out all the costs. They modify the design according to the cost structure. Then they price it to make a decent profit.

    If they do that, and it's what they should be doing, they have little or no room to drop the price. A tablet selling for $500 is probably making $50 profit for the manufacturer, at best, because we know that Apple gets the best pricing on parts and assembly, and Apple stated that they were making lower margins in order to price them to sell to the largest number of people, which seems to have worked.

    So how can these companies lower prices? If they sell enough over a certain period of time, they get manufacturing efficiencies, and they can drop the price by a bit. But if they don't meet those numbers, they can't. So far, no other manufacturer has sold, as far as we know, more that hundreds of thousands, not millions. There's no price advantage for them.

    I think they are all, including HTC, pricing them as low as they can.
  • Focher - Thursday, September 1, 2011 - link

    That makes no sense! Everyone KNOWS that Apple charges a price premium. Therefore, any price point at which they sell a product must be higher than other companies could produce and sell a similar product. So an iPad for $499 means that there's an Apple Tax hidden in there!

    I'm being snarky, of course. Along with the Air, Apple's competitors are finding out that even at the same or lower prices (e.g. Air) Apple is making a product with higher consumer demand.
  • ctrees - Thursday, September 1, 2011 - link

    "However, Tablet P is something totally new"

    The Toshiba Libretto w100 would like to have a word with you, Kristian...
  • WeaselITB - Thursday, September 1, 2011 - link

    I was actually thinking of the Kyocera Echo:
    http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/13/kyocera-echo-re...

    What I'm wondering is how much Sony-specific software hackery did they need to do in order to get the dual-screen "two apps" thing working, like Kyocera had to do. The concept is great, but if it requires dedicated applications rather than being able to run just anything from the app store, it's a stillbirth.

    -Weasel
  • Penti - Thursday, September 1, 2011 - link

    Still on Tegra 2 sadly, we need to move on. These devices need a more powerful platform at least when it comes to media decoding.

    I've kind been wondering why they don't come from the Sony venture that does have mobile hardware competence (SE), but this product just looks odd and out of place either way. Sure Sony's services probably could be great, if I could use them up here in northern europe where they design all the SE phones... It's kinda odd not seeing SE do anything, but I can understand if they don't want to compete, but you can't internationally sell a tablet because of the rights situation for the content, based on content services.There is no problem selling millions of Android tablets, Samsung has already proven that. But this simply isn't one of those products. They don't have the trust in the market and neither sleek hardware or a good software package. Of course console emulators could be a selling point, but it's not enough as is. Will be tough for them.

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