Apple has been on an incredible run, with shares value hitting world record high of $710 billion. Apple has become the first ever company to be valued at this value range, mostly because of that it is often associated with luxurious products and services which rank high on great quality, durability and Innovation.
Below is a chart showing how Apple is using the pricing strategy to sell the company’s products and the range they offer for each and every one of them.
[Via businessinsider]
What else can you say about those entry-level tablets rather than they are cheap. Well, they don’t cost that much. Right, but what else? Most of them come with a non-capacitive display, sport very limited storage, and are made (in most cases) from simple materials. But yet again, the most important thing that matters in this context is the pricing, and for that, we are witnessing a huge wave of low-end slates, hitting the US market these days. One of them, which has recently showed up at Best Buy for merely $170, is Pandigital’s 7-inch SuperNova Android device that packs an 800×600 screen resolution, along with 4GB of storage, an 800MHz processor, a front and rear facing cameras, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi connectivity, microSD card slot, and a micro HDMI port. It features (apparently) a direct access to Barnes and Noble bookstore application and runs an Android 2.3 platform on board. Sounds neat for a 170 bucks gadget, isn’t it?
Update: Looks like Pandigital just pushed out two more Android tablets, Planet and Star, both packing a seven-inch touchscreen display, while Star is powered by a 800×480 screen resolution, and Planet on the other hand, sports 800×600 pixels in size. Other than that, both slates run an A9 Cortex processor, paired with 2GB of storage and Android 2.2 Froyo running on top. As for price and availability, the Star is planed for shipping around mid-August, for $159, while the Planet will set you back for $189, and is available for order today and in stores. Hit the jump to read the full PR.
[via AndroidCommunity]
Continue reading Pandigital’s Nova Android Tablet Now On Sale at Best Buy For $170
Oh, looky-looky what we’ve got in here – A $99 Android tablet? Now that’s cheap. And more importantly, comes with fairly reasonable parts inside, including a seven-inch (800×480) resistive touchscreen LCD, 4GB of internal flash memory, WiFi, 720p HD playback support, AppsLib store accessibility (instead of Google’s Android Market) and Android Froyo running on board. There’s no word yet on when, exactly, we’re going to see this Archos Arnova 7 available in stores, but hey, you’ve got to give it to the French, for giving a fight and reducing the cost of their tablets.
[Arnova]
While already available for a purchase throughout the US, HTC’s 7-inch Android 2.4 tablet has finally been given its official release dates across Europe. According to HTC’s PR report, released recently, the 1.5GHz device is supposed to start selling today, with prices topping out at £480 (€499) for the WiFi-only 16GB version or £600 (€649) for the 3G-enabled 32GB flavor. And If you happen to have big hands for your size or are determined to get an HTC Flyer just for the sake of painting, you’ll find a cool stylus pen within the bundle (also known as the Magic Pen) – given by the company, free of charge . Hit the break to read the full PR message.
The new ASUS Eee Pad Transformer has already kicked off in Europe one month ago, and is now proceeding in North America. The 10.1-inch Transformer which has an IPS display panel under the lid alongside a 1280 by 800 HD screen resolution on top of it, comes in a variety of flavors and is said to be available for retail purchasing on Tuesday, April 26th, with prices starting at $399 for the 16GB model, while the 32GB version will cost you $499 – exactly like a WiFi only iPad 16GB model. As for the docking station – Well…I guess it will set you back roughly an extra $150 above base price, which seems quite attractive, isn’t it?
Update: And looks like the Asus Transformer US release day has been an overwhelming success so far. The $400 10.1-inch Honeycomb device is now officially “sold out” online both in Amazon and Best Buy. Well, that makes a lot of sense considering the overflowing amount of excitement that we keep hearing from many tech fans.
We’ve already heard a few interesting anecdotes about Acer’s 7-inch Iconia Tab tablet device, back in January of 2011, but only now (three months later) has it decided to finally unleash the Honeycomb slate, namely Iconia A100, into the wild and overcrowded market. As far as hardware goes, there are 5MP and 2MP megapixel cameras on board, along with a Tegra 2 processor, 512MB of RAM, WiFi (3G optional), Bluetooth connectivity and 8GB of internal storage capacity which are fairly reasonable but not enough for huge video files to load. In terms of price, the A100 may be considerably cheaper when compared to other devices in the category – only £299.99 (about $485) as it appears on Amazon.co.uk, with April 20th release date in the UK itself and later on all over the world. Good job, Acer.
Update1: And looks like the 7-inch ICONIA A100 tablet is now available for pre-order on Amazon UK with 3G WWAN capabilities attached and Android 3.0 running on board. Prices are at the £400 ($660) range while shipping is due to May 14.
Update2: We’ve just added a quick hands-on video of Acer’s forthcoming Iconia TAB A100, courtesy of Steve Chippy. Check it out after the break.
[via Netbook News]
Continue reading Acer Aspire ICONIA TAB A100 Goes Up For Pre-Order, Ships on April 20
It was Apple that set the price of the iPad at a standard $499 for a 16GB WiFi only version, and now it seems to work fine for all major players in this overcrowded market. RIM was the latest manufacturer to adopt this new pricing model. The Canadian company, originally known for their Blackberry smartphones, has just announced an April 19th release date for their BlackBerry PlayBook line of tablets, both in Canada and the US. And as you might be able to understand from the above, RIM’s average sales price followed the same pattern that Cupertino had already begun to offer: $499 for the 16GB version, $599 for the 32GB model and $699 for the 64GB flavor. Canadian retailers such as Best Buy and Future Shop are also expect to sell the Playbook for around the same price, only in local currency. Full PR after the break.
Update1: And the rumor was right on spot, RIM just announced that its upcoming Playbook tablet will support both BlackBerry Java and Android apps. Great news, considering the fact this would actually include native C/C++ development support, HTML5, Flash and AIR support. Clearly a move that significantly impact the Playbook apps market. More about it after the break.
Update2: And looks like RIM’s latest and greatest dual-core Playbook device is finally up for a purchase, both in Canada and the US, while prices on Uncle Sam’s biggest electronic retailer, Best Buy, start at $500 for the 16GB model, and climb up to $600 for the 32GB model and $700 for the 64GB flavor. Tablet wars are definitely on the rise, now!
Update3: According to analysts, the Playbook sold an estimated 25,000 tablets in pre-order stage and another 20,000 in retail stores. “If correct, 45K+ sell through on the first day would be a success,” Misek wrote in his research note (Analyst Peter Misek of Jeffries & Co).
It certainly took Samsung long enough to come up with the idea of a WiFi only Galaxy Tab. However, if the following flyer may be trusted, then we should very quickly be seeing a 7-inch Tab sans 3G connectivity, going live in the near/distant future. When exactly, you’re asking? In the first week of April. How much? Only 399 US Dollars – A Benjamin cheaper than Apple’s 16GB iPad 2 flavor. Will it work for Samsung this time? Probably, and that’s because most manufacturers are motivated by the increasing competition on the tablet market to come up with more affordable high-end tablets. And let’s say it loud and clear: $399 is a much more attractive price for the average tablet user. Let the competition begin!
Update: And looks like Sammy has just confirmed a wifi-only Galaxy Tab version, priced at $349.99 in exchange for a 7-inch 1024 x 600 display, 32GB of internal storage, SD slot, dual cameras, Android 2.2 with Flash 10.1 support – due out April 10 and not a single day before. Hit the jump to read the details.
[via Droid-Life]
Continue reading Samsung Galaxy Tab’s WiFi-only Version Confirmed
Samsung’s second-gen Galaxy Tab has already had its first appearance in public, at the MWC 2011 event in Barcelona, Spain, but the last word on that Honeycomb tablet still hasn’t been said. A lot has happened since then; Apple has officially announced the iPad 2, for one – A viable threat, that the South Korean giant couldn’t just ignore. On the contrary, in a recent chat with Yonhap News Agency, executive VP Lee Don-Joo admitted that Samsung needs to do some re-thinking as far as the Tab II inner parts are concerned, and made the pledge to “improve the parts that are inadequate” but didn’t specify what, where or when. In addition to that, Sammy’s top executive has also mentioned that his company will reconsider the new Tab pricing model, and may lower the Galaxy Tab 10.1 -inch price range, in response to the iPad 2 most attractive retail selling prices. A good step towards success.
Update: Looks like Sammy’s Honeycomb tablet will be released on schedule after all. According to Yonhap News Agency that have recently been in contact with Samsung, there are no plans to upgrade or redevelop the company’s next-gen Galaxy Tab in the foreseeable future. Perhaps in some other models.
The 8.9-inch Optimus Pad has already gone official, but its final price was yet to be determined. Now, a New York based online store called MobileCity, has finally listed it for a $699.99 early pre-order, with availability details still missing from the board. And even though we’re not sure of the price, it would probably be very expensive and not worth the buy compared to Apple’s $499 iPad 2 for example. The truth is that LG has actually managed to come up with something fairly fresh, and stuffed inside some really cool specs, including NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor, 32GB of storage, a dual-camera array on the back with 3D video playback capabilities, and Google’s latest Android 3.0 Honeycomb platform preloaded on board. That been said, we’re still looking for that “prince charming” package, this durable and attractive device that will have us believe we can truly make the most out of it without spending so much dough.
Update: And if $700 is far too expensive for you to buy a Honeycomb tablet, fellow readers, there’s a new payment method that will set you back for $529.99 on a two-year contract (after a $100 mail-in-rebate). Wait a minute, is anyone convinced? A 2-year contract plus one time $530 fee? Ok, so it lets you record 3D videos, so what? Maybe a wifi only version priced comparable to Ipad can do something – You hear that LG?
[via Android Community]
For the last few months we have been talking and writing a lot about the Motorola Xoom, and now it’s all official at Verizon, available for grabbing for $799.99 off-contract sans Adobe flash support, or $599.99 with a two-year commitment package. The 1GHz dual-core-powered device which packs Google’s latest and greatest Android Honeycomb platform will be available on Best Buy’s shelves later today, but the 4G LTE feature, which many of you are probably waiting for, will show up for an update in 3 months or so, free of charge. The bad news is that we’re still required to pay considerable amount of money for an off contract slate, but the good ones are that Motorola has changed its WiFi lockdown policy, and customers who are willing to pay 800 bucks for the tablet, will now no longer need to register for a one month Verizon data plan (additional $20). Thank god!
Update: UK retailer PC World has just listed the 10.1-inch Honeycomb-powered Motorola Xoom for online pre-order, with 10% off at checkout compared to the $800 price we’ve already seen Stateside. That means the Brits will have to shell out only £580, which are roughly about $980, in order to get the Tegra 2 Xoom device, with 32GB of storage, sans 3G connectivity, or £480 (about $785) for the WiFi only version. Meanwhile, German’s biggest telecom company T-Mobile, has published its own 3G-enabled Xoom pricing, which stands at €699.95 – starting mid-late April. Full PR after the break.
Continue reading Motorola Xoom Officially Live On Verizon (Update: Also in Germany and The UK)
Oh! What’s this? Looks like Best Buy is done trying to hide the one secret (actually two) that Motorola’s been keeping from us for quite a while. And when we say ‘secret’ we’re actually referring to price and availability, the two missing parts in the Motorola Xoom Android Honeycomb tablet, which were recently detailed in Best Buy’s new ad – black on yellow. So, $799 for a 10-inch android 3.0 tablet, that’s pretty expensive, isn’t it? Not to mention there’s a WiFi “lock-down” which binds to a 1 month of 3G mobile broadband data at Verizon ($20 per month for a 1GB package or $80 for the 10GB flavor). That’s one major flaw! and someone from the big M needs to intervene. As a matter of fact, there’s plenty of time to fix that crap – We are now less than two weeks, away from the official roll out, which takes place on Thursday, February 24th. C’mon guys, let’s have a little tablets competition around, shall we?
Update1: Motorola just launched the Xoom portal. Let the game begin!
Update2: Reuters is citing Motorola’s CEO, Sanjay Jha, who has just confirmed a $799 price tag for the 32GB Honeycomb tablet, also known as the Xoom (WiFi+3G). While a WiFi-only version will run for merely $600, which is roughly equal to 32GB iPad. Is anyone surprised?
Update3: The Motorola Xoom is finally up for pre order at Best Buy, titled as “the world’s first tablet to run Android 3.0” platform on board. And the Feb. 24th release date and integrated front-facing camera for video calling makes this a perfect Valentine’s gift, don’t you think? Well, depends if you’re willing to spend $800 on your partners in exchange for a 3G-enabled 10.1-inch Honeycomb tablet and some LOVE.
Update4: According to Verizon‘s web page, the Motorola Xoom that we’ are all expecting to see out on Feb 24th, won;t have flash support on launch. What? Yes, that’s exactly what the small caption down left says: “Adobe Flash expected Spring 2011.” BUMMER!!!
Update5: Motorola has just confirmed the release of its 10.1-inch Xoom sans Adobe Flash support:
“Motorola XOOM will include full support for Adobe® Flash® Player® for accessing the rich video and animations of the web, to be available after launch.”
[via Engadget]
Samsung has been very elusive and secretive about its pricing plans for the Galaxy Tab, but if the following T-Mobile slide should be proven to be real, then we’re looking at a $399 done deal tablet. Of course, you’ll have to sign-up for a new 2-year contract with the US carrier in order to get into a subsidized package, otherwise it would cost you a whopping $649.99 and would probably hurt your “already-empty” pockets.
Update1: US carrier Verizon has just announced that it will begin selling the new Samsung Android Galaxy Tab for $599.99, starting November 11th. Of course, if you want “data plans” then get ready to pay more – about $20 per month for 1GB – but for those who are using standard WiFi connection, a “few hundred bucks” looks like an insane amount of money one should be paying for. Checkout the full PR release half past the break.
Update2: All right, folks, it looks like we’ve got ourselves a competition here, with a third US carrier, Sprint, to officially confirm its Samsung’s Galaxy Tab availability dates and prices, which for some “strange” reason look suspiciously similar to T-Mobile’s offer . The meaning is that Sprint is planning to charge $399 for the 7-inch Android Froyo tablet, along with a two-year compulsory contract (comprised from either a 2GB of data plan for $29.99 and a 5GB for $59.99) or $599.99 for take-and-go buyers, starting November 14th.
Update3: On the same note, rumor has it that Best Buy is going to sell a “WiFi-only” Galaxy Tab (no obligation) for $499.99 along with a black 3G model (Verizon) and a silver 3G model (Sprint) – both require either a 2 years contract or month-to-month plans.
Update4: T-Mobile just updated that the selling of the new Samsung Galaxy Tab will officially start on November 10th with prices at $399.99 on a two years contract, or $599.99 for those who’d like to buy and go. Full PR after the break.
[via TmoNews]
Samsung has finally gone official with its latest and greatest 7-inch Galaxy Tab tablet. The super hyped Android 2.2 device which Sami has pledged to release across the European continent this month, stores a 1 GHz Cortex A8 processor, paired with wide range of radio frequencies, including HSUPA 5.76 Mbps / HSDPA 7.2 Mbps (900, 1900, 2100 MHz), and quad-band GSM, while connectivity wise you get the most updated Wi-Fi b/g/n and Bluetooth 3.0 support. Further more, you will be offered to choose either 16GB or 32GB capacities at your choice, joined by a microSD card slot that can add up to a 32GB more. Under the lid there’s a 4,000mAh battery pack and down the bottom you’ll find a 30-pin dock connector that lets you connect HDMI, USB, and other docking accessory stocks. The white slick tablet comes equipped with a rear 3 megapixel camera with flash and a 1.3 megapixel webcam up front. It’s capable of running Adobe Flash 10.1 platforms and can easily handle Full HD video playback on board. Pricing details and US availability are still missing at the moment, but full specs chart, PR announcement and the official video commercial are just around the jumping spot.
Update1: Pricing speculations start floating across the European continent, as more and more local retailers start reporting about their Galaxy Tab set of prices. Nothing has been officially announced yet, so please take it with a grain of salt unless you know something we don’t. And getting into the details, we’re now hearing of ginormous prices as high as €699 ($890) in France and €799 ($1,020) in Germany – considering there are 16GB and 32GB flavors to choose from. As for UK residents, Expansys will sell you the 16GB Galaxy Tab at £680 ($1,050), with shipping dated for 11th October.
Update2: We’ve just added another hands-on video, taken yesterday at the IFA show in Berlin, by our good friends from newsgeek.
Update3: According to the Wall Street Journal Samsung’s Galaxy Tab will probably cost US residents somewhere between $200 to $300 with a 2 years contract. No details about free-from-obligations pricing, yet.
[Samsung]
It was just a matter of time before Apple would start selling the iPad around world, and that day – If nothing unexpected happens – has finally arrived, so get your calenders out and mark May 28th as the international debut. Apple says there will be 9 countries on first round including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the UK, while Austria, Belgium, Hong Kong, Ireland, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand and Singapore will start selling Steve Jobs’ magical device in July. Checkout some of the prices:
Europe: 16GB WiFi-only €479, 32GB WiFi-only €579, 64GB WiFi-only €679, 16GB WiFi+3G €579, 32GB WiFi+3G €679, 64GB WiFi+3G €779.
UK: 16GB WiFi-only £429, 32GB WiFi-only £499, 64GB WiFi-only £599, 16GB WiFi+3G £529, 32GB WiFi+3G £599, 64GB WiFi+3G £699. Full PR after the break.
Update: Looks like Apple’s global online stores just started taking your pre-orders, in case you live in the UK or happen to be in Australia. The rest of the stores are likely to follow in a matter of minutes/hours/days.
With only hours before iPhone’s 3G S version officially goes up on sale across the world, Rapid Repair gang have managed to get their hands on one of Apple’s few available copies around, and dissected it into pieces, letting us closely look into the main components assembled inside, including chips, amps, processors and involved manufacturing companies, who helped Cupertino building this powerful machine. From their tear-down, we learn that South Korean giant, Samsung provides the SoC S5PC100 chipset, while main processor confirmed to be ARM Cortex A8, running at 600 MHz, with 720p high-def support. PowerVR SGX graphics also integrated within the iPhone 3G S, with 256MB of RAM, instead of 128MB on previous models. In addition, we can see the NAND Flash memory, provided by Toshiba and Infenion is there as well, providing myriad parts of the phone. Hit the jump to checkout the comparison chart of iPhone’s hardware and Palm’s Pre, as more pictures available at their website. Also, feel free to start sharing your personal reviews, once getting a brand new iPhone 3G S in the following days.
Update: iSuppli says the estimated cost of Apple’s new iPhone 3GS for the 16GB configuration, stands at $178.96 to manufacture. Mind you, this price valuation, refers to direct materials cost, with no inclusion of other essential operational expenses, such as shipping, distribution, royalty fees etc, which add some value to the overall price.Check out their components and cost drivers table, after the break.
[via RapidRepair]
