It's kind of hard to refer to the iPad as an "overpriced tablet" considering that all of the tablet competition emerging now (at least half a year later!) is struggling to even match the iPad on price without either (1) using a much smaller screen, (2) subsidizing via a 2 year service contract, or (3) both.
Thompson
It?s funny. Even now you hear about Apple products being so overpriced yet the competition can?t even compete with cheaper materials at the same price price point. Where are the iPad competitors from CES? Where are the ultra-portable MBA competitors?
They've got one with a 4.3", 480x854 screen with 16GB memory for $250. Closest Apple product is the smaller screened but much higher resolution Touch with 32GB memory for $299.
Larger, lower resolution screen means significantly coarser looking display, so let's call that a wash. Apple offers double the memory for another $50, also pretty close to parity.
So Archos is selling a roughly equivalent Touch competitor for roughly the same money. Some people will prefer more screen resolution to more real estate and vice versa, but really pretty close equivalency as far as I can tell. Doesn't appear to have a front facing camera, so no video chat.
So why isn't it lots cheaper? Given Apple's margins, shouldn't Archos be able to severely undercut Apple's pricing? Is it that Archos hasn't yet decided to get "competitive", even though they've been building variants on this kind of thing forever? If Archos could build and sell a 4.3" PMP for, say, $150, don't you think they'd do it? They'd sell a lot of them-- you have to assume that they'd also lose money, or make so little money as to make it a pointless exercise.
People really need to get over the "Apple tax" idea when it comes to these new mobile devices. They're extremely price competitive, if not the price leaders. And it's not because other manufacturers made a "mistake" or just forgot to make them cheaper. It's because Apple has figured out how to keep their costs down, while still delivering best-in-class user experience.
I was all set to buy a new MacBook air, but the wife pointed out that my 15" macbook pro would make that a little redundant. So, she talked me into getting an IPad. I got the 64gb 3G version. So far I like it. I do have to admit that it would be a better device if it supported Adobe flash. Many of the web sites that I visit like Edmunds Inside line are not very good without it.... Maybe in a few years more of the web sites will have an alternative to flash. The netflix app is excellent as is the zino magazine reader.
It could never replace a laptop, but it good for quick trips and vacations.... I have to admit that I love watching movies on it....
A new solution for your flash appetite.
Skyfire will release $2.99 app tomorrow (11/4) that will convert flash to HTML5 on the fly
BTW, is anyone making an app for Android phones that converts HTML5 to Flash? since I keep hearing from the anti-Apple crowd that Flash is so much more efficient than HTML?
Comments
It's kind of hard to refer to the iPad as an "overpriced tablet" considering that all of the tablet competition emerging now (at least half a year later!) is struggling to even match the iPad on price without either (1) using a much smaller screen, (2) subsidizing via a 2 year service contract, or (3) both.
Thompson
It?s funny. Even now you hear about Apple products being so overpriced yet the competition can?t even compete with cheaper materials at the same price price point. Where are the iPad competitors from CES? Where are the ultra-portable MBA competitors?
They've got one with a 4.3", 480x854 screen with 16GB memory for $250. Closest Apple product is the smaller screened but much higher resolution Touch with 32GB memory for $299.
Larger, lower resolution screen means significantly coarser looking display, so let's call that a wash. Apple offers double the memory for another $50, also pretty close to parity.
So Archos is selling a roughly equivalent Touch competitor for roughly the same money. Some people will prefer more screen resolution to more real estate and vice versa, but really pretty close equivalency as far as I can tell. Doesn't appear to have a front facing camera, so no video chat.
So why isn't it lots cheaper? Given Apple's margins, shouldn't Archos be able to severely undercut Apple's pricing? Is it that Archos hasn't yet decided to get "competitive", even though they've been building variants on this kind of thing forever? If Archos could build and sell a 4.3" PMP for, say, $150, don't you think they'd do it? They'd sell a lot of them-- you have to assume that they'd also lose money, or make so little money as to make it a pointless exercise.
People really need to get over the "Apple tax" idea when it comes to these new mobile devices. They're extremely price competitive, if not the price leaders. And it's not because other manufacturers made a "mistake" or just forgot to make them cheaper. It's because Apple has figured out how to keep their costs down, while still delivering best-in-class user experience.
I was all set to buy a new MacBook air, but the wife pointed out that my 15" macbook pro would make that a little redundant. So, she talked me into getting an IPad. I got the 64gb 3G version. So far I like it. I do have to admit that it would be a better device if it supported Adobe flash. Many of the web sites that I visit like Edmunds Inside line are not very good without it.... Maybe in a few years more of the web sites will have an alternative to flash. The netflix app is excellent as is the zino magazine reader.
It could never replace a laptop, but it good for quick trips and vacations.... I have to admit that I love watching movies on it....
A new solution for your flash appetite.
Skyfire will release $2.99 app tomorrow (11/4) that will convert flash to HTML5 on the fly
Skyfire
A new solution for your flash appetite.
Skyfire will release $2.99 app tomorrow (11/4) that will convert flash to HTML5 on the fly
Skyfire
It?s out. http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/skyfi...384941497?mt=8
BTW, is anyone making an app for Android phones that converts HTML5 to Flash? since I keep hearing from the anti-Apple crowd that Flash is so much more efficient than HTML?