Summary: Asus' Windows 8 tablet pricing will start at $599 and run to $1,299. In other words, tablets will be more than laptops in some cases without any enterprise heft to justify a premium.
Asus has a trio of Windows 8 tablets on deck for the holidays, but the pricing is so high---$599 to $1,299 for a hybrid---that it's going to be nearly impossible to compete in the marketplace.
We were leaked Asus' holiday roadmap and the slide below tells the tale.
Asus isn't a business brand yet it is pricing its Windows tablet as if there were some enterprise secret sauce. Asus roadmap only highlighted upcoming products not the big sales pitch to differentiate these tablets.
Also included in Asus' roadmap are details about 12 and 13-inch laptops. What's truly odd is that one laptop is $549 and the next-gen Transformer is $1,399. The Transformer Book is billed as "one device for two personalities between tablet and notebook."
Consumers will balk at these tablet prices and a) either opt for a laptop or b) go with a cheaper tablet such as Apple's iPad or any variety of Android.
The roadmap here is preliminary in that Asus could change its pricing before the tablets launch along with Windows 8. But if the pricing sticks these tablets could have rough sledding ahead. Given the pricing fumbles of OEMs, it's no wonder that Microsoft has cooked up its Surface tablet. After all, Microsoft has the resources to lose money---just look at the billions lost in the search wars---in the name of market share.
Entered the Russian market smartphone transformer ASUS PadFone. This model with a 4.3-inch screen and operating system Android Ice Cream Sandwich, which when installed in a special module ASUS PadFone Station turns into a 10.1-inch tablet with long hours of talk time (up to 63 hours). Thanks to Super AMOLED display with a resolution qHD (960x540 pixels) and dual-core processor Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 with a clock speed of 1.5 GHz, ASUS PadFone for advanced mobile applications, and, special technology DynamicDisplay ensures immediate switching between the smartphone and tablet: Most applications automatically change size according to the current regime.
When combined with ASUS PadFone Station uses computing power and memory of the smartphone, and the battery life is increased by the built-in battery PadFone Station. In addition, you can connect to it and the third component - the keyboard module PadFone Station Dock, received as a result of an ultraportable notebook. It is also worth noting optional PadFone Stylus Headset - comfortable stylus combined with a Bluetooth-headset. ASUS PadFone available on the Russian market since September 10, 2012 in such networks home appliances and electronics, as "M. Video" and "Eldorado" and as in all ASUS branded stores in Moscow. The suggested retail price for the kit, and ASUS PadFone PadFone Station with case and stylus PadFone Stylus Headset is 33 990 rubles, separately smartphone ASUS PadFone - 22 990 rubles. As an accessory you can buy a mobile dock ASUS PadFone Station Dock for 5990 rubles.
