It's not just a tablet, it's a PC in a portable body with a touch screen, that is, a tablet PC. I wouldn't pay over $250 for a mobile tablet, that is, one running a mobile OS, like a maxipad or an Android tablet, either. Granted, the Surface RT version isn't the full computer OS, but it's appears more capable than anything else on the market, including its own predecessors running XP Tablet Edition
Sherlund’s full statement says:
Separately, our industry sources tell us that Microsoft may be working with a contract manufacturer to develop their own handset for Windows Phone 8. It is unclear to us whether this would be a reference platform or whether this may be a go-to market Microsoft branded handset. We would not be surprised if Microsoft were to decide to bring their own handset to market next year given that Microsoft has decided to bring to market their own Windows 8 ‘Surface’ tablet/PC products.Can Microsoft pull off a successful smartphone? They certainly have plenty of experience with what not to do when designing and marketing a phone, as the KIN debacle readily testifies to. If the finished Surface hardware is as good as it looks they probably have the talent and experience to make a successful smartphone – but would it be the smart thing to do? Making their own phone would certainly upset many of their OEMs – especially those who also make PCs/tablets and were already getting nervous about having to compete directly with Microsoft. Of course Android has a similar issue after Google’s purchase of Motorola, but Google hasn’t yet turned on OEMs – many PC vendors still recall how Microsoft wielded its monopoly power at the height of their OS dominance.
The move might also hurt Nokia, which has acted almost like a hardware division for Microsoft the last year. On the other hand, Nokia’s financials are looking bad enough that they could potentially collapse even without Microsoft entering the phone hardware fray, and having a real in-house hardware division would help to insulate Microsoft from the fallout of a Nokia bankruptcy.
It may also be a financial reality for Microsoft – they can’t charge as much for Windows Phone licenses as they do for a full version (or the RT version) of Windows, and with phones set to outpace PC growth Microsoft may think it’s necessary to try and get more profit from each sale by entering the hardware channel. Surely their business planners also have read the headlines that Apple and Samsung (two companies that make hardware and control their supply chain) are taking home 90% of mobile profits with 55% of the market share.
Clearly it’s a gamble either way: with a successful phone Microsoft could make more money per unit and insulate themselves against OEM failure or departure. On the other hand, if Windows Phone sales continue to stagnate, OEMs may be more inclined to abandon the platform if Microsoft is competing against them. Especially combined with a possible Nokia failure (since they bet the farm on Windows Phone) such an exodus could lead to a very nasty narrative about the role of Microsoft in consumer software going forward.
Would you buy a Microsoft phone?
source: Business Insider
Whether you count by revenue or downloads, the U.S. tops the list for both platforms. The Google Play Store gets 45% of its revenues and 35% of its downloads from the States while for iOS the figures are 42% and 28% respectively. In Asia, iOS has been able to hold its lead with a quarter of App Store downloads coming from that region. According to App Annie, China and Korea have plenty of third party app stores for Android that are preventing the Google Play Store from gaining traction.
With Google I/O opening next week, these numbers might be fodder for those developers who believe that some big changes are needed for the Google Play Store to catch up with the App Store.
source: AppAnnie via IntoMobile
This is actually a race:
Google and iOS use more performing OS but with stripped functionalities. Windows RT has more functionality, but higher prices.Google will keep adding funcionality in the next years as far as hardware and prices allows. Windows will be getting cheaper as the hardware becomes more powerful.
But if you ask me Apple and Google are ahead in the game, as their strategy allows the tablets to be cheaper. Most of the people buy a tablet as the second or third computer, just a toy to surf the web, play vidios, games, etc. So price is key in the tablet market to gain volume.
The Pro version has an opportunity in the profesional market for people traveling a lot that need a full computer AND a tablet.
But for $600 the RT has very little chances to gain track. You can buy an Asus transformer 300 with keyboard for $500 or a higer resolution iPad. 500 would have been a good price, for 600 I don't see it getting a lot of market.
While we have no idea when this phone is going to launch, it did visit the FCC, which is often the signal of an impending (although not imminent) release. While the model of the Sony Xperia go examined by the Feds is the international variant and can run on GSM and EDGE with U.S. carriers, the 900MHz and 2100MHz bands supported by the unit spell out overseas 3G connectivity.
source: FCC via Engadget
T-Mobile is selling the 16GB variant of the Samsung Galaxy S III for $279.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate and a signed 2-year pact. The 32GB model is $329.99 after the same $50 rebate and the signed contract. The carrier says it will broaden out the release of the phone on June 27th.
source: T-Mobile
