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
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.
The November date presumably lines up with the launch of Windows 8 – Microsoft most likely plans to release tablet versions of its nearly ubiquitous office suite at a time when it ships for Windows 8 tablets (aka Windows RT). Frankly, this is a smart move all around. With tablets and smartphones rapidly eating into computer sales, Microsoft needs to transition Office (which has been a money cow for them for years) to the new mobile platforms, and they don’t have the luxury of placing all of their software eggs into one OS-basket this time around. At the same time, they don’t want to completely undercut Windows tablets before they can ship, so holding off on a release until the fall is a good strategic call.
BGR’s source has reportedly seen the iOS version of Office first hand, and indicates that it is identical to the original leaked images, suggesting that those were the Real McCoy after all. The source also indicated that the loading screen said “Office for iOS” rather than “Office for iPad”, raising the question of whether the suite will be made available on phones and iPod Touch devices as well as tablets.
Unfortunately we may have to wait until November to learn that. Or at least until the next leak…
source: BGR
