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Daring Fireball: Apple's Pricing Advantage

daringfireball.net

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Re: Daring Fireball: Apple's Pricing Advantage

#21
post #6

I see daring fireball has never heard of archos. http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/31/archos-unleashes-five-fiv...

I would very much like to know how exactly they can be so cheap. Their 10" tablet will sell for $350 (16GB), the spec-wise very similar 16GB iPad costs $150 more. (The one downside is that you cannot buy it yet, it’s supposed to be out “this fall”.) Oh, and if Archos can do that, why not Samsung?

Re: Daring Fireball: Apple's Pricing Advantage

#22

The 2nd paragraph: "Now, even putting quality aside, competitors can’t match Apple’s prices." Does not jive with the prices mentioned later: Apple Ipad - $599/$699 for the 16/32 GB models Samsung Galaxy S - $594 HTC A8181 Desire - $527 I don't know what the author's definition of "match" is, but seems to me Android tablet makers have matched prices quite well. *Edit: fixed my formatting

The A8181 Desire you link to has no built-in memory and a screen that is less than a quarter the size of the iPad's. You're comparing apples to oranges.

Re: Daring Fireball: Apple's Pricing Advantage

#23

The 2nd paragraph: "Now, even putting quality aside, competitors can’t match Apple’s prices." Does not jive with the prices mentioned later: Apple Ipad - $599/$699 for the 16/32 GB models Samsung Galaxy S - $594 HTC A8181 Desire - $527 I don't know what the author's definition of "match" is, but seems to me Android tablet makers have matched prices quite well. *Edit: fixed my formatting

His definition of "match" seems to be device dimensions, performance, and battery life.

Juxtaposing the iPad with a smartphone in an attempt to compare the prices doesn't seem right (you linked to an HTC A8181, but mentioned the Galaxy S). Did you mean to compare it to the Tab?

Re: Daring Fireball: Apple's Pricing Advantage

#24

The 2nd paragraph: "Now, even putting quality aside, competitors can’t match Apple’s prices." Does not jive with the prices mentioned later: Apple Ipad - $599/$699 for the 16/32 GB models Samsung Galaxy S - $594 HTC A8181 Desire - $527 I don't know what the author's definition of "match" is, but seems to me Android tablet makers have matched prices quite well. *Edit: fixed my formatting

7" screens vs. 10" screens?

7" vs 10" screens but failedl to mention that the Galaxy Tab also has dual cameras, a GPS chip, a cellular chip, and etc - things not seen on the ipad.

I think the Tab could have been priced lower but Samsung wanted to see if they could technically compete with the ipad at the same price point first. And if things don't go well, reduce the prices later. Why shoot yourself in the foot to begin with?

And additionally when Android lifts the hardware requirement to obtain the Android Market, you will definitely see much cheaper tablets such as Archos and even the Galaxy WiFi Tab.

Re: Daring Fireball: Apple's Pricing Advantage

#25

The 2nd paragraph: "Now, even putting quality aside, competitors can’t match Apple’s prices." Does not jive with the prices mentioned later: Apple Ipad - $599/$699 for the 16/32 GB models Samsung Galaxy S - $594 HTC A8181 Desire - $527 I don't know what the author's definition of "match" is, but seems to me Android tablet makers have matched prices quite well. *Edit: fixed my formatting

7" screens vs. 10" screens?

Actually the linked item is an unlocked phone with a 3.7" screen. The parent comparison is invalid. Gruber is actually comparing it to an unlocked iPhone for $599/$699 as he should be, he is not comparing it to an iPad.

Re: Daring Fireball: Apple's Pricing Advantage

#26
post #14
post #6

I see daring fireball has never heard of archos. http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/31/archos-unleashes-five-fiv...

It's difficult to know exactly which point in the article you take issue with. I didn't see anything that indicated Gruber is unaware of the Archos.

various quotes:

Now, even putting quality aside, competitors can’t match Apple’s prices.

no one else can afford to match the iPad’s price with a comparably sized touchscreen display

iPods, iPhones, iPads. Across all of them, Apple’s prices are either comparable, or lower, than their competition.

Re: Daring Fireball: Apple's Pricing Advantage

#27

Another factor here is that mobile devices are all a tier or two down from personal computers in terms of the raw number of dollars. Seems like a 15% premium is something people will consider paying if it only amounts to $30, but might not if it's $300. This was especially true in the early days of the PC revolution. The Mac 128K sold for $2495 at the time, which is more than $5000 in today's dollars[1]. I can't find…

Cost isn't everything, even in 1984. The PC wasn't the price leader of the era, check the market share and price of a C64.

Re: Daring Fireball: Apple's Pricing Advantage

#28
post #21
post #6

I see daring fireball has never heard of archos. http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/31/archos-unleashes-five-fiv...

I would very much like to know how exactly they can be so cheap. Their 10" tablet will sell for $350 (16GB), the spec-wise very similar 16GB iPad costs $150 more. (The one downside is that you cannot buy it yet, it’s supposed to be out “this fall”.) Oh, and if Archos can do that, why not Samsung?

Well, not shipping and the resolution on the screen is worse (1024 x 600).

Re: Daring Fireball: Apple's Pricing Advantage

#29
iPad aside, the tablet form factor has been tried and failed before. The original 7" EEE, which retailed for $400 bore a whole new 'netbook' segment. That was a multi-million dollar gamble which ultimately paid off. Give the previous failures of tablets, that no one is stepping up to the plate to try again at that price, even given Apple's success (hey, they're Apple) isn't surprising.

Re: Daring Fireball: Apple's Pricing Advantage

#30

I've noticed this even with normal laptops at the smaller end. If you're looking for a 15" laptop, you can find a lot cheaper PCs than the $1,799 MacBook Pro. But if you're looking for a 13" laptop with roughly equivalent processing power and weight, it's hard to find a PC laptop much cheaper than the $1,099 MacBook or $1,199 MacBook Pro. Some are considerably more, because while Apple prices the 13" at the bottom of…

There are many best seller laptops on Amazon in the $500-600 range, so I'd have to disagree.

If you want a midrange or high end laptop then Apple's don't look bad, most people don't though - but then they don't care about the OS either.

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