MSI Wind with 6-cell battery to sell for $50 more

MSI told us that a 6-cell version of its briskly-moving Wind was on the way. What it failed to mention, however, was the $50 premium that would be tacked on. The units including a 6-cell battery have been popping up in a few e-tailers here recently, with prices ranging from $559 to $599. According to an MSI representative, however, the official MSRP for the 6-cell units is $549.99 (versus $499.99 for the 3-cell edition). As you can tell, it seems that some places are taking the liberty of bundling in a little profit while demand is high. Worse still, users who managed to get their orders in at Buy.com for a $499.99 6-cell unit are now receiving cancellation notices. So, is the more capacious battery worth an extra 50 bones (or more) to you?

[Via jkOnTheRun]

[Rick @ Jul 30th 2008 10:32AM]

When Mwave had them in stock last weekend they were $569.99. Now they are $599.99 and are out of stock.

[matthewmrussell @ Jul 30th 2008 10:52AM]

I ordered one from Mwave and also noticed that the price jumped after they were sold out. The word on the street is that these 6-cell batteries really do make a substantial difference which is why I went with them when they had it in stock.

On another note, Mwave asks you to fax them a front/back copy of your credit card, drivers license and a written note stating that you ordered the laptop for 'theft prevention reasons,' which is insane. I yelled at the customer service agent and they were able to put it through without the hassle. I don't know if I will continue to do business with someone that uses 20th century measures to verify an order made in the 21st century.

[OneLove @ Jul 30th 2008 11:00AM]

There is a god! (we didn't get raped on the battery price)

[digitallysick @ Jul 30th 2008 11:42AM]

I got tired of waiting, so i got an Asus Eee pc 1000H and love it, 6 cell battery, and wireless N (the wind doesn't come with wirelessN) And is being priced as much.

You can try this method to get it for $400.00 or so

thread on it
other-umpc/eee-1000-bay-t1452.html

10% off coupon is CJULYFUN0810P
get 25% cashback using live.com with a Buy it Now purchase.
You don't get the $150 right away but it takes up to 60 days.

[krzysztof @ Jul 30th 2008 6:58PM]

$50 MORE? It should cost $50 total. This POS is not worth a penny more.

[rjcusick @ Jul 30th 2008 10:33AM]

I think it's worth it. No one like a UMPC with a dead battery....

[coffee @ Jul 30th 2008 11:59AM]

Last time I bought a laptop battery it was over $70, so a $50 upgrade seems fine to me.

Lots of competition, though, MSI might want to keep their prices low.

[Prad @ Jul 30th 2008 11:14AM]

MSI has lost my faith... Firstly, it raised the advertised price by 10%. Secondly, it did not inform in advance.

Bad Bad MSI

[CosterMonger @ Jul 30th 2008 10:36AM]

might as well sell the batteries through the mail for that price.

[OneLove @ Jul 30th 2008 11:02AM]

if you bought the battery separately it would cost $100+

[CosterMonger @ Jul 30th 2008 2:22PM]

you probably right - sigh

[Edge @ Jul 30th 2008 10:44AM]

I was one who ordered from Buy.com when the 6-cell was at $499 and still haven't gotten a cancellation notice for whatever reason. Assuming it will be cancelled, I picked one up from ZipZoomFly yesterday morning for $559 and they're still showing in stock.

I'm not sure what's worse, the waiting or the price hike.

[David @ Jul 31st 2008 12:07AM]

Like Edge, I ordered from Buy.com and haven't been cancelled yet. Unlike Edge, I am waiting to see what happens at Buy.com.

If they start showing new stock in but I still have no shipping date or cancellation, then I'll probably order an Eee 1000H.

However, Buy.com might actually come through in the end. We'll see.

I think that all those who pre-ordered before me, only to have theirs cancelled are justifiably upset. It's totally unfair.

I doesn't seem legal to offer something for pre-order at a certain price, only to cancel all the orders and raise the price.

I know that Buy.com has made a hornet's nest of enemies over this debacle.

[Samo @ Jul 30th 2008 10:52AM]

My question is can you buy the battery on its own? A quick Google Shopping search suggests no... I've already shelled out for one and it's happily sitting on my living room table, but a bigger battery would be a bonus...

MSI, don't overcharge for the batt, please!

[OneLove @ Jul 30th 2008 11:16AM]

Give it some time and let china catch up. (you'll get your battery)

[MaXKiLLz @ Jul 30th 2008 10:53AM]

Make it easy for yourself and get the Asus Eee 1000H. I've had it for a week now and love it!

[NeverSummer @ Jul 30th 2008 11:05AM]

I got tire of waiting for this and bought the eeepc 1000H at B&H last week for $550.

[avester @ Jul 30th 2008 11:04AM]

Isn't EEEPc 1000H like MSI Wind, but slightly worse?

[NeverSummer @ Jul 30th 2008 11:18AM]

Now the prices are the same.

1000H 6-cell Pros:
- Better LCD
- Better sound
- Stereo Mic
- Slightly faster faster
- Multi touch pad

MSI Wind 6 cell Pros:
- Lighter ~.5lb
- Keyboard quality is better
- Slightly smaller in size

Here's a review from laptopmag
http://www.laptopmag.com/review/laptops/eeepc-wind-faceoff.aspx

[digitallysick @ Jul 30th 2008 1:22PM]

The Eee pc 1000H has wireless N, the wind does not. Sure , you could mod it, but after the extra cost you might as well get the 1000H

[bot @ Jul 30th 2008 2:49PM]

Isn't the Wind's system RAM non-removable? That was the one thing keeping me from considering the Wind and the Aspire One.

[Mile @ Jul 30th 2008 9:29PM]

@neversummer

After reading your post, I was surprised that the link you give shows that MSI Wind is the winner and their choice.

[Deoki @ Aug 1st 2008 7:54AM]

@Bot:

You can upgrade the RAM in MSI Wind AND Acer Aspire One. You just have to upen the netbook and insert it in the free slot.

See how in www.aspireoneuser.com

[Onetrack @ Jul 30th 2008 11:05AM]

Considering how fantastically well the MSI Wind runs OSX Leopard - yes, the extra 50 bux is very well worth it.

[Joshua Ochs @ Jul 30th 2008 11:19AM]

...where's the usual chorus of the MSI Wind is better than the Eee because it's so much cheaper? Oh wait, it isn't - they both cost $549 to get a decent battery. Most specs are the same (screen size, CPU, memory drive, Bluetooth). The Eee 1000H has 802.11n, multitouch, apparently better speakers. The Wind is slightly smaller.

So much for the Wind being "triumphant", a "knockout", or "Eee-killer" (all from various reviews - back when it was going to ship on time, with a 6-cell battery, and the Eee 1000H was $100 more).

[OneLove @ Jul 30th 2008 11:24AM]

I like the msi wind and the effort msi made, but their prices are too high. Both models should be at least $100 cheaper. At those prices I would rather buy a regular discounted (fully loaded) laptop.

[avester @ Jul 30th 2008 11:44AM]

Yeah, you can also cut the regular laptops into 3 MSI Wind-sized pieces!

[dr4gon @ Jul 30th 2008 11:32AM]

Buy.com cancelled my order just this past Saturday. This is rediculous.... the price fixing is just so obvious.

[OneLove @ Jul 30th 2008 11:41AM]

Is that the opposite of blueiculous?

[diode3diode @ Jul 30th 2008 1:04PM]

Perhaps dr4gon means,
"This is rEeediculous...the price fixing (is like Asus) is just so obvious."

[Samo @ Jul 30th 2008 11:32AM]

mate, WTF?
macbook =/= affordable or value for money.... please stop smoking whatever you're smoking before posting

[Samo @ Jul 30th 2008 11:33AM]

crappy reply system... that was for Ocean 10

[Lancelot @ Jul 30th 2008 12:08PM]

Gees, As if these weren't expensive enough all ready - I'm really out of the market now until Dell releases their offerings.. I am totally stunned that people are so quick to spend their hard earned money for any of the current offerings, especially when you have to pay extra in order to achieve decent run times.

[Agent42 @ Jul 30th 2008 7:32PM]

You're joking right?

No price cheating?

Compare a MacBook to ANY competing notebook. You might be surprised to find it can be almost double the price in some cases for the same hardware!

[Agent42 @ Jul 30th 2008 7:37PM]

goddamn that was a reply to a previous comment.

Fuck engadget fix this comment system!

[Matt Keller @ Jul 30th 2008 12:12PM]

Might as well pick up the Eee 1000H now. :\

[Dennis @ Jul 30th 2008 12:53PM]

so i was lucky enough to get a 6 cell two days ago for 539 from my company, which was able to get it from a b2b distributor

[Skazer @ Jul 30th 2008 12:52PM]

Like I said, the MSI Wind with the 6-cell battery would cost more, contrary to what some have said they promised to do. My guess is the Dell will also turn out to be around the same price since the base model is very low-spec'ed and Dell typically has very high upgrade prices to make up for a low base model cost.

[Brendan @ Jul 30th 2008 12:57PM]

Price fixing? Are you kidding? Try "what the market will bear", chester.

We're talking about a brand-new gadget and a consumer good, not bead and butter necessities. If demand is high because the buyer community is so jazzed up about the MSI Wind, and if supplies are short, retailers would be foolish to leave money on the table (and I guarantee their margins are a lot slimmer on everything else) . Likewise, buyers can pay the premium to get it today, wait for more supply, or buy some suitable replacement like the 1000H.

Waah, waah. We want all of the innovation of capitalism without the mean economic side effects!

[ncmach1 @ Jul 30th 2008 1:04PM]

Is there any forums for these machines like eeeuser.com?

Dell E is gonna be this fall Im afraid. And these eeepc 900's eat batteries with them turned off.

[yamm @ Jul 30th 2008 7:47PM]

msiwind.net

[oddlou @ Jul 30th 2008 2:26PM]

www.msiwind.net

[CajunMike @ Jul 30th 2008 2:19PM]

MSI Wind versus Acer Aspire One. What are the main differences and which seems to have better features and specs? I'm trying to decide on whether to get a netbook or the gigabyte M704 UMPC.

[CosterMonger @ Jul 30th 2008 2:23PM]

did you forget the /blatant-sarcasm tag?

[chop @ Jul 30th 2008 2:43PM]

for the msi wind forum its msiwind.net

and for:
"...where's the usual chorus of the MSI Wind is better than the Eee because it's so much cheaper? Oh wait, it isn't - they both cost $549 to get a decent battery. Most specs are the same (screen size, CPU, memory drive, Bluetooth). The Eee 1000H has 802.11n, multitouch, apparently better speakers. The Wind is slightly smaller.

So much for the Wind being "triumphant", a "knockout", or "Eee-killer" (all from various reviews - back when it was going to ship on time, with a 6-cell battery, and the Eee 1000H was $100 more)."

im right here...i used to be very much for the wind over the asus because it was at least $150 cheaper than the eee 1000h. now that they're are similarly priced or even cheaper, i would definately be ordering a 1000h right now, but i just cant get over how ugly the 1000h is with its hinge and use of shiny plastics

[James @ Jul 30th 2008 2:54PM]

I ordered one on the 26th from MWave for $559.99. Picked it up in person on Monday. Now awaiting the Intel abg wifi card and more memory to arrive.

[Greg @ Jul 30th 2008 3:01PM]

Currently selling on newegg.com for $549.99. Just sayin

[KEROLiUKAS @ Jul 30th 2008 3:10PM]

Bullshit.

[Matt @ Jul 30th 2008 3:17PM]

And still no Linux 6-cell version planned, right? I'd probably buy that for $450. But if they don't want to offer me the choice, I guess I won't.

[just.150e @ Jul 30th 2008 4:59PM]

Linux coming in September I think, maybe August