ASUS prices 10-inch Android Eee Pad under $399, 8-inch Eee Tablet at $300, other tablets too
By Tim Stevens 
posted August 13th 2010 7:47AM
posted August 13th 2010 7:47AM
posted August 13th 2010 7:47AM
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inb4 Apple fanboys claim that a cheaper product with more features is worse
@Matt08642
I would claim that a cheaply made product with Android slapped on it would be worse. This tablet might be the first viable Android tablet to make it to market. Time will tell though.
@redhineymonkey Cheaper != Cheaply made
@Matt08642 More Expensive = 40% profit margin + identical internals.
@Matt08642 to the fanboys, it is not a feature unless apple has it.
@Matt08642
False! Cheaper = No pricey OS included. which is also the case for cheap netbooks. Common sense is a big problem nowadays. not even because the first sentence on this post says exactly the reason of the new price :/
Reading is living!
@Matt08642
This comment has been down-ranked into oblivion. View comment
There, I posted a generic comment for the iPad comments...
@fourthletter
And you don't think Asus make 40%?
There is a market for budget and premium goods in all sorts of areas. The prime example is cars where say, a Skoda, a VW and an Audi share a huge number of parts but can have a 100% price difference.
People buy Audi for the quality construction, ease of use, customer service and image that the brand implies. Apple customers do exactly the same.
I don't have a use for a tablet but if I did, I would buy an Apple because I know I will get a well constructed product that will be easy to use and, if anything goes wrong with it, it will be fixed. I can also afford it. If I was tight for cash, I might consider an Asus, as it will probably do 90% of what an iPad can do and a few things it can't, but I'm not.
Yes, I also drive an Audi.
@Matt08642
Its all about the IPS/PVA panels in this. Does Asus use them? Guess not. Big FAIL. Can someone port Droid or Leopard to the iPad fast?
@blanka I agree we need IPS or PVA panels. As for porting another OS onto iPad, no chance mate. Leopard is x86 or PPC only, the iPad is ARM. Android will work but without proper drivers it's gonna suck.
@fourthletter
= Apple
@Matt08642
I have nothing against Microsoft, but why would anyone want to facilitate moving their desktop monopoly to tablets and phones? Android is maturing nicely and hopefully someday WebOS will be another good choice.
@Gusty
You are such a prat. There is no difference in quality between Audi and VW. They are made by the same company, but Audi was targeted at wealthy people. The only difference is style and performance features. GTI's are marvelous! 80% of what goes into an Apple is internal, and that is made by the same people who make all the other machines. So you are basically paying more for the same thing wrapped in a different package. An Audi A4 is just a GTI with a smaller trunk.
@Matt08642
I Have an iPad & and iPhone so I Guess I qualify as a Fanboy...
I Welcome the Competition from Other Pads & other OS's It can Only Push Apple to Improve upon its Product!!
@Synaesthesia
I think full OSX on the iPad is possible:
You must transform Rosetta from PPC->Intel to PPC->ARM
You can use most basic OSX components from the iPad itself, the kernel is similar.
Not an easy job, but always easier then the MESS project :)
@Matt08642 You guys forget...apple is Foxconn and Asus., parts at least.
@fourthletter You guys do know that Asus has a slightly higher margin than Apple, right? I'm not sure where you got that 40% number from (i hope it's not just selling cost minus component cost), but even if that number was correct, it means if a company was really ripping you off, Asus does it worse than Apple.
@Matt08642
not really... the Apple tax apple places on all their not top of the line hardware would like to inform you that you have been over paying ~$400 on the non-upgraded Mac Books......yea i said it
@Matt08642 Problem is that never happens. Just you stupid idiots wanting to start flame wars.
@Gusty An Audi might be twice the price of a VW, but that doesn't mean the VW is going to fall apart.
They have the same great build quality, just in the Audi you're paying for luxury, performance and the brand.
It's the same with this vs. the iPad, except with the iPad you're really just paying for the brand.
Damn. It just got real.
@redhineymonkey
Yeah, real failure.
@redhineymonkey is it just me, or are the next few months of this year gonna be techtastic
@redhineymonkey None of these will be released until next year, and by that time iPad 2 will be released. So honestly it just took too long to come out.
@redhineymonkey
This looks really good. Here's hoping that it has decent specs (namely CPU/GPU).
I'm really looking forward to seeing what Android3 has in store for the UI. I'm hoping that Google adds an API for GPU acceleration in apps (ie. scrolling in the browser), as GPU acceleration will yield butter-smooth scrolling (ala Android's LauncherPro or iOS). On a tablet, smooth scrolling is a must.
@XChrisX Your point? iPad 2 will just have a camera and some form of half-assed multi-tasking.
You know... The stuff it should of had in the first place.
@XChrisX
And 3 years from this tablet hype will be over after most people try tablets and get bored of them.
@GGG Not for what I would use it for, I have plenty of uses where don't need a laptop and a smart phone is too small.
DJ Apps, watching live video at sporting events, automotive tuning software, etc, etc.
@dj4monie
I agree, i dont have a smartphone or an ipad but i do want to buy a tablet i just think the ipad is a lil too big an a tad heavy, i think 8 inch is the perfect size and slim down that bezel while your at it.
YES I WANT THIS.
Is it gonna run stretched android phone apps or no apps at all?
@Accelerator
Why do people keep asking this? Were there thousands of iPad apps in the App Store well before the iPad was revealed? Am I missing something? Surely when the devices are revealed the developers will start developing for them.
@Tes
5000 Apps were available at the iPad launch
Also , you do realize the marketplace and the sdk don't support app development for tablets? If google won't step in then devs can't make apps for higher resolutions.
@Accelerator
The photo shows it running windows, the most widely used operating system in the world, and your worried about third party software?
@R2 D2
Read the title? It runs android, the windows embedded compact version will be available at a later date.
@Accelerator Excellent point. I think Google needs to step in and release a version of Android for tablets. Otherwise just slapping Android as is on a tablet might not work out so well.
The version is called Gingerbread - Android 3.0!
@XChrisX
The version is called Gingerbread - Android 3.0!
@R2 D2
Pardon, but does Windows Embedded Compact 7 run normal Windows applications? Or is this some 3rd option between Win7 and WinPhone7, and if so, who the hell ordered that?
@Accelerator all android phone apps can run on the android tablet pcs.
@steel
Exactly the 3th (read:turd) option. But Windows Phone 7 Series (what a name) is based on Windows Compact Embedded 7.
Just like when you had WinCE and WinMo, pda's where sold with WinCE and pda with phone abilities were sold with WinMo.
Now we have one more option: Windows Phone 7 Series. It's that simple amirite?
@Kevin Ye
And the marketplace? Where are you supposed to get your apps from?
@Ceyran
Typo where = were.
A nice Friday the 13th reference with Jason. I see what you did there. =]
@R2 D2
You realize that Windows Embedded Compact 7 is not compatible with Windows 7 do you? And that it isn't even available yet?
@slbailey1 Which is meant for Phones. I haven't read anywhere, that is will be optimized for tablets.
@Accelerator, et all
Better reading comprehension please.
This post is about 4 different products.
E-reader October
W7 tablet December-January
WEC7 tablet January
Android tablet March
2nd: The android SDK, is being or has been updated for tablets, including a 1280x760 screen spec.
@steel
MS has made Windows Compact Embedded for years, it runs on everything from PDAs to gas pumps. This is just the newest version with a different name.
It's a full blown os, but, it's typically used middleware that allows users to build their own UI on top of it.
This is how the Zune works.
If you remove the Metro UI from WP7, you're more or less left with WEC7.
@Accelerator Google need to start letting the Market run on tablets, that's all that's holding it back for now. As for the apps, Android has supported proper scaling since 1.6, like desktop-OS scaling not the pixel doubling of iOS. So unless the tablets run Cupcake for some reason, there's no problem.
Let the price cutting in the tablet wars begin!
@juanvaldez
could i wish apple will succumb to pressure?