There are many who are holding off on buying a tablet until the Microsoft Surface is released. If Microsoft doesn’t clear the air about the pricing of the mobile devices, they may see some of those who are waiting for it go out and buy an iPad, Kindle Fire, Google Nexus 7, or any of the other already-available tablets because the ludicrous pricing that is circulating now is too high to keep their attention.
If the pricing is correct, they are already in trouble.
Swedish website Webhallen is displaying pricing for the Microsoft Surface starting at 6,990kr for the basic 32GB RT version. 1 Swedish krona currently converts to $0.143565, which would translate to the basic Surface at $1,003.52 and the 64GB pro would approach $2,000.
Microsoft needs to do one of two things. If the pricing is not accurate, they need to correct the error and come out with a clever statement that says something to the effect of, “the Surface is probably worth over $1000 but we’ll be charging much less than that.”
If the pricing is accurate, they need to figure out a way to reduce the price. It won’t sell in the 4-digit range when the iPad and every other competitor is not. They will not be able to position it as a “tweener” between a tablet and a computer. They will not be able to convince people that one surface is worth twice as much as an iPad.
If they remain silent with so many stories insulting them, we can assume that the pricing is accurate and the project is doomed. Here’s what TheNextWeb is saying:
Microsoft has promised that its Surface machines will be roughly price competitive with two market points: other ARM tablets for the RT machine, and around ultrabook pricing for the Pro version. If these prices are kept, Microsoft will be above both, by a fat margin. It would be nice to simply laugh off the above figures, but given their specificity, it’s not easy to do.
Leave a Reply