Will we see black friday discounts?

[jdevenberg]

I was pretty sure I wanted a Surface RT, but now I'm thinking maybe I only want a Surface RT because it is the best device for $499 (what I currently have available to spend). Do you think any of the other RT devices or x86 tablets will go on sale for Black Friday?

 

[SnailUK]

Can't see anyone discounting a much demand brand new product that quickly.

 

[ironsoulreaver]

It will be a very hot item this year so I would expect at least one manufacture who isn't selling as well as everyone else or who is using it for free advertising to put one out.

 

[VagrantWade]

Probably. I could see the ones up in the 1000 range drop a hundred or so.

As far as RT goes, even if the Asus Vivo RT dropped $100, it would then be priced the same as the Surface. In which case I would still buy the Surface over it.

 

[Roger Huston]

Actually, it won't be in that much of a demand at that price point and MS knows it. The are only making 1.5 million units for the holidays less than half of what Samsung and Apple are making for their tablet products.

The price point is too high to grab market share, especially with the launch of the Pro Models looming. Who's going to spend $700 on the top of the line RT if they can get the pro for about $1k.

Personally, I have seen quite a bit of buzz die down since MS released their price. Sure, they could have gone lower to grab market share like any other company would have, but they also need to protect their "partners" and not cut their knees off so they can sell RT tablets too. Its unfortunate.

I too will hope for a black Friday sale, I got my HTC Titan last year on it. But I'm not holding my breath.

- Roger

 

[jdevenberg]

Actually, it won't be in that much of a demand at that price point and MS knows it. The are only making 1.5 million units for the holidays less than half of what Samsung and Apple are making for their tablet products.

The price point is too high to grab market share, especially with the launch of the Pro Models looming. Who's going to spend $700 on the top of the line RT if they can get the pro for about $1k.

Personally, I have seen quite a bit of buzz die down since MS released their price. Sure, they could have gone lower to grab market share like any other company would have, but they also need to protect their "partners" and not cut their knees off so they can sell RT tablets too. Its unfortunate.

I too will hope for a black Friday sale, I got my HTC Titan last year on it. But I'm not holding my breath.

- Roger

I have seen interest explode since pricing was released, not die down. MS hasn't told anyone how many they are making, and the latest rumor was 3-5 million. I don't think that there will be a black friday price drop on the Surface. I'm more hoping for a price drop on something like the Lenovo IdeaTab Lynx.

 

[crystal_planet]

I have seen interest explode since pricing was released, not die down. MS hasn't told anyone how many they are making, and the latest rumor was 3-5 million. I don't think that there will be a black friday price drop on the Surface. I'm more hoping for a price drop on something like the Lenovo IdeaTab Lynx.

This. The Surface will go untouched, but I can see other vendors dropping prices.

 

[feedmylittletroll]

Best Buy is already discounting the Yoga 13 down to $999. There will probably some discounts on W8 devices but most of the BF deals will be on focused rid of all the W7 machines

 

[jdevenberg]

Best Buy is already discounting the Yoga 13 down to $999. There will probably some discounts on W8 devices but most of the BF deals will be on focused rid of all the W7 machines

That's because the Yoga 13 was priced by a room full of crack smokers. At least the (still over priced) Tai Chi has a second screen to justify it's ultra high price. The Lenovo has nothing but a fancy hinge.

 

[SlickShoesRUCrazy]

reason why I haven't pre-ordered a surface yet.

expect to see some kind of discount or at least see the touch keyboard included in the 499 price.

 

[jdevenberg]

reason why I haven't pre-ordered a surface yet.

expect to see some kind of discount or at least see the touch keyboard included in the 499 price.

I would be seriously surprised if we see this.

 

[SlickShoesRUCrazy]

I would be seriously surprised if we see this.

not me. I expect breakdowns after release to reveal that Microsoft is making 75-100 percent profit per surface sold.

They are going to want to be the tablet under the Christmas tree, what better way to do so then to either slash the price or include some goodies. Microsoft will be able to take the hit.

 

[jdevenberg]

not me. I expect breakdowns after release to reveal that Microsoft is making 75-100 percent profit per surface sold.

They are going to want to be the tablet under the Christmas tree, what better way to do so then to either slash the price or include some goodies. Microsoft will be able to take the hit.

At $499, there is no way they are hitting that sort of profit margine. Remember, you have to account for all the R&D dollars that go into a device, not just its physical components. I would believe that each Surface's components total $250-$300, but that doesn't mean that is the profit MS makes per unit.