Asus Eee Pad Transformer Drops to $299.99 at Best Buy

[J515OP]

CES is Jan 10-13 2012. Prices won't drop immediately after since they will take a while to get in the pipeline but we will know what the upgrades for next year are and that will slowly bring down the prices of existing stock.

 

[Pamster]

That's what I figured too JP, that it would take some time to trickle down into price drops on current 2011 inventory. Thanks for the info on the CES. I can't wait to see what they say about the Coby's, and if they will get an update for Honeycomb. Even if they don't, unless hubby changes his mind again, we're going to get the 1125.

 

[jseah]

When old technology is made obsolete by new technology nowadays, you don't see the retail stores mark down the prices to get rid of inventory much anymore. Rather the unsold product gets returned to the manufacturer, and they in turn eventually sell them off to deep discounters like Woot or 1 Sale a Day, who might close them out at a later date. There's no reason for a retailer like Best Buy to cannibalize the potential sales of "new tech" by slashing prices on "old tech" just to sell out their inventory. This is why, as new computers keep coming out each year, the entry level computers are still priced around $350-$400 and never really fall below that except for doorbusters on Black Friday. Last year, when the i3, i5, and i7 notebooks came out, the T4500 notebooks became the "starter" computers. This year, the starter computers are now the i3's. The prices remain pretty much the same, just the hardware keeps improving.

 

[Pamster]

I don't know that that holds true for all technology jseah, I have seen for example 3D HDTV's get marked down at the end of last year and even this year too so I don't know that that holds true for tablets, but that's where my assumption is coming from. Just thought I would add this example as I have watched 3D HDTV's prices and what not for the last two years because my hubby was interested in them. We ended up getting a killer deal on a nice LED HDTV from Sharp that is still running strong and keeping us happy. We're hoping to do the same on the tablet we're about to purchase. Since prices are dropping I would have to say that my assumption is holding water so far, which makes me delighted because we want to get a the MID1125 for $200 shipped and the way it's looking we'll be able to do that soon, probably just after Christmas like I figured.

I do agree with you that they will return a fair portion of the old tech, and in the laptop market what you've said I agree with fully. I just think it's not board wide for technology, and I think tablets might fall into the cracks on this somewhere in between what we've both stated. Some brands will drop prices to try to snag some more sales, and some will just prepare to take the older tech inventory back and take the hit on it as t hey prepare for sales to happen on the newer revealed technology.

 

[jseah]

With tablets, I think the HP Touchpad sell off showed the marketers that the market is prime to adopt tablets, but not at the iPad price point. Look at how many people are posting here how they are looking for cheap tablets for Christmas presents this year. And those people represent just a small percentage of the people out there. I know for myself, if tablets were continued to be priced at $450 and up, there would be no way that I would have purchased a tablet. iPads may still command a premium price, but that is solely because of the name recognition and the large market share that Apple commands currently in the tablet arena. If name brand Android tablets continue to be priced in the $200 to $300 price range, I guarantee that you will slowly see Apple's market dominance disappear and they'll start resorting to more patent lawsuits to try to hold on to their market share.

You mentioned 3D TV's, but that product is different in that it is totally new technology altogether. Going from a 2D TV to a 3D TV is not like going from a dual-core processor to a quad-core processor, or going from a Honda to a BMW. 3D TV prices have dropped simply because many people still see it as a gimmick so they're not willing to pay the high premium for the units. In addition to the higher price of entry for the TV itself, buyers also need to contend with buying the glasses as well. So you are talking about prices that could very well equal hundreds of dollars more than a comparable 2D TV.

 

[Pamster]

Good points jseah. Thanks for sharing your take on the tablet market, I think you're right about the pricing having to be more reasonable for more people to adopt the the idea of owning a tablet. I really appreciate you taking time to post about this. It's made for interesting discussion.

 

[kbdbloak]

It is online only

Sent from my NookColor using Android Tablet Forum

 

[WVUTampaAlum]

I dont think it is perm. It still says 'sale' price. It would be stupid for them also to drop the price so much just when the prime is about to release.

 

[JetBlackStealth6687]

Im checking it now. It says 449.99 WTF?

Could they have meant this one?

Asus - Tablet with 16GB Memory Model: TF101-X1

 

[jseah]

Im checking it now. It says 449.99 WTF?

Could they have meant this one?

Asus - Tablet with 16GB Memory Model: TF101-X1

Yep. The 32 GB model is still the regular price. It is the 16 GB that got dropped in price.

 

[tibb1]

What a great deal!! I have wanted one since I first laid eyes on one. They are beautiful. I could not afford one at the time but got a great deal for a 32G Toshiba Thrive. Thinking about selling the thrive but it is a very good tablet too.

 

[Pamster]

I think the price is back to what it was previously, I see it listed at $399 now. Bummer. Hopefully they will make more price cuts. One can hope at least.

Welcome to the board tibb1, glad you could join us, the Thrive is a sweet tablet you've got there.