Rumors are swirling that Apple *might* lower the iPad’s price shortly after launch in the same way that the iPhone’s price dropped a couple months after its launch. This would only be if consumers aren’t buying into the iPad hype and sales fall short of expectation. But does a lower iPad price make the tablet any more desirable to you? Like, let’s say, the base model is only $350 and the 3G model instead takes the $499 price point. Is that price drop enough to compensate for the lackluster specs and capabilities? Sound off in the poll and comments below.
by
Matt Burns
on
February 9, 2010
Advertisement
Comments 
Leave Comment
Commenting Options
Enter your personal information to the left, or sign in with your Facebook account by clicking the button below.
Alternatively, you can create an avatar that will appear whenever you leave a comment on a Gravatar-enabled blog.
Trackback URL
Short URL
- Actively Discussed Posts
- The Samsung Galaxy Tab Can Set Its Own Price, No Need To Directly Compete With The iPad's $500 Price
141 comments - Video Impressions Of Google TV On Logitech Revue Hardware
54 comments - Why Is There A Pony In The Apple Store?
36 comments - Not-so-Stealthy StealthArmor: COLOR Series giveaway
32 comments - A Closer Look At Apple's Latest Patents
19 comments
- There are no posts to display.
The ideal price would be $199. I would pay $349 if the wireless connection was included at no additional charge.
However, even at $199, I would think long before buying. My expectations were far higher than Apple achieved. Looking to the Notion Ink pad as the better option for my wants.
This. 200$ sounds fair for a more or less capable tablet device.
It’s more capable than the similarly priced joojoo. I think the base price is fine, but they have too many pricing tiers. Drop the 16 GB version from the lineup and drop the 32 GB and 64 GB versions down a tier. Alternatively, the 16 GB could be dropped to $449 or so, but at $500 it is already competitive against similar devices (this is not a netbook or a laptop, so a direct cost comparison between them is not entirely reasonable). The real problem is not the low end pricing, but the high end pricing.
And it’s much less capable than a cheaper netbook. It’s a closed system! That’s why it has to be either cheap or open, like any standard PC or Mac.
Most people actually don’t care how open the platform is and capabilities are only good if they aren’t a pita to use. I don’t understand how you would consider dropping the price down to the base price of an 8 GB iPod touch to be a reasonable expectation.
Well, so I’m not “most people”. An iPod touch is even more useless to me since I already have a way better mobile. But the iPad has a larger screen that might be useful. But it’s just not worth the price, but at 200$ it would be. For me.
For $299 with full Flash support, I’d probably buy one.
299 will be very generous, but I doubt that it’ll be plausible. Anyway, if it will land on 349 USD (16gig), I’ll definitely get this one, considering the features that’s infused to it. iSay, you can’t have it on a more affordable price than that!
I agree. At 349, I’d buy one of these things with its current feature-set.
At 499, I just can’t justify the purchase when I can do more on this netbook that only cost me $170.
$499 would be fine if it had a webcam and an SD card slot. Most of the other issues – such as multitasking – can be fixed with a software revision.
An 8GB Archos 7 Android tablet at $250 with an (micro)SD Card will get most of the way to this device for $200 less.
$199
I put down $400 which is an honest # and I’ll say why.
A decent netbook costs about $350. The touchscreen tech, software and etc that goes into this tablet makes it a deal at $400. My only complaint is the lack of a flash/webcam/mic/sd memory slot.
Of course it’d be great if it cost $350 but heck people pay over $100 for the Kindle.
oops. hit add too soon. meant to also come to coherent conclusion.
It’s a deal at 400, but I wouldn’t mind paying the full $500 if it included the flash/webcam/mic/sd memory slot. It’s a pipe dream I know, but keep in mind people will be using this with a data plan as well which is an additional $30. ATT or some US carrier should be all over this.
Your “only” complaint?? HMMMMMMMMMM
:)) Well if you’re gonna sell it at $500 as a net capable device, you should include some netbook standards.
Even at $550+ I might consider buying it if it had all of the above. It’s perfect for traveling or a secondary/tertiary net access device for whenever..oh say 3 inlaws visit you. sigh….
Not interested even if they lower the price because of lack of features. I definitely prefer Notion Ink’s Adam. HDMI, Tegra 2, USB, SD card, swivel 3MP, Flash support, basically most of the features iPad should have but don’t.
Make it an actual computer and not a large iPod Touch and I would pay $400 for it – as it is $100 is the upper limit for me – too big for a PMP and not functional enough to be a laptop replacement. And iTunes sucks ass no matter what you put it on.
For me, Apple has yet to put out a product worth the cost and the obnoxious vibe that surrounds it.
Aside from the other noted shortcomings, its screen is unsuited for extended reading sessions. This makes one of its primary hocked features, e-book reader, pretty much a moot point. Therefore, it’s only an overpriced, albeit fancy, netbook.
The Kindle platform has lots of flaws, but my eyes don’t get shagged reading for long periods of time.
sorry, It’s not even a netbook !!!
Take a good Netbook over it anyday
I’ve done without one for 35 years. I can wait till the specs go up and the price comes down.
No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No
Not Ever
Sorry monsieur Jobs
c’est la vie
Since it’s still tied to Apple’s control and AT&T, US$50 is the most I’d ever consider. And even then I’d rather pay more and get the Archos tablet.
I’d go for it as is at $279. I won’t want to spend 5 or 8 bills on that thing until it gets a front facing camera, HDMI, at least one USB port, some kind of WACOM type love… and MULTI TASKING!
I think the whole third party leak of the possibility of a price drop is due to apple trying to hedge its bets after the luke warm reception this piece of crap got.
There was no way no matter if this thing made my coffee in the morning for free and did the stinking laundry without being asked, that it could ever have stood up to all the hype, but this is completely ridiculous! Jobs/Apple will begin to see that the neurosis it is suffering under by trying to lock out the world and “make the world Apple” can only work so long.
£199 and Flash and we’ll talk.
$499 is just fine. Hell, it’s already $200 off what I was expecting it would cost.
I might wait until the inevitable version 2 with front-facing chat cam, though.
Glad about the ‘No Flash’ policy, though. The web needs to be open. If Adobe wants Flash to continue to be an intermediary on the web, then they can submit it to a standards body.
Flash needs to be an open standard, before that, it’s just another plugin. Hell with the processing power we have nowadays, maybe we should just bring back Java Applets.
Flash simply doesn’t have the framework available as a “application” platform.
From a hardware perspective until there is an SD slot or a USB connector, and a webcam, I won’t be buying this. From a software perspective, until there is Flash, and a better UI, I won’t be buying this. Had the iPad had those features, I would have bought two (a 64 Gb for the wife, and a 16 Gb for mom). The price isn’t so much of an issue as is the lack of features for the price. Right now, the iPad doesn’t do anything that a cheap netbook can do better, except play HD video. Honestly, if I am going to watch HD video, I’ll probably be in front of the television, or in front of my 22″ monitor.
Nope. He has too much money and power as-is.
Referencing the information revealed so far, the iPad really is an overall failure. The tablet idea is great, but the Apple take on the idea is a no-sale. They got a lot of things right, but messed up the easy stuff. The best thing about the iPad is that it will cause other manufactures to copy/clone the idea so we can expect to see some real tablets soon.
Win:
10 hour battery life
9.7” screen
Half inch thick
Multi-touch
Bluetooth
Wi-Fi
Accelerometer
Fail:
$130 for 3G radio
Border around screen too large
4:3 aspect ratio
No multi-tasking
No Flash support
Glossy screen instead of matte finish
Epic Fail:
No SDHC card reader built into device
No USB port built into device
Locked hardware – apps from their app store only
Tied to iTunes
Proprietary sync cable instead of mini USB
I won’t buy one at any price unless they add flash. I’d like to play online flash games and screw the app store.
$499 seems reasonable to me.
I don’t need a netbook/laptop while sitting on the couch reading a book or surfing the web. I like the iPad form factor and the touch screen.
The one thing I wish it had was the front facing web cam. That is probably what will keep me from buying one day one…
I don’t care how much they cost. I plan on buying several for my family and relatives. It’s a great device that will do everything they need and more, considering the 140,000 Apps.
I won`t buy one at any price. Make it an actual computer and not a large iPod Touch!!!
I would definitely buy the base model for $350. That’s only slightly above the base price of an iTouch which I use all the time. I hope Apple does sell it for the price. I’m in if they do.
I’m going out on a limb by saying that I believe Apple will sell out of these at the announced price. And, though they said that they’d look at lowering the price if necessary, it simply won’t be.
This is not fanboy talk, even if you want to believe it is. It’s based on what I’ve read from the people who have actually tried the iPad. Everyone here is disappointed by their expectations, not by the actual product.
Anyway, that’s my take. And, with the recent drop in stock price, I’ve doubled up my AAPL holdings. I have never earned as much as I’ve made on Apple stock, and I am convinced this will be a banner year. Not least because of the iPad.
As it is now, $349.
However, it is hard to believe they won’t be adding features soon. So, I am more inclined to think they will keep the price at 499 and will add a webcam, a SD slot, multitasking and perhaps Flash support.
The additional cost for this is close to nothing for them, and it could be just enough for most of us to jump on the iPad bandwagon.
Apple will NEVER add SD support to anything they sell. They make hideous money of charging you and I for more memory. It is built into their profit model. Seriously think about it…$100 USD for 16G of memory? then that same $100 somehow gets you 32G more the next model up? I guess those first 16G are the priciest.
The price isn’t the issue for me. With the current specs it simply doesn’t suit my needs/desires. I guess I was hoping for a slate version of a Macbook with a touch friendly interface.
My money will likely go toward a Viliv X70, an Archos 9, or my current infatuation the Notion Ink Atom. That is unless HP pulls out something special.
I would love an iPad. 350 would make it a no-brainer. At 500 it’s tempting, but harder to actually make up my mind. Yes it’s a bigger iPod–an evolution, not a revolution. But a bigger iPod touch is something I want….
Tech junkies and enthusiasts in the Chicago area: help us invent the next generation of consumer applications. We are looking for early adopters, modders and tinkerers to leading the way to the trends of the future. If your use of mobile technology and digital entertainment is out in front of the curve, we would like to talk to you. The details: you will participate in a market research study involving an in-home interview, a video diary of your technology habits, and follow up commentary on your diary. You will be paid $300 upon completion of your participation.
Install the missing SD card reader and USB port, unlock the hardware so any app can be installed, and ditch the proprietary connect and replace it with mini USB and I will pay $500 for it.
Just in case you want it for free: Here in Germany, some smart guys started to put a contest on Facebook to get fans for their page: the goal is to invite 10+ friends or subscribe to an application or the like. Those who comply with these tasks are considered in the lottery to win an iPad… crazy strategy to get fans on Facebook, but it works! At the iPad is for free – at least for 10 guys!
I’m going to get a wifi only model – probably the middle of the road 32GB model – because I already have a 32GB 3GS iPhone (My second, as I bought the original 8GB iPhone for the original $499 (Ahem, same as the entry level iPad)) and I don’t need another 3G device or subscription.
If things work out and VoIP apps appear for the iPad, I’ll ditch the iPhone entirely and just use whatever 2nd generation iPad comes along that I like. I’ve only ever bought one app for the iPhone, and the small screen made it such a PITA I only messed with it twice. If I can get VoIP with my Etymotic headset on the iPad, that’s all I’ll need.
I might even try a second app. lol.
I think the price of the Ipad is to hight so I won’t buy it right now, maybe later if the price dropes.