Article on ultrabook pricing

[vasa1]

http://www.zdnet.com/even-at-699-ultrabooks-are-still-overpriced-7000001141/


Apple seems to operate in a market separate to that of the PC, but it seems that even the big PC players have still to grasp this fully.

So, let's ... consider Ultrabooks as part of the wider PC ecosystem instead. How does that $699 price tag feel now?

Pretty high, that's how.

The problem with the PC industry is that price continues to be the main differentiator between different products. ... eventually ... the only way to squeeze sales out of the new device is to start slashing prices. ... competition eventually degrades into a race to the bottom.

[Mikeb85]

It's rediculous. The problem with PC makers is that they are merely commodity manufacturers for a sub-par OS (Windows). That's why every manufacturer except Lenovo is losing market share and sales...

And the problem with Ultrabooks is that thin and light is too much of a compromise. 1 inch is thin enough, people want nice displays and comfortable, good performing computers. Not a flimsy piece of aluminum with a 768p screen, terrible keyboard and base that overheats when you watch a YouTube video...

PC makers need to break out of the Microsoft cabal, and design their own custom OSes (hopefully based on Linux), or support Ubuntu, anything to improve the bad user experience that is Windows...

[Erik1984]

If people want a MacBook Air, there's only one maker to choose from, Apple, and each model has a set price. It's simple. With Ultrabooks, consumers know that they can shop around and find competitive prices. While this is good for the consumer, it's bad for the platform for a number of reasons.

The horror!

[tjeremiah]

They cost too much to the point now that im thinking of just getting a plain old, high spec low priced 5 pound laptop to carry around.

[Lucradia]

They cost too much to the point now that im thinking of just getting a plain old, high spec low priced 5 pound laptop to carry around.

You mean those high-specced laptops from ASUS ROG that are the only high-specced laptops for a good price in comparison to gaming laptops? Yeah, sure, go ahead and pay 1300 USD, which is more than that 699 USD above.

I'd never buy a laptop that has less than 2.3 GHz in speed.

[drawkcab]

And the problem with Ultrabooks is that thin and light is too much of a compromise. 1 inch is thin enough, people want nice displays and comfortable, good performing computers. Not a flimsy piece of aluminum with a 768p screen, terrible keyboard and base that overheats when you watch a YouTube video...

Agree.

[whatthefunk]

PC makers need to break out of the Microsoft cabal, and design their own custom OSes (hopefully based on Linux), or support Ubuntu, anything to improve the bad user experience that is Windows...

Think of the cost for doing this though. First, they would have to design the OS in the first place. They would probably have to be independent of most current Linux projects (Gnome, Canonical, etc) because they have proved to be inconsistent in the past and your average computer user does not like sudden, drastic change at all. So theyd basically have to do everything outside of the kernel. This would take years and cost millions.

Then, they would have to create a support network for the OS. This would include extensive documentation and a call center in a foreign country where the workers have such thick accents that customers cant understand anything. They would have to maintain a staff of techies to release updates and further development of the OS.

Then, they would have to do something about basic programs. Of course there is Open Office and Libre Office but for more advanced formatting, nothing really compares to MS Office. Plus, compatibility with .doc is always an issue. For other basic programs, they might have to create their own because Linux programs tend to come and go and again, the masses like consistency. Plus, youd have to explain to nearly everyone that they cant play their favorite game or use their work software because its made for Windows.

So, although I would love to see Linux PCs in the shops, its unlikely to happen anytime soon. No PC maker is at this point willing to dump millions into a project that has a pretty good chance of failing.

[Copper Bezel]

Which is why Android worked - a new form factor with no existing expectations for features and compatibility that could do its own thing, and that simultaneously wasn't dependent on any enduser software from a volatile open-source project.

I hate to say it, but I really am waiting for a cheaper ultrabook myself. I mean, I really do hate that, because I'd really rather not see that "race to the bottom" destroy ultrabooks the way it's uglified ordinary notebooks.


And the problem with Ultrabooks is that thin and light is too much of a compromise. 1 inch is thin enough, people want nice displays and comfortable, good performing computers. Not a flimsy piece of aluminum with a 768p screen, terrible keyboard and base that overheats when you watch a YouTube video...

There's nothing wrong with the keyboards, the displays are actually supposed to be better, on average, than the average notebook, and cheap laptops that aren't ultrabooks overheat watching YouTube, too. Some certainly do feel flimsy, but there are exceptions, like the Dell XPS 13 and the HP Folio, that feel rock-solid in a way that ordinary plastic computers don't (largely due to their being made mostly of carbon fiber, not aluminum.)

[user1397]

What I want to know is what are people supposed to do about creating backup Windows discs if you have an ultrabook without an optical disc drive? As far as I know, there is no way to backup your Windows image to a USB flash drive...maybe they will let people do that on Windows 8?

[KiwiNZ]

One of the items keeping their price up is the SSD's, having said that the price is the price, one should buy what one can afford there is no compulsory purchase.

[Mikeb85]

Think of the cost for doing this though. First, they would have to design the OS in the first place. They would probably have to be independent of most current Linux projects (Gnome, Canonical, etc) because they have proved to be inconsistent in the past and your average computer user does not like sudden, drastic change at all. So theyd basically have to do everything outside of the kernel. This would take years and cost millions.


Better than going out of business.... Which is the direction most PC makers are going.

[Copper Bezel]

One of the items keeping their price up is the SSD's, having said that the price is the price, one should buy what one can afford there is no compulsory purchase.
No one's whining that it's unfair - certainly not the original article. It's just a question of whether or not this class will actually survive.

[KiwiNZ]

it will survive in the medium, but nothing is forever. The lifespan of any device is finite and as long as it takes for the arrival of the next big thing.

[Copper Bezel]

I also don't think anyone means it as a philosophical question.

[whatthefunk]

Better than going out of business.... Which is the direction most PC makers are going.

Yeah, but my point was that a PC maker creating its own Linux based OS would do nothing but accelerate their demise. Dumping millions of dollars and a few years of labor into a project that has a 99% chance of imploding is not a wise business decision.

[Mikeb85]

Yeah, but my point was that a PC maker creating its own Linux based OS would do nothing but accelerate their demise. Dumping millions of dollars and a few years of labor into a project that has a 99% chance of imploding is not a wise business decision.

Android is Linux based, it's quite successful despite starting with no ecosystem.

Apple created OSX from BSD, having to reset their entire ecosystem, a move which has paid off.

No reason a forward thinking PC manufacturer couldn't do the same, especially when revenues are measured in the tens of billions...

If you think PC manufacturers are hurting now, wait until Google and their partners start pushing ARM-based laptops running Android... The ARM servers are already on their way.

Anyhow, as long as Apple maintains their massive supply chain lead and superior OSX (compared to Windows) experience, PC manufacturers are going to have to dump hardware for minimal profit...

[whatthefunk]

Android is Linux based, it's quite successful despite starting with no ecosystem.

Apple created OSX from BSD, having to reset their entire ecosystem, a move which has paid off.

No reason a forward thinking PC manufacturer couldn't do the same, especially when revenues are measured in the tens of billions...

This is true. Things to consider though.

Android is at this time only viable in the smart phone/tablet market, a market which didnt exist even just a couple years ago. Android exploited Micrsofts failure to develop this market and now the standard for these two platforms (tablet and phone) is Apple and Android. Microsoft barely even registers. Therefore, there are really no compatibility issues that they face. Nobody really has to worry about whether or not an app will run on their Android phone because it is the standard.

On PCs however, Windows is standard. Any PC vendor that makes a Linux based pc will have to somehow convince customers that all the programs that they are used to using can be replaced by Linux ones. Not easy....

Second, development of Android started in 2003 or 2004, went to beta in 2007, and wasnt released until 2009. and dint really get popular until 2010. Thats about 7 years of development before a truly usable OS was created. They were lucky and Google was smart to realize that smart phones would need a more sophisticated OS than what Windows was offering at the time. They foresaw a need and catered to it. For most computer users, there is not a need to have a different OS on their computer so there is little to do about convincing them to switch over to something else. Although many people on these boards feel that Microsoft is failing them, there are millions of others out there who dont care and just want their computer to run well.

[rg4w]

It's rediculous. The problem with PC makers is that they are merely commodity manufacturers for a sub-par OS (Windows).
Ubuntu is one way to change that.

[aysiu]

Android is at this time only viable in the smart phone/tablet market, a market which didnt exist even just a couple years ago. Android exploited Micrsofts failure to develop this market and now the standard for these two platforms (tablet and phone) is Apple and Android. Microsoft barely even registers. Therefore, there are really no compatibility issues that they face. Nobody really has to worry about whether or not an app will run on their Android phone because it is the standard. That wasn't always the case. Even just a couple of years ago, the Netflix app didn't run on every Android phone. Instagram hit Android only this year. Android is definitely (along with iOS) the smartphone/tablet standard, but its establishment was a bit rocky in the 2008-2009 area, and even 2010 was still in its infancy.

You used to see a lot more articles about how many more apps were in the App Store than in the Android Market (now called Google Play). Not so much now.