Steve Ballmer on Surface Pricing & Windows 8

by Hilbert Hagedoorn on: 09/17/2012 05:53 AM | source: | 2 comment(s)

Steve Ballmer has been talking about 2012 as “the most epic year in Microsoft history,” most probably because the software giant isn’t just a software giant any more, its on the way to become a hardware giant as well or a “devices-and-services” company as their CEO would put it. Apart from their entrance in the hardware market, Microsoft is also launching Windows 8 which is expected to be great.

The Seattle Times got a chance to sit with Microsoft’s CEO, Steve Ballmer, and talk about this “most epic year”. He compares the Windows 8 with the launch of Windows 95 and says that “Windows 95 was certainly the biggest thing in the last 20 years until now”. He is expecting a sale of around 400 million Windows based PC in the next year.

Talking about Surface, Steve said, “I think we have a very competitive product from the features perspective”. Talking about the tablet market from a pricing point of view, He thinks that from “$300 to about $700 or $800″ is the sweet spot and when cheaper tablets are made, they do less, they look less good and they are chintzier.

His comments about tablets make us think that Microsoft is looking to offer the very best tablet at each price point and obviously the ‘very best’ tablet will come with a higher price. This falsifies the rumors of Surface RT being $199.

Tagged as: Ballmer, Pricing, Surface, Windows

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DLD
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Posts: 842
Joined: 2002-09-14

#4411209 Posted on: 09/17/2012 08:15 AM

I agree completely: this "estimation" of a "sweet spot"

(going up to as high as 800 dollars!) certainly falsifies those rumors (most certainly launched from m$ itself). Come on, people: even for a rich market such is USA's, it just cannot be a ''sweet spot'' (but rather a hot spot, red hot).
Market is full of nice functioning tablets sold at under 300$.

Very cynical statement of Mr. Ballmer - it just goes to show how detached from reality people can get when they don't have to worry about paying the rent, telephone bill etc. Do we have to remind dear Steve that we (but who are "we"?) live in the era of a hardship, downward going economy...?
But, than again, isn't it just like m$oft?

Poor hardware - now it belongs with the endangered species...

Exodite
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Posts: 1917
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#4411296 Posted on: 09/17/2012 11:50 AM

When it comes to tablets I actually believe Amazon, and to a lesser extent Google with the Nexus 7, has the right idea.

It's essentially the fourth device for a lot of people, and a telephony-less smartphone in an inconvenient form factor for others. It can't cost more than 100-200 USD if it's expected to sell in numbers.

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