Asus plans a $200 Eee PC in 2009
We’ve heard this before in the market, but I suspect this time a $200 netbook will become a reality. Watch for it in 2009 says Asus president, Jerry Shen by way of DigiTimes. I’d expect a netbook costing two bills will be a fairly bare-bones unit with minimal SSD storage and run some variance of Linux but for many this will be a great deal. Then again, the pricing between some Linux netbooks and those with an XP license is a scant $20 so I could be wrong on the OS.
One thing’s for sure: as netbook continue to drop below the $299 price barrier, they become more of an impulse or off-the-shelf while shopping for something else purchase. Even more interesting to watch: how will subsidized netbooks affect the "$200 netbook" market. A free netbook that’s more capable than a low-end unit might be worth the monthly wireless broadband cost and commitment to many.
It might make me hold off from jumping into the fray. I was tempted to see what shakes out of Black Friday, but I can just as well wait until the new year.
If they’re going to hit 200, who cares about subsidies.
At that point, you’d be nuts to lock yourself into a contract.
If they release a $200 netbook then Celio will/should feel the pressure to keep selling the Redfly at $199. Just my opinion.
I don’t think Celio has a chance anyway.
I’d guess we’ll be talking about the Redfly in the past tense before too long.
Did I see the words FREE NETBOOK??? Let’s work that out.
At $399 the mini 1000 would break down to about $16.62 per month over 24 months.
On the other hand, you could also pay full price for that netbook and get a $15 plan discount off the $60/month for 2 years. Your savings are about the same.
The first option doesn’t get me anything, since I am paying full price every month, I’m locked in for 2 years, and after that time the netbook would have minimal value and already be replaced by newer/better models. That free netbook is now worth nothing, and I’ve been paying full price all the time.
The second option would work better if I choose to keep the service past 2 years and extend my savings, assuming that the discount is retained. However, if the discount is only for a 2 year term, and I am reverted back to paying full monthly prices after 2 years, then it’s not much of an incentive, since I must now pay more per month and be stuck with an old netbook (all the while newer customers get the discount with newer netbooks).
Capitalism is wonderful isn’t it?
Mmmmh. Okay?
The original 7″ Asus EEE currently sells for $249 at target … a $50 price drop in the next 3 months would not be surprising.
This is not exactly big news …