14 DAY TRIAL // Yesterday we told you Intel introduced a new class of efficient chips, called Braswell, which are going to be implemented in cheap laptop offerings, namely Chromebooks (and more).
At the same time we heard Intel talk about $99 / €72 tablets and, while it was assumed the company was talking about Android slates, further information reveals Intel actually plans to lower the prices of Windows 8-based tablets to that margin.
Decently priced Windows 8.1 tablets aren't a novelty, with Dell, Lenovo, Toshiba or ASUS all selling 8-inch models with price tags between $229 / €167 and $299 / €218 through the Microsoft Store (and not only). But Intel believes this is not good enough and plans to push things further downwards.
At the same Intel Developer Forum in China, Intel VP Hermann Eul talked about the new wave of Windows 8 tablets which are expected to sell from $99 / €72 to $129 / €94. That means customers world-wide will soon be able to pick up tablets from brand vendors selling for the same prices as Chinese white-box vendors offer them.
The tablets will most likely embed Intel’s newly announced low-power, low-cost Bay Trail processor, we have been telling you yesterday. This price drop could also come about by virtue of Microsoft’s latest decision to offer Windows free of charge to device makers building tablets adopting the 9-inch (or less) form factor.
Windows-based tablets have been struggling to keep up with their Android and iOS counterparts, but with the help of both Microsoft and Intel, these slates could receive a firm push into the spotlight. On top of that, Microsoft is trying to make it easier for developers to create apps compatible with a range of devices, including tablets, laptops and desktops.
Intel is not giving up on premium products either and is promising some new and improved features like the Realsense 3D sensor for some of its future high-end Windows tablets. Intel has been showing a slide advertising “the first multi-camera depth-enabled tablet.”
Intel seems to have become quite cozy in China and so far has managed to attract a whole host of local partners including Ramos, Teclast and Onda, all of which has recently released Windows and Android slates bundling the Bay Trail chip architecture.
As for very cheap Windows 8 tablets, it remains to be seen if the appeal of Microsoft Office or the ability to run desktop apps will prompt customers to abandon the Android platform.