14 DAY TRIAL // Ultrabooks aren't the only consumer devices that need to get their act together and actually become affordable. Tablets, too, are trying to get cheaper.
Right now, the cheapest 7-inch tablet that also enjoys a measure of success is Amazon's Kindle Fire, with a price of $199 / €199.
It is now theorized that 7-inch slates could actually go a step further and sell for under $150 / €150.
All they need is for components, especially the displays and touch panels (which account for 30-40% of the whole price), to actually become cheaper.
The first order of business would be for 7-inch FFS panels to be replaced by TN LCDs, maybe with wide-view angle compensation, cutting panel cost by half.
Costs can also be reduced by replacing 1 GB mobile DRAM with 1 GB commodity DRAM.
Also, cheaper NAND Flash chips would help. Rather than MLC or SLC< enterprise MLC would be best.
2013 is when sub-$150 / €150 tablets should make an appearance.