Update: I’ve just come off the phone with The Tablet Store. We’re both a bit confused about this new price and are coming fast to the conclusion that Samsung either really don’t know whats going on or are testing for reactions. If its reactions they want, lets tell them what the price should be! I’ll be setting up a poll in the forums about this. You can make your vote (see top-right on the portal homepage!) and we’ll make sure Samsung see the results.
update 2: New Samsung pricing info here. Now at 1200 Euro!
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I was seconds away from ordering one. The shopping basket is still open on my screen here with a price showing 1500 Euro. I was just waiting for confirmation on what my options would be if the price changes. and then I got an email with a corrected guide price.
1800 Euros!
Because of my enquiries, the Tablet Store have doubled checked with Samsung on the guide price (I have to give them credit. They have been doing a lot for me this morning!) and have now adjusted it on the TabletStore website. I’m now out of the market for a Q1 Ultra and I have something to say to Samsung. Before I do though there’s even more bad news. The Samsung Q1 Ultra is now planned to be launched in the middle of 2007. Q3 I’m told.
Samsung. Why did you stand in front of me and hundreds of other journalists at your product launch and talk about a price that will be comparable to the existing Q1 when you didn’t really know what the price will be. It appears to me to be a very weak marketing trick that was used to generate good press, initial customer excitement and competitor worry. You must know that the long term results of being ‘tricky’ aren’t favorable and because of your silly over-enthusiasm, hundreds of your customers and hundreds of my customers now have to start from the beginning again in their quest for the right UMPC. I dare say that the Samsung Q1 Ultra won’t be in many shortlists because of your over enthusiasm.
The Q1 Ultra is a lovely product and I guess it will sell (or promote sales of the base Q1!) but even as a person who’s business it is to use UMPCs, I can’t justify that price. Its definitely off my personal shortlist and I’ll be looking more closely at the Amtek T770 which, at just over half the price, is now looking like bargain of the year.
This is bad news for consumer UMPCs. It makes me wonder what sort of price range the other new McCaslin based UMPCs are going to come in at and whether Samsung intend to move any of the other Q1 prices down.
