$2500 base price is outrageous for the XT Tablet

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$2500 base price is outrageous for the XT Tablet

590 points posted to Latitude products by jervis961 12/11/07

I can't believe Dell would shoot itself in the foot like this. After people waiting so long on Dell's tablet only to get a watered down spec list and huge price tag.

http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/11/dell-latitude-xt-tablet-is-official-sexy/

"12.1-inch WXGA (1280 x 800) in CCFL ("outdoor display," up to 400cd/m2) and LED backlight options

Capacitive touchscreen(!!) with palm detection (this, if anything, could enable that supposed multi-touch), and active digitizer.

Intel Core 2 Solo or Duo ULV at 1.06 and 1.2GHz, respectively
ATI Radeon X1250 UMA Graphics
Up to 3GB memory, runs Vista Ultimate or Business
40GB or 80GB 4200 RPM drive, 120GB 5400 RPM drive, or 32GB or 64GB SSD
HSDPA or EVDO rev A., 802.11a/b/g/n options, Bluetooth 2.0, and gigabit Ethernet connectivity
ExpressCard54 and SD slots, 1394, VGA, (3) USB 2.0
Scroll wheel, biometric reader, TPM 1.2, super low profile power adapter
Up to 5 hours battery life with standard 43WH pack, up to 9 hours with extended 45WH pack; Energy Star 4.0 compliant
3.57 pounds (presumably without battery), 1-inch thick"

At least offer a version without the multi-touch to lessen the cost a bit. I am still in shock that this comes with only 1 speaker.

I'm still waiting for a 13.3" tablet with usable specs like the following...

http://www.ideastorm.com/article/show/66820/Put_some_attitude_into_the_Latitude

aikiwolfie 12/11/07	Merged Idea originally posted 12/11/07 Drop the price of the Latitude XT Tablet PC A note to Dell. It's almost Christmas. A time for charity, kindness and all that stuff. Carol singing should be banned. But for the love of Dell customers please drop the stupidly high price of the Latitude XT Tablet PC. It's far too high. Especially at this time of year!
ct26torr 12/11/07	Merged Comment originally posted 12/11/07 haha they are smoking something if they ever think they will sell a tablet at that price. the person came up with this price should just be fired now. for that price you can get a much higher end tablet from a more reputable company then Dell who will most likely be gone in a few years anyways.
aikiwolfie 12/11/07	Merged Comment originally posted 12/11/07 Oh and it's not available in the UK yet. I've waited 6 months for this thing to come to market. It's over priced. Doesn't have Ubuntu support. And not available out side the USA. How much more disappointing can it get?
winoffice 12/12/07	Merged Idea originally posted 12/11/07 Stop Overcharging on the Tablet PC Look at this Direct2Dell page http://direct2dell.com/one2one/archive/2007/12/10/37905.aspx - the Latitude tablet PC (a 12.1" system) starts at $2,499!? Is that not a little too expensive? Look at this page for a Toshiba tablet PC http://www.toshibadirect.com/td/b2c/pdet.to?seg=HHO&poid=365198&coid=-30603 - also a 12.1" one. And I can get that PC with lots of extras like Microsoft OneNote (costs $99) for $1,349! The Toshiba PC has a better processor and hard drive too (with the base configuration). And the choices for the OS (Windows Vista Ultimate and Business) are the same with both. So please Dell, please have some more decent pricing. Postscript (PS): Operating systems that I would like to see offered on the Latitude tablet PC: Windows Vista Business 32-bit Windows Vista Business 64-bit Windows Vista Ultimate 32-bit Windows Vista Ultimate 64-bit Windows XP Tablet PC Edition Ubuntu Linux version 7.10 Please offer all six of the above operating systems as options on your Tablet PC. And also please consider selling this system at Staples.
winoffice 12/12/07	Merged Comment originally posted 12/11/07 The configuration for the Toshiba PC is in many respects similar to the Dell one except for the features mentioned above and maybe a few more. But the Toshiba PC costs much less. So please Dell, do not overcharge on the Tablet PC like this. And make sure that all of the above six OS options are offered on it.
jervis961 12/12/07	Merged Comment originally posted 12/12/07 How about a Lenovo tablet w/4 year warranty and better specs for almost $1000 less than Dell? Processor[1] Intel® Core™ 2 Duo L7500 LV (1.6GHz, 4MB L2, 800MHz FSB) Operating system[12] Genuine Windows Vista Business Operating system language Genuine Windows Vista Business US English Display 12.1" MultiView + MultiTouch WVA XGA TFT, 2x3 UltraConnect II antenna Total memory[8] 2 GB PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz SODIMM Memory (2 DIMM) Keyboard Keyboard US English Hard Drive[4] 100GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm Intel®Turbo Memory hard drive cache Intel Turbo Memory 1GB Wireless cards[10] Intel Wireless Wi-Fi Link 4965AGN (supporting Centrino Pro) Battery[60] ThinkPad X60 Tablet 8 Cell Li-Ion Battery Power cord Country Pack North America Language Pack Language Pack US English 41C9172 4 year depot 9x5 Next Business Day $171.75 $171.75 Savings: -$ 1,030.45 Subtotal: $ 1,631.55 [USPSAVEDEC] -$ 364.95 Estimated total: $ 1,631.55*
phubert 12/12/07	Merged Comment originally posted 12/12/07 Since this is from you, WO, I voted for it... knowing nothing OF it...
sazar 12/13/07	@ jervis, compare the Lenovo touch capabilities with the Latitude capabilities and you'll know exactly why there is a difference in the price. I tried 7 different portable tablets along with the Dell version at a display and there is simply no comparison. Nothing I experienced comes even close to the capabilities of the Dell tablet. It is intuitive and the touch works. Capacitive touch is more expensive than resistive touch technology. If you prefer older, crappier technology, fair enough :) As more people implement capacitive touch, you will see prices of components drop and the tablet's price will also drop as a result. Other touch tablets don't have the sub-pixel capabilities of the the Dell tablet. A lot of times, you touch-click on something and it activates something else. Not so with the Dell Tablet. Again, I can't emphasize enough how impressive this product is. You won't really know either till you have had a chance to get it in your hands and try it out. The display is a work of art and the touch capabilities are just a pleasure.
jervis961 12/13/07	That is a problem then since most people will never know it is better. Looking at the video on direct2dell I cringed watching the Vista flip demo. I can quickly flip through windows with my touch pad but in the video he had to do a motion just to flip to the next screen. Dell needs to better explain the system as I almost fell asleep and was really turned off by the video combined with the price.
sazar 12/18/07	I agree, the video's do NOT do this product justice at all. This tablet is so much better than the ads are making it out to be :( Better marketing team needed I think.
aikiwolfie 12/18/07	I can't believe they aren't dropping the price. I won't be buying Dells tablet notebook. The spec is too low and capacitive touch just doesn't justify the price for me. Under powered systems are the very reason tablets have taken so long to catch on. Why aren't Dell learning the lessons of the market? Or are they just belligerently ignoring them?
sazar 12/19/07	@ aiki, you are never going to find anything but ULV processors in anything this small. It is the price you pay for the portability and you'd be surprised at the number of ULV processors sold (implying the market is larger than you give it credit for). Dell has done a LOT of research on this product. I think as more XT's are manufactured and available, you will see the price dropping. $1999 is the sweet-spot that I would like for it to be at personally :D
aikiwolfie 12/19/07	ULV processors? That's not the reason Dell are giving for the price. Besides comparable systems from Lenovo and HP are better speced. So far as Dell are concerned their capacitive touch technology is what the premium is for and it's worth the money. So far as I'm concerned capacitive touch isn't worth paying a premium for until there's application support. And even then I'd expect the system to have 2GB or RAM as standard if it's to run Vista. Upgrading the systems spec on the UK site just sends the price even further through the roof. The Latitude XT is not a high end XPS notebook and it won't perform like one. Vistas responsiveness in the video they posted on Direct2Dell looked so incredibly painfully slow. I'm not paying a premium for a system that runs like a lame dog. Where's the point in having expensive super responsive touch technology if the rest of the system can't keep up? The UK website also advertises the system with Vista Ultimate. Can't for the life of me figure out how to configure it with Vista Ultimate though. It doesn't appear as an OS option in the configuration screen. I've never ordered through the Small Business channel before and I'm glad of it. It just looked like a total minefield to navigate. A lot of students like to use tablets. Why are they forced to go through the Small Business channel to get them? Speaking of OSs. Ubuntu isn't an option either. So not only are Dell asking me to pay a premium for a notebook with a technology that isn't utilised by any application but they also want me to accept my last choice OS as well. When this product was first announced on Direct2Dell people posted again and again asking for Linux support. But Dell once again ignored it's public. Now before anybody pipes up to say "Oh but capacitive touch doesn't work in Linux", well it doesn't work in Windows either without a driver. All Dell had to do was write the driver software. This is a new product for Dell. It was a prime opportunity to really show their commitment to Linux and offer support on the ground floor. But they chose not to. I'm done with this product.
sazar 12/27/07	@ aiki, I'll say it again. If you use comparable products side by side from alternate companies, you will notice that the price, which is admittedly high, is not that much higher than comparable products on the market and especially not considering what you get with this tablet as opposed to others. I used a bunch during a few sessions (I found time to go to 4 different demonstrations, 2 of which had competitive products) and not a sinlge one of the other tablets had even 20% of the usability of the Vista enabled, touch tablet features of the XT. Nor did they have the ease of use the XT offered. If there is linux support for the capacitive touch technology, sure, let's slap linux on here but without the touch features, this tablet feels crippled. Every single person who used this system and tried out the touch features said they were going to have to buy one simply because of how amazing it is and how much productivity and usability it has. You are perfectly happy blaming Microsoft and Dell for everything and pushing Linux for everything but come on, where is the linux support for the capacitive touch technology? There is nothing on the market currently that approaches Vista's capabilities in this arena but, yet again you are perfectly happy to trash something without having used it or having any experience with it. The products I used had either 1.5 or 2 GB of memory and were all zipping along perfectly fine. Btw, I pointed out the ULV processors simply to suggest that you are typically going to find ULV processors in products of this size. "The price you pay for portability" is a figure of speech, don't be so literal all the time m8.
jervis961 12/27/07	Not to but in on this one sazar but just wanted to add a few counter points. I'm going to stick the the offered product's comparison to the competition and stay away from the Linux debate. :) While the XT may blow away the competition in terms of usability, most people will never get to try one in person to find that out. The nearest Dell kiosk to me is over an hour away and I haven't seen an announcement of them being sold elsewhere. Even the advertising Dell does may be brushed off by a customer as media hype. In the power category, ULV was chosen by Dell for longer battery life but is not mandatory because of the size. The XPS M1210 had regular Intel dual core processors, Lenovo use LV processors with faster speeds than Dell and HP offers regular AMD dual core processors. Take away the touch advantage (because most customers will not know the difference) and all people will see is an underpowered, overpriced product from Dell with questionable reliability(its their first one after all).
pattyboy 12/31/07	They have to get to sub-$1500 to sell this in any real numbers outside of Business Channels. Lenovo runs $1500-2000, but they are still seen as pricey. In the world of the $500 laptop, a $1500 tablet is where Dell will have to get to to make it feasible for college students (A potential market of 20 million in US alone for whom a tablet makes the most sense.). With only $100-150 expenditure on a spare battery, $899 Gateways end up with the same usable battery life and MORE usable processor, hard drive, and WHOA, an optical drive. People make way too much about the difference between a 5lb and a 3lb tablet. It doesn't make up for the lack of features and huge price difference. After all, We're not seeing how far we can throw the thing. A PDF version of just one of my textbooks that allows me to leave it home and take the tablet instead makes up for a 5 lb tablet and a 1 lb battery. The rub is, neither I, nor will the 20 million other College students, have a $2500 tablet in my backpack, but I will have a $1k or 1.5k tablet. If I'm going to pay $2500 for a tablet, I better be able to play Call of Duty 4 on it for 3 hours+ at acceptable frame rates. Unfortunately, that isn't what the market needs, nor is what Dell released.
winoffice Apr 17	Merged Idea originally posted 12/15/07 Stop Overcharging on the Tablet PC Look at this Direct2Dell page http://direct2dell.com/one2one/archive/2007/12/10/37905.aspx - the Latitude tablet PC (a 12.1" system) starts at $2,499!? Is that not a little too expensive? Look at this page for a Toshiba tablet PC http://www.toshibadirect.com/td/b2c/pdet.to?seg=HHO&poid=365198&coid=-30603 - also a 12.1" one. And I can get that PC with lots of extras like Microsoft OneNote (costs $99) for $1,349! The Toshiba PC has a better processor and hard drive too (with the base configuration). And the choices for the OS (Windows Vista Ultimate and Business) are the same with both. So please Dell, have some more decent pricing. Postscript (PS): Operating systems that I would like to see offered on the Latitude tablet PC: Windows Vista Business 32-bit Windows Vista Business 64-bit Windows Vista Ultimate 32-bit Windows Vista Ultimate 64-bit Windows XP Tablet PC Edition Ubuntu Linux version 7.10 Please offer all six of the above operating systems as options on your Tablet PC. And also please consider selling this system at Staples. (And a note to dell_admin1: you merged this idea the last time I posted it into this one http://www.ideastorm.com/article/show/75527/2500_base_price_is_outrageous_for..., but this idea is not a duplicate of that one because of the "PS" section.) Also in that idea aikiwolfie in a comment said "Oh and it's not available in the UK yet. ...And not available outside the USA." Please offer this system with all six OS options mentioned above worldwide.
aikiwolfie Apr 17	Merged Comment originally posted 12/15/07 The XPS One isn't available world wide yet either. Why does it take Dell so long to do anything? Do large companies really need to take this long to get their act together?
sugarbear Apr 17	Merged Comment originally posted 12/15/07 Yes.
aikiwolfie Apr 17	Merged Comment originally posted 12/15/07 They seem to have errm stopped selling it all together. This thread just became obsolete.
winoffice Apr 17	Merged Comment originally posted 12/15/07 I think that Dell did not even begin to sell it.
sugarbear Apr 17	Merged Comment originally posted 12/15/07 Dell might have decided to introduce it at CES in January, instead of now.
aikiwolfie Apr 17	Merged Comment originally posted 12/16/07 No it was up on their American site. In the small business section. They were taking orders. And now its gone! GONE! And if you read Direct2Dell they said they would be taking orders before the end of the year. Cutting it a bit fine don't you think?
mugunth Apr 17	Merged Comment originally posted 12/16/07 dell is an american chauvinist. All their flagship products will be sold in US and then after a long time, when the product becomes very old.., they sell it outside like UK, Australia etc., See apple..! Whenever they release a product, they release it worldwide. (Except the iPhone owing to reasons like carrier tie ups etc.,) The same with HP, Compaq or any other OEMs...I don't understand why there aren't Ubuntu based systems outside US, XPS One outside US, and many others...like that...
aikiwolfie Apr 17	Merged Comment originally posted 12/16/07 The UK has Ubuntu based systems. Our PCs are shipped from Limerick in Ireland. But bizarrely as far as I know the Irish don't get Ubuntu based systems? We don't have the option of the XPS One or the Latitude XT but the XPS 420 was pushed onto the UK ordering site fairly quickly. Over here it's billed as high performance gaming rig? Why the difference? Don't people in the UK makes music and movies and do all the multimedia stuff the 420 was designed for?
pattyboy Apr 17	Merged Comment originally posted 12/19/07 They still may be waiting for the Vista Service pack 1 Release. (like everyone else with that useless bloatware on their computer) Or, they are rethinking their pricing strategy, and trying to modify the supply chain to allow for a cheaper MSRP. I personally don't think they can get it low enough for me to justify it, not when I can get a Lenovo X61 Refurb fairly loaded for $1200 right off the lenovo site.
winoffice Apr 17	Merged Comment originally posted 12/31/07 aikiwolfie: "And now its gone! GONE!" Looks like it is not as gone as you think if you look here.
ajmukon Apr 17	Merged Comment originally posted Jan 2 hey- there is a reason why the Tablet PC is 3,000. it has a solid state drive (similar to Flash drives- and about 3 times more expensive than a traditional HD). anf it has a better screen than the others. and longer batterylife. so it has a slower CPU clock- but it has a bigger FSB [front side bus] (primary determiner of speed)- so it is generally faster
pattyboy Apr 17	Merged Comment originally posted Jan 4 The quicker FSB is only somewhat relevant, when considering the processor is a full GHz slower than what they should have brought to market. As for the Solid state drive... It's a 5-6 hundred dollar option champ...
winoffice Apr 17	Merged Comment originally posted Feb 16 ajmukon - the starting price is $2,499, not $3,000. It does not have a solid state hard drive in the default configuration. The default configuration has a standard hard drive, and for a solid state drive you have to pay several hundred dollars more, in addition to the $2,499 that you would pay for the Tablet PC in any case, so that argument falls out. The front side bus is not the primary determiner of speed - the clock speed is. Software installs based on the clock speed, not FSB. And it does not have a bigger FSB. All of the three processor options - one single core and two dual core (Intel Core 2 Duo) options have only a 533 MHz FSB. But most Intel Core 2 Duo processors have 667 MHz or 800 MHz FSB, so the processors in this PC are generally slower, not faster - since both the clock speed and the FSB are smaller. It has longer battery life? The battery options on the Tablet PC are 4 cells and 6 cells. Most notebooks in general (and maybe most other specifically Tablet PCs too) today have 6 cells and 9 cells battery options. So if this PC has less powerful battery options, then how can it have more battery life? It could be if the hardware uses less power, but since the battery itself is not as powerful as are batteries in most other PCs, I am not sure if that is the case here. A better screen? It has a better screen resolution (the Dell PC has a 1280x800 resolution while the Toshiba one has only a 1024x768 resolution) and maybe the Dell screen is glossy while the Toshiba one is not, but I do not see how the better screen alone causes the price to be $2,499.
ajmukon Apr 17	Merged Comment originally posted Feb 17 well, i just read the white-paper in my defense...
pattyboy Apr 17	Merged Comment originally posted Feb 24 I finally gave up and bought a Gateway C-140x. Yes it weighs a ton, but guess what, I have 14 inch monitor, 4 GB of Ram, AN OPTICAL DRIVE, two batteries, two cases, and an extra stylus, all for a little over $1,000, (with second day shipping...) It runs One Note just like the Dell, just probably a little bit faster, due to the faster processor, hard drive, and added ram. I'm thinking of getting one to put Ubuntu on, and one to run just tablet 2005, so I can use the rest of the money I had saved for the Dell XT, LOL, JK, I'd never spend that kind of money on a first version, overpriced, tablet with, at best, dubious technology.
badblood Apr 17	Merged Comment originally posted Apr 11 The new Dell Tablet PC has a starting price of around 2,500 dollars! That's right TWENTY FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS. Why would anyone want to purchase a Dell, when they can get a proven Lenovo, Toshiba or HP with the same if better specs for $800-$1,000 less? It's also not very interesting to look at. I thought this site had established that Dell computers need refreshing and innovative designs.... Anyway : reduce the price and revise the design, or else just forget it. Thanks
cosh Apr 17	Merged Comment originally posted Apr 11 I guarantee I know what they're doing - they're making it a ridiculous price and lumpy design so that very shortly they can bring out the real one and say, "Oh look, we listened to our customer feedback on IdeaStorm." I guarantee it, I betcha.
badblood Apr 17	Merged Comment originally posted Apr 11 I hope you are right cosh, I hope you are right. Because right now it is difficult not to believe that the Dell (Un) Design Bureau and Department for (Regressive) Economics are run by Lunatics.
winoffice Apr 17	Merged Comment originally posted Apr 11 Demoted by accident badblood, I wanted to promote. The Dell tablet PC is not boring though. The only problem is that I discovered that the Dell circle on the lid is black (I discovered that in a Direct2Dell pre-release video). The only thing that I want Dell to change is the Dell circle - I want it to be silver, not black.
jervis961 Apr 17	Merged Comment originally posted Apr 11 Eww silver. How about just an option of silver?
xtcpc Apr 17	Merged Comment originally posted Apr 11 I disagree with your theory Cosh but definatly agree that the Tablet costs to much. If I had $2500 to spend on a PC, it definaty would not be a tablet with a 1.2Ghz Proc. Let's get real, Latops do not cost $2500 these days.
winoffice Apr 17	Merged Comment originally posted Apr 11 jervis961: I am talking about the Dell circle on the lid, not the keyboard.
jervis961 Apr 17	Merged Comment originally posted Apr 11 I know.
pattyboy Apr 17	Merged Comment originally posted Apr 14 Pretty sure they have abandoned the Tablet. I wouldn't be surprized to see it quietly go away. There was all kinds of buzz until the price was released, now even the dedicated tablet pc sites rarely mention it. It probably doesn't help that over half the user opinions trashed the machine just for basic functionality as a computer. Friends of mine at Dell have no idea where it is made, leading them to believe it is likely being manufactured in Malaysia. And it is true, laptops with these specs don't cost $2500. More like $400, but then you add the really cool but somewhat useless $2000 Ntrig screen and you have a recipe for disaster in marketing. It's been kind of comical watching all this play out. News of 8,000 layoffs, not long after is pretty much Dell's frontline news story now. Wonder if any IdeaStorm people got axed. Dell Latitude XT (Intel Core 2 Duo 1.2GHz ULV, ATI Radeon Xpress 1250 graphics) 2,692 PCMarks Gateway C-140x (Intel Core 2 Duo 2GHz, ATI X2300 HD graphics) 4,342 PCMarks Ouch... My C-140x was $1,100, with an extra battery and 2 cases.
winoffice Apr 17	Merged Comment originally posted Apr 14 Actually no. I check the Dell Web site regularly to see product prices, and last I looked several days ago the XT tablet was offered.
sugarbear Apr 17	Merged Comment originally posted Apr 14 It`s still on the Dell US web site.

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