Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2 with Windows 8 to be priced at $799 with keyboard
Last night we popped by PepCom, a little tech event that happens every few months here in New York City. We were curious if Samsung would be there with their ATIV lineup (answer: no) and we were hoping to maybe spot some interesting tidbits for you folks.
Context & Ripple Effects
Lenovo had already shown a Windows 8 ThinkPad tablet prototype in June, following the earlier ThinkPad Tablet's $500-and-up launch. The $799 keyboard-inclusive price turns that demonstration into a defined purchase proposition.
The pricing also lands after Lenovo said Windows RT tablets could be up to $300 cheaper than Windows 8 devices, making operating-system choice a visible part of tablet segmentation rather than a background specification.
First-order effects
- Lenovo positions the ThinkPad Tablet 2 as a $799 Windows 8 tablet-and-keyboard package, giving prospective buyers a concrete entry price for the device.
- The bundled keyboard makes Lenovo's Windows 8 offer compete as a productivity-oriented package rather than on tablet hardware alone.
Second-order effects
- Windows RT tablet makers gain a clearer lower-price comparison point, given Lenovo's stated expectation that RT devices could undercut Windows 8 hardware by as much as $300.
- Lenovo's own tablet lineup must justify the premium over its earlier $500-and-up ThinkPad Tablet through the Windows 8 experience and included keyboard.
Third-order effects
- If the Windows 8 versus Windows RT price gap holds, tablet vendors will increasingly segment devices by software capability and bundled accessories, not screen size alone.
The trend: Windows tablets are separating into higher-priced, keyboard-equipped Windows 8 systems and lower-cost Windows RT alternatives.