Just wondered how much of an impact this new device was having on pre order cancellations.
I've been looking forward to this device for over 6 months. We've essentially ended up with a broken/prototype device whilst Asus promote a *fixed* version.
This is disgusting as far as customer relations go. I'm almost certainly cancelling my pre order tomorrow. Hoping to hear a statement from Asus regarding this complete mess!
Please post screens of your cancelled orders. May be if we can get some numbers regarding impact Asus may listen.
Regards,
One pi55ed off potential customer
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium
Ive owned my prime for 4 days now, the announcement was the last straw though.
GPS dead, wifi crippled, and now asus is pretty much jumping ship to their new prime 2.0..
Im working on returning it for a refund right now.
I wish I had preordered just to be able to go in and cancel, I'd hope that the store would be left with lots on the shelf. That's the only way we could expect our voices to be heard.
There are far too many people willing to ignore this situation that nothing is going to be done about it.
The TF700 announcement made up my mind
Once Asus started pushing the new model, the message came to me loud and clear.
From: "[email protected]" <[email protected]>
Reply-To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]>
To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]>
Subject: Amazon.com - Your Cancellation (104-6829271-3232250)
Date: Mon 01/09/12 10:04 AM
Attachments
Name Type Save View
Message text/plain Save
Dear Tedr44,
Your order has been successfully canceled. For your reference, here's a
summary of your order:
You just canceled order #104-6829271-3232250 placed on December 21,
2011.
Status: CANCELED
_____________________________________________________________________
1 of ASUS Transformer Prime TF201-C1-GR 10.1-Inch 64GB Tablet (Amethyst
Gray)
Sold by: Amazon.com LLC
_____________________________________________________________________
In most cases, you pay for items when we ship them to you, so you won't
be charged for items that you cancel. In some cases (e.g., you use a
gift card or your debit card is processed as a PIN-less transaction),
you may see a charge for a cancelled item. If you are charged for a
cancelled item, we will refund you within 1-2 business days.
Thank you for visiting Amazon.com!
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Amazon.com
Earth's Biggest Selection
http://www.amazon.com
-----------------------
Well, I didn't cancel a pre-order but mine was RMA'd for replacement. I switched that to a refund...not too sure if I'm going to bother with ASUS or just wait to see what else is available.
I talked with an agent so I haven't got an email confirmation yet but I'll post when I do.
Here's an announcement for a tab with 1.7 ghz Tegra 3, DDR3 memory and SRS sound.
http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/08/lenovo-lepad-k2010-ideatab-k2-hands-on/
I would be very angry if the TF700T was priced closer to TF201. Now that would really make me send it back with a nasty letter to Asus. But the fact that it's $100 more for both 32 and 64GB, that tells me Asus didn't just "jump ship". The learned from their stupid mistakes, made a new one and are selling it right alongside with the current one. That means the best bang for your buck tablet is still a Transformer Prime that's only $600 with a 64GB storage.
What bothers me though is the fact that Asus could barely meet demands with this whole pre-order fiasco and has the ****ing balls to go ahead and actually spent time (time that should have been focused on getting me my goddamned Prime) to come out with another product to sell. That tells me either they have A.D.D. or they have A.D.D. and all they want is money. How can they leave the people who pre-ordered left hanging to dry? That, to me, is a piece of **** company.
At this point though I have no choice but to stick to my Prime (TF201) pre-order because my Xoom has been hijacked by my 2-year old and I need a tablet badly --meaning waiting isn't an option and buying another Tegra 2 would be going backwards at this point. FML.
I deal mostly with media and games, the office work belongs to Windows. The TF700 is ideal for streaming hd video specially now that I've upgraded to 6 mbps on my dsl to watch the Netflix hd movies. The new res standards are out and I will let the dust settle before deciding.
As the trend indicates, one thing is for sure, Asus moves faster than other tablet manufacturers.
The new TF700T feels like a "filler". By Q4 and the 2012 holidays, they will have the true 3rd gen Transformer. So whoever pays the extra $100 for the TF700T model, might be in for some serious buyer's remorse. Think about it.
TF1 -> TF2 -> TF2.5 -> (only a few months from the summer) and you've got TF3. Like I said in another thread. The TF700T are for those who badly need the GPS. The higher resolution at a premium of $100 more is baloney. As for the 2MP front-facing camera? That's a gimmick. From 1.3MP to 2MP means nothing. Take it from a photographer and someone who has an 8MP webcam that's supposedly "HD" and "1080p". Skyping still looks crappy.
I'm not knocking on the TF700T, but if you guys want to drop the TF201 for it, think about it really hard. Like I said before, the best bang for your buck is still the TF201. Line up all the Android tablets and you will see all the specs are similar except for the fact that for the same price in a Galaxy Tab 10.1 or a Xoom/Xoom 2, you can have an Asus with double the storage. That to me is very important as I sync my DSLR wirelessly to my tablet to show clients my shots in real time... and RAW files eat storage space like no one's business.
I understand that Asus is pushing products out the order ahead of the others but in their haste the product design and performance turned out faulty. I'm looking forward to the 700 simply because it appears the problem is fixed and the specs are better although I'd like to see a faster clock to handle the higher res.
I just got shafted, Mediamarkt said no returns on licensed products, whatever the phuck that means.
So I guess the dead GPS and shoddy Wifi are "on me".
Asus issued the warranty so you should contact them next to present your case, good luck!
tedr44 said:
I understand that Asus is pushing products out the order ahead of the others but in their haste the product design and performance turned out faulty. I'm looking forward to the 700 simply because it appears the problem is fixed and the specs are better although I'd like to see a faster clock to handle the higher res.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can rely on devs here to bring that to you in due time, regarding the faster clock speeds. The CPU and GPU will be the same. So it doesn't matter what the clock speeds are set at since you can always change it later on anyway.
I can't blame Asus for designing the aluminum back the way they did. I'm pretty sure their R&D department felt the pressure from higher up to make it so that it pretty much sells as a bundle with the dock. Meaning, they probably said something along the line as "Design the tablet so that people would definitely feel compelled to buy the dock." Hence the designers made it look all aluminum so that when it's shut close with the dock, it looks sexier than a MacBook Air. Remember how Asus was bragging about the swirled brush aluminum design? It was a decision to make a chic looking ultra portable device. I don't think it was in haste, but I do believe the GPS flaw as a result was in hindsight.
As for the TF700T, let's face it. People who will buy that will definitely say "What an ugly netbook this makes!" It looks like two separate devices that clicks into one with the top bit looking really out of place. I have never seen a laptop, in all the years of owning laptops, with a black bar on top like that. That was what Asus wanted to avoid with the TF201 --the matching color, material and texture so that when you buy the dock, you gawk in awe at the handsome "transforming" device.
so whos pissed they cancelled before ICS came out and fixed a majority of the issues?
Sokonomi said:
I just got shafted, Mediamarkt said no returns on licensed products, whatever the phuck that means.
So I guess the dead GPS and shoddy Wifi are "on me".
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, Asus will and should cover you. No worries. Get their international toll-free number and give them a call.
Also emphasize the fact that the metal case affects not just gps but wifi and bt as well though not as pronounced is still below par.
DroidHam said:
so whos pissed they cancelled before ICS came out and fixed a majority of the issues?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As someone who has had ICS on my Xoom for about a month now, not to mention waking up to CM9 this morning, I am definitely looking forward to the development on the TF201 Prime. I, for one, am contemplating getting back into devving for the Prime.
Though I like and appreciate the artwork, it is not a prime consideration for me. It can be as rugged and ugly as a military grade laptop as long as the specs are working as advertised. I'm starting to like the 700 because of the new specs that will function without any mods. In that respect, no mod will come up with the 1080p res without slowng it down.
tedr44 said:
Also emphasize the fact that the metal case affects not just gps but wifi and bt as well though not as pronounced is still below par.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The WiFi and BT issue is software, I think. Correct me if I'm wrong. The slower WiFi and shoddy BT due to the aluminum backing is a myth started by paranoid early Prime adaptors. Apple has been making aluminum and magnesium unibodies with no WiFi or BT problems. Concrete or whatever your house has are bigger factors. GPS is a different story.
These wireless devices work on rf with differing frequencies and that affects their ability to pass through or penetrate barries. It could be a combination hw/sw, I'm not exactly sure until they put it on a bench and run a battery of tests. That's what really irritates me about Asus, they've done nothing but cover up the problems.
Related
Is it even likely that Asus will give us an option to trade in (of course not for free) our TP for one of the better redesigned models coming soon?
edit: say, to this one?: http://eee.asus.com/eeepad/transformer-infinity/features/
I'm simply asking because I don't know what large companies do in these kinds of situations.
Don't bet on it.
SirGarry said:
Is it even likely that Asus will give us an option to trade in our TP for one of the better redesigned models coming soon?
edit: say, to this one?: http://eee.asus.com/eeepad/transformer-infinity/features/
I'm simply asking because I don't know what large companies do in these kinds of situations.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Probably most definitely not.
Plus they are not even sure which processor it will use
Whether its the Qualcomm dual core or tegra3
mtotho said:
Probably most definitely not.
Plus they are not even sure which processor it will use
Whether its the Qualcomm dual core or tegra3
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They do know... the answer is both. On the Infinity tablet if you go wifi only tablet its tegra3 clockspeed 1.6 and if its the 4g LTE its the Qualcomm clock speed 1.5
they way i read it is that the 3g/4g version will use the dualcore, and the wifi only version will use the tegra3.
It really is too bad. The redesigned back on the Infinity looks like it will much improve the signal of both WiFi and GPS...
I highly doubt it. The only reason that they may offer some type of trade-in program would be because of the GPS fiasco with the TF201. However, it has been my understanding that ASUS is going to offer the TF201 along side the Infinity so it wouldn't make much sense to offer a trade-in program if the two models are going to sit on the shelf next to each other. In reality though, I wonder if ASUS is going to quietly push the TF201 to the way-side and slowly kill it off without trying to piss too many of the current owners off, and replace it with the Infinity.
We don't come across "these kinds of situations" very often as it is typically a piss poor business model to release or even announce future versions of tech-toy type gadgets (such as tablets) so close to each other. There is a reason why Apple releases the iPad, iPhone, iPod, etc. the way they do...
1) Announce the new product at some big event (like the one coming up next Wednesday)
2) Release the product within 1-2 months of the announcement
3) Retail pipelines are fully hydrated with the new product within a couple of months after initial release
4) Rinse and repeat a year after the original announcement
By announcing a new product so close to the original product's release date several bad things happen that affect the company's sales. The main issue is that many people will hold off on buying the original product since they know/assume that the release of the new one is near. A second issue is that future sales can be negatively impacted because of lost company loyalty. It can be frustrating for current owners of the product to find out that their shiny new gadget that was just released is going to be 'outdated' before they were expecting it to be.
Magic 8 ball says:
.
There may or may not be, but definitely is, no chance that they will do that.
Yeah, I would definitely not count on it. I am sure they will give some excuse involving our throw away society.
http://www.mobileburn.com/18732/new...nity-tablet-announced-multimedia-minded-users
"At Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, ASUS announced a new member of its successful Transformer tablet line , the Transformer Pad Infinity."
Apparently, someone didn't get the memo about the Prime !
rdalev said:
http://www.mobileburn.com/18732/new...nity-tablet-announced-multimedia-minded-users
"At Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, ASUS announced a new member of its successful Transformer tablet line , the Transformer Pad Infinity."
Apparently, someone didn't get the memo about the Prime !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Failure rates of less than 1% are successful by anyone's measure in the field of consumer electronics.
Makes me wonder if there is a space some where on the prime board for a 3g chip/mod and if the HD screen will has the same connections as standard.
But no after the launch of the prime there would likely be no chance they would offer us an upgrade. They don't seem to care about us much.
Btw have they actually changed the back on new primes? Does wifi work on new primes now?
Sent from my 4thTransformer Prime TF201 using XDA Premium App, watching the screen come off.
chamberc said:
Failure rates of less than 1% are successful by anyone's measure in the field of consumer electronics.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So stores chose to turn down the TP because of less than 1% failure rates? Of course, those stores that eventually received any units. The word from my local store's distributor said they couldn't get a word from Asus when the next shipments would arrive. And it's seemingly random which stores get the shipments.
There are still plenty of stores waiting to receive their shipments.
doddsie said:
Btw have they actually changed the back on new primes? Does wifi work on new primes now?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://eee.asus.com/eeepad/transformer-infinity/features/
If you look there you can see the top of the backpanel has been changed to accommodate better wireless reception as the GPS and WiFi radio are placed in that region.
rdalev said:
http://www.mobileburn.com/18732/new...nity-tablet-announced-multimedia-minded-users
"At Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, ASUS announced a new member of its successful Transformer tablet line , the Transformer Pad Infinity."
Apparently, someone didn't get the memo about the Prime !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well according to them, they consider Prime a success with less than 1% failure/return rate. that's what they said. nothing else to be released to contradict that statement. plus with it still being promoted at MWC outlook looks good for prime owners.
jordache16 said:
I highly doubt it. The only reason that they may offer some type of trade-in program would be because of the GPS fiasco with the TF201. However, it has been my understanding that ASUS is going to offer the TF201 along side the Infinity so it wouldn't make much sense to offer a trade-in program if the two models are going to sit on the shelf next to each other. In reality though, I wonder if ASUS is going to quietly push the TF201 to the way-side and slowly kill it off without trying to piss too many of the current owners off, and replace it with the Infinity.
We don't come across "these kinds of situations" very often as it is typically a piss poor business model to release or even announce future versions of tech-toy type gadgets (such as tablets) so close to each other. There is a reason why Apple releases the iPad, iPhone, iPod, etc. the way they do...
1) Announce the new product at some big event (like the one coming up next Wednesday)
2) Release the product within 1-2 months of the announcement
3) Retail pipelines are fully hydrated with the new product within a couple of months after initial release
4) Rinse and repeat a year after the original announcement
By announcing a new product so close to the original product's release date several bad things happen that affect the company's sales. The main issue is that many people will hold off on buying the original product since they know/assume that the release of the new one is near. A second issue is that future sales can be negatively impacted because of lost company loyalty. It can be frustrating for current owners of the product to find out that their shiny new gadget that was just released is going to be 'outdated' before they were expecting it to be.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This. +1
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk
That's what eBay is for.
I had pre-ordered my original Transformer, and then my Prime. When the Prime finally came, I checked it out and then put my original Transformer up for sale on eBay. It sold quickly getting what I consider a good price. The guy who bought it is very pleased, and so am I.
That same week I also sold off my touchscreen netbook to a very pleased customer. I do the same with cameras. That way I get to have new toys and there's no high-tech junk in the closet.
Bye.
SirGarry said:
Is it even likely that Asus will give us an option to trade in (of course not for free) our TP for one of the better redesigned models coming soon?
edit: say, to this one?: http://eee.asus.com/eeepad/transformer-infinity/features/
I'm simply asking because I don't know what large companies do in these kinds of situations.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Personally I like my Prime more than any new redesign models coming out. I've bought 3 primes and none had the BT/WIFI problem(don't care for gps), But one did have a constant rebooting problem.
The redesign models just look cheap.
Less than 1%...really? Where is that number coming from?
I have an order for a Prime on Amazon, and I'm waiting for it to ship. At this point, would you wait for the TF700T (given all the potential hardware problems with the Prime) or just go for it. I know about the "technology gets better all the time stuff", but what would you do, TODAY, if you knew what you knew now.
wait. I have a prime and the dock I love it..but if you spent time waiting for say the TF700 who's to say that there won't be something better a little bit later down the road..
!!senseless sensation!!
I just got my second prime due to the HDMI out port dying on my first one, most likely because I dropped off the back of my couch. Both primes I have owned have been great no wifi problems or reboots. GPS is hit or miss but I think i read on these forums that a hardware fix is in the works. That being said. No way am I paying 100 bucks more for a plastic back and a slightly better screen. I don't need GPS to work full speed minus wifi on my tablet.....I have a phone for that...and like I said i never had wifi problems.
So my answer is i would not wait for the tf700....plus you never know what kinda problems they are going to have with that one....at least with the prime you know all the POTENTIAL issues and can deal with them.
Personally, I would wait a while. It sounds like ASUS is providing some kind of Hardware fix to Primes that are not working correctly, but parts are not available yet. That combined with the lack of stock almost anywhere leads me to believe that production of new units has been slowed/stopped. My guess is that they are using whatever stock they have remaining to primarily replace units that are being returned by customers.
Whether they are waiting to ramp up production with "the new hardware" or are winding down on the Prime altogether is unclear (at least to me). But it seems definite that "something" is up with the prime production.
I would wait to see what shakes out in the next couple of months unless you are desperate for a new tablet.
I wouldn't wait if I were you. In all honesty, the TF700 is not that much of a step up from the TF201, and in my opinion it is not worth the extra $100. The only reason that I would wait is if GPS a deal breaker for you (which I think most people have a hard time making this argument).
So its 50:50 up until now
i have to say, i wouldnt either. The prime is fantastic. In most cases the wifi issues (if there are any, in my case there are none) arent a problem in reality because youtube HD stuff wont interrupt to buffer, neither do high quality flash streams on the browser. And thats what counts in the end. IMHO.
So the infinity tab will be a great device as well, but there is much uncertainty about it still. No one knows the exact pricing, if there will be issues, if they will be in stock etcetc. With the prime you know what you get - and that is almost perfect. Pretend the prime is a wifi only device without gps btw. And then be happy that they implemented a GPS sensor anyway that works for positioning not for navigation.
Its such an awesome product giving you soo much for the price. And its stunningly beautiful and feels very premium. If manufacturers release plastic only products like samsung, people always cry for aluminum. On the prime its there.
And the incoming games!? We're gonna lol at infinity blade!
There is no good answer. The TF700 may be out next week and it may not be out until holiday season this year. It's also going to be more expensive. Basically is that screen worth an extra $100 and maybe several months of waiting?
Usually in the technology world you buy what you need or want at that time. Don't wait unless you know when something is being released otherwise you will never buy anything. Unless it is an Apple product the delay between the announcement and the time the actual product arrives on store shelves is usually many months. How much do you want to bet when the TF700 is released there will be a new tablet announced by someone that blows the TF700 away? That is the reality in the technology world.
Then there is the question of availability and QC. The Prime was released in mid December or something like that but not available for like a month and you had to either preorder or check websites every day to hopefully get one. And actually it is still like that and it's been a couple months. As for QC, well it is the same company so I am not sure why their QC will change. For all we know there will be QC issues with the TF700 as well. Screens seem to be a big issue with ASUS. I know since I had to return three primes due to screen issues. The original transformer had screen issues and a terrible dock battery issue that plagued early adopters for a long time.
I would say buy the Prime now. Have fun with it for many months. Once the TF700 is readily available and we know there are no QC issues go play with one in a store and see if it is worth selling your Prime. You will not be out much money if you go that route.
Go for it. I was in the same boat, but decided the extra money wasn't worth it.
The primary issues are WiFi and GPS. My GPS seems to grab sats and lock, but haven't really tried it on the road yet....but, not worried, because my Globasat Receiver BT359 works fine...so either way, I got GPS.
Wifi - all I care about is getting it to work about 2 rooms away from the router, and it also seems to work. The biggest issue for me was "ICS not permitting Ad-hoc network connections" with my smartphone (did not know that issue before I bought it) because that is my main source for internet when I travel. However, there is a fix on the board for that, so I can get a wifi connection no matter where I'm at.
So, even if GPS and WiFi turn out to be truly "flaky" when I really need it, I have the alternatives mentioned above and even buying a GPS receiver is cheaper than the $100.
The supposed improvement in screen resolution is not important unless you look at it through a magnifying glass. I doubt that the eye could really discern the difference
Lastly, They announced the prime coming out in October, then got pushed back, and they STILL aren't readily available. So, if they say the 700 is June release, I wouldn't expect to see it in the stores till Sept at the earliest...and ready supply....try Christmas.
Good luck,
Bob
PS....also remember, the people who post are the ones who have issues or "think" they have issues.....Some are real, some are due to lack of knowledge by the user. Remember, very few happy customers post and say "WOW". So, on any board, most operational questions are of the negative variety....and I'd also say again....A lot of that is the user
I'd say wait until the problems on the Prime get fixed or until the TF700T gets released. ASUS says there are only 1% of defective units. I'd say in my case is more like 100%. I bought/returned 4 Primes, they were all defective.
If you can wait for a tablet, I would wait. With the other android and an apple brands, newer asus tablets, and maybe a fix for the current prime coming out you will have more options to choose from. If you cant wait, buy a prime from a company that has a return window no questions asked and test it yourself.
Don't wait. I was in your position about 10 days ago and today I am happy I made the decision to buy.
My unit works fine (minus a bad firmware update that killed battery life), and it's beautiful. It's fast as hell and makes my **** feel huuuugggggeeeee having a quad core tablet.
The tf700 is barely an improvement for waiting and spending a hundred dollars more. The resolution increase will barely be noticeable - except on the hardware, which will likely be taking a beating from the screen. The transformer prime is the last tablet with an ips panel I will buy - waiting on future ips panels seems like a bad idea with the advancement of oled technology.
Looks like the TF300T just cleared the FCC, so maybe it won't take as long as I thought to get the TF700.
My real concern is that they are phasing out the Prime, which is why supplies are basically zero.
wifesabitch said:
There a new thread every day about this. I know it's a real cool thing to be a thread starter but you are pushing down useful threads with this nonsense.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Every day the situation changes, so it makes sense that people are curious and that old threads won't still be relevant. I also see that every day, like clockwork, you scold or berate the poster like it's your job. What's more annoying, someone coming here advice seeking from other members, or the people that post just to post, without adding any real value. I've been a member since 2007, I know how XDA works.
"Pushing down useful threads" If you tell everyone who comes on here to just search anyway, who cares? 16 people offered thoughtful, relevant answers. You're the only one who had to insult the OP.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1523783
I would read this thread, seems like there is going to be new parts for the prime to improve wifi and GPS end of March. Maybe you should wait when it goes into effect in the production line.
Yeah, I'm usually the last one to wait, in fact I'm finally just now giving up on my viewsonic Gtab that I got right when it came out. It's tegra2, but stuck on froyo and even the best efforts of the devs on xda have resulted in a less than stellar ICS ROM. So, it's time to lay down some more money. I'm keeping my order at Amazon, and we'll just see which comes available first, the Prime or the TF700. Either way I'll be happy.
I think you should not wait.
1º No one knows when the Infinity will be for sale.
2º The improvement of screen is irrelevant for me;
3º The Infinity will not be smaller or lighter;
4º The Infinity will not be cheaper;
5º The Infinity will not be faster;
6º GPS should not be essential in a tablet and my Wifi is normal.
For me, the main improvement in the Infinity is the 3G and 4G option that the Prime do not have.
Anyone who prefer 3G/4G should wait.
For me, I am wait for an official firmware update on Prime that would enable connection with Ad Hoc networks, because I have Joiku software in my Nokia phone.
nunoloule said:
I think you should not wait.
1º No one knows when the Infinity will be for sale.
2º The improvement of screen is irrelevant for me;
3º The Infinity will not be smaller or lighter;
4º The Infinity will not be cheaper;
5º The Infinity will not be faster;
6º GPS should not be essential in a tablet and my Wifi is normal.
For me, the main improvement in the Infinity is the 3G and 4G option that the Prime do not have.
Anyone who prefer 3G/4G should wait.
For me, I am wait for an official firmware update on Prime that would enable connection with Ad Hoc networks, because I have Joiku software in my Nokia phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
I on the other hand would not want the 3G. I currently pay for internet 3 times... (home internet and 2 unlimited data smartphone plans) so the last thing I want to do is to pay for another internet connection. I currently use my Thunderbolt to tether to the Prime (I use the Open Garden app) and it works great.
But for those who don't have a smartphone or don't want to tether from their phone to their tablet (which I don't know why you wouldn't) then it may be worth the wait.
Just get the prime! I love mine.. No issues part from gps but who needs that anyway.. And tbh why would u need a retina display on a 10.1" screen? Just don't see the point but that's my opinion
Evo_Shift said:
Usually in the technology world you buy what you need or want at that time. Don't wait unless you know when something is being released otherwise you will never buy anything.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
I wanted a tablet but didn't NEED one.
I went from potentially choosing a TF101, then maybe buying a Thrive until i heard about the Prime and then i pulled the trigger.
Buy what you think is best NOW cause 2 months from now it'll all change again.
I'm in the same boat.. but I heard June now for the Infinity series.. no way I'm waiting 4 months.. I'm sure 6 more new tablets will be out by then anyway..
Besides, the HD screen is about the only real benefit I'd be interested in, and honestly, I've been re-watching Battlestar Galactica in SD on my iPad 2 for the last week and I enjoy it just the same as if it was in HD.. I'd love to have the HD panel, but IMO, 4 months and $100 more just isn't worth it to me.
Ok, I keep hearing around here that the TF201 is NOT being discontinued. And it seems reasonable that it would stick around. However, at my company, we had ordered 1 for the CFO and he really likes his and they are talking about ordering 6 more for other managers. The lady that does ordering called our vendor and they are saying that they talked to Asus directly and the TF201 is discontinued now. They said we would have to wait for the TF300.
Has there been any OFFICIAL announcement from Asus either way on this?
Its been discontinued for a while now as far as i know...because of all the wi-fi and GPS problems this specific model has. I believe the TF300 will be out in June or Q3 of 2012...whilest the TF700t will be out shortly after the TF300.
alias747 said:
Ok, I keep hearing around here that the TF201 is NOT being discontinued. And it seems reasonable that it would stick around. However, at my company, we had ordered 1 for the CFO and he really likes his and they are talking about ordering 6 more for other managers. The lady that does ordering called our vendor and they are saying that they talked to Asus directly and the TF201 is discontinued now. They said we would have to wait for the TF300.
Has there been any OFFICIAL announcement from Asus either way on this?
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I believe ASUS posted on their facebook page that the TF201 was not being discontinued and this was just a rumor. However this has been a couple months ago now so things may have changed. I also believe Gary Key stated a while back on the forums that the discontinued talk was merely a rumor.
As of March they are still manufacturing the TF201 as we have seen C3 serials show up in stores. It will be another week or two before we see C4 serials. If we don't start to see C4 serials after a couple of weeks then this would most likely indicate that it is being discontinued.
However, I strongly believe that ASUS is not and will not be discontinuing the TF201 any time soon. This is just speculation. And to answer your question as far as whether or not ASUS has provided an official statement, they have but it has been a couple of months since they did so.
alias747 said:
Ok, I keep hearing around here that the TF201 is NOT being discontinued. And it seems reasonable that it would stick around. However, at my company, we had ordered 1 for the CFO and he really likes his and they are talking about ordering 6 more for other managers. The lady that does ordering called our vendor and they are saying that they talked to Asus directly and the TF201 is discontinued now. They said we would have to wait for the TF300.
Has there been any OFFICIAL announcement from Asus either way on this?
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It is definitely discontinued and has been for several months, and this is evidenced by the VP of marketing on this site saying that it hasn't been discontinued. There are too many problems evidently (1% of all primes have issues).
babymatteo said:
Its been discontinued for a while now as far as i know...because of all the wi-fi and GPS problems this specific model has. I believe the TF300 will be out in June or Q3 of 2012...whilest the TF700t will be out shortly after the TF300.
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I was not aware it had been discontinued. Why do you think this is still here?
usa.asus.com/Tablet/Transformer_Pad/Eee_Pad_Transformer_Prime_TF201/
Not this rumor again..lmao. Prime is not being discontinued. PERIOD. End of story. The Asus representative, Gary, even said in his Unofficial thread here just recently that it wasn't going to be discontinued. They still sell it online and at Gamestop, Best Buy, and other brick n mortar stores.
Look at his more recent updates in the op of that thread and you will see. Tell your boss he needs to find another retailer selling it..lol. there are still new people popping in xda everyday with new primes. Plus there's already C3 models out now. Soon we will see C4 ones.
Plus Prime is still heavily advertised on official Asus website. If it were to be discontinued, they would've quickly and easily of removed that info from website. People overreacting..lol.
---------- Post added at 12:41 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:35 PM ----------
babymatteo said:
Its been discontinued for a while now as far as i know...because of all the wi-fi and GPS problems this specific model has. I believe the TF300 will be out in June or Q3 of 2012...whilest the TF700t will be out shortly after the TF300.
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Actually the tf-700 might not release in the u.s. at all. Plus now they are saying it won't be released anywhere until end of year more than likely. Check out the other thread where someone posted an email from Asus on the infinity pad.
Plus if it were discontinued, we would constantly see new model serial numbers pop up. Don't believe all the negative discontinued hype.
demandarin said:
Not this rumor again..lmao. Prime is not being discontinued. PERIOD. End of story. The Asus representative, Gary, even said in his Unofficial thread here just recently that it wasn't going to be discontinued. They still sell it online and at Gamestop, Best Buy, and other brick n mortar stores.
Look at his more recent updates in the op of that thread and you will see. Tell your boss he needs to find another retailer selling it..lol. there are still new people popping in xda everyday with new primes. Plus there's already C3 models out now. Soon we will see C4 ones.
Plus Prime is still heavily advertised on official Asus website. If it were to be discontinued, they would've quickly and easily of removed that info from website. People overreacting..lol.
---------- Post added at 12:41 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:35 PM ----------
Actually the tf-700 might not release in the u.s. at all. Plus now they are saying it won't be released anywhere until end of year more than likely. Check out the other thread where someone posted an email from Asus on the infinity pad.
Plus if it were discontinued, we would constantly see new model serial numbers pop up. Don't believe all the negative discontinued hype.
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Yeah I hear you... however, best buy apparently is no longer carrying it. They don't ship it online, and no Best buy within a 200 miles radius of me has it in stock. That includes most of the Twin Cities, Minneapolis/St. Paul area... I think that if they were still actively in production don't you think that somebody would have them in stock? This all seems a little fishy to me... I even looked at bigger cities for Best Buy stock and nothing in Chicago or California area either... The only reason I got mine was because it was a open box that I got at my local Best Buy about a month ago. And mine is one of the older S/Ns, BCOKAS.
Just an observation...
alias747 said:
Yeah I hear you... however, best buy apparently is no longer carrying it. They don't ship it online, and no Best buy within a 200 miles radius of me has it in stock. That includes most of the Twin Cities, Minneapolis/St. Paul area... I think that if they were still actively in production don't you think that somebody would have them in stock? This all seems a little fishy to me... I even looked at bigger cities for Best Buy stock and nothing in Chicago or California area either... The only reason I got mine was because it was a open box that I got at my local Best Buy about a month ago. And mine is one of the older S/Ns, BCOKAS.
Just an observation...
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That's a good observation. I think its more of Asus retooling or adding new components to newer/future primes to eliminate possible issues. We have seen other similar letters like in op stating that. Plus prime can still be found online and at Gamestop. I know the one in my area has them in stock because I called the other day looking for a dock. They said they had no docks ATM, that they only had the tablet itself in stock at that store. Plus there are alot more places than best buy online that would have it. Still doesn't explain the flood of new owners showing up in prime forum everyday. Still doesn't explain why Asus still advertises it on their official u.s. and global website. Which is always updated with new info on products they carry.
I don't feed into the negative stuff as it tends to come more from past complainers and trolls. They love to stir up stuff in prime forum for others. Looking at everything in a negative way and put some crazy spin on things.
I had my Prime since 12/22. An early BCOKA model and works great. Haven't had any real problems with it. Wifi works great on it as I compared it to my Ipad wifi and atrix wifi. Prime is right on par or better than my other units.
It is not being discontinued but im sure if it weren't for the Prime owners complaining, they would've discontinued it. There are clear wifi/gps problems with the Prime due to the aluminum back (hence why their new line has a rubber/plastic strip). There is no reason for ASUS to have so many lines of products with such little differences.
And I'm gonna make a bold guess here, but I think they would much rather replace the Prime with the TF700 and make it $500 instead of $600. The reason they are making it $600 is so that it will seem like a "premium" Prime instead of a Prime replacement. Placing the TF700 at $600 would mean that it surpasses the price of the iPad that has a even higher res display and LTE. And frankly, the general consumer is unlikely to buy a Android tab that is as expensive as the iPad let alone more expensive.
xGary said:
It is not being discontinued but im sure if it weren't for the Prime owners complaining, they would've discontinued it. There are clear wifi/gps problems with the Prime due to the aluminum back (hence why their new line has a rubber/plastic strip). There is no reason for ASUS to have so many lines of products with such little differences.
And I'm gonna make a bold guess here, but I think they would much rather replace the Prime with the TF700 and make it $500 instead of $600. The reason they are making it $600 is so that it will seem like a "premium" Prime instead of a Prime replacement. Placing the TF700 at $600 would mean that it surpasses the price of the iPad that has a even higher res display and LTE. And frankly, the general consumer is unlikely to buy a Android tab that is as expensive as the iPad let alone more expensive.
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I second that. I believe tf700 will completely replace TF201.
Sent from my HTC Sensation Z710e using xda premium
i want to see the tf300 already! didn't it already go through the fcc?
My honest opinion is..
Why when the new models come out would they carry on making a Tablet that even Asus admits is flawed due to all Aluminium back.
Think Logically if the new models were available now & after reviewing options, would you purchase the TF201 ?
I do not think when new models are released there will be very little, if any demand for the Prime, so the Prime really is living on borrowed time.
As for Demandarins statement
Plus Prime is still heavily advertised on official Asus website. If it were to be discontinued, they would've quickly and easily of removed that info from website
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Surely you are not that naive, Asus would not admit to prime being discontinued untill it has replacement in shops, they want to keep selling primes untill replacement is in shops. Admitting it was discontinued now would greatly affect Sales.
Within 2 or 3 months of the TF300/700 being released the Prime will meet a quiet quick demise.
PS
I own a prime & dock which I am quite happy with apart from useless GPS
alias747 said:
Yeah I hear you... however, best buy apparently is no longer carrying it. They don't ship it online, and no Best buy within a 200 miles radius of me has it in stock. That includes most of the Twin Cities, Minneapolis/St. Paul area... I think that if they were still actively in production don't you think that somebody would have them in stock?
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Just your area. Prime is still available from Best Buy, not online, you just have to search local stores for inventory. Several around me are in stock atm.
flub said:
My honest opinion is..
Why when the new models come out would they carry on making a Tablet that even Asus admits is flawed due to all Aluminium back.
Think Logically if the new models were available now & after reviewing options, would you purchase the TF201 ?
I do not think when new models are released there will be very little, if any demand for the Prime, so the Prime really is living on borrowed time.
As for Demandarins statement
Surely you are not that naive, Asus would not admit to prime being discontinued untill it has replacement in shops, they want to keep selling primes untill replacement is in shops. Admitting it was discontinued now would greatly affect Sales.
Within 2 or 3 months of the TF300/700 being released the Prime will meet a quiet quick demise.
PS
I own a prime & dock which I am quite happy with apart from useless GPS
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I would easily purchase the prime over those 2. here's why. I don't want a lower spec 300 model. its less powerful, less battery life, display not as good. its regular ips, not ips+ like on prime. plus FCC report already shows 300 wireless performance can't be expected to be better than prime. especially with wifi/BT used at the same time. I don't want a tf-700 model because it will cost more. has less battery life than prime. plus, according to an email posted by another member is from Asus VP of technical whatever states no plans for u.s. release of infinity pad and it won't be released anywhere till the end of the year likely. check it out. so I have no reason to wait. fully satisfied with my prime.
we are still seeing new serial number Models pop up. we had Asus publicly and on this forum stating Prime will not be discontinued. AND YES, ASUS ADMITTED TO LESS THAN 1% OF UNITS HAVING ISSUES AND BEING RETURNED. It was stated on Cnet interview, which they said makes sense, and Gary explained it on this site. So no real concrete proof pointing to them discontinuing it. Come with some better info to back up the claim and then maybe me n others might believe it also. till then, just speculation and false rumors just like the other stuff floating around.
all their tablets now fit a particular price range including the prime. so I would easily take it over the others. its the thinnest and lightest. plus performs great all around. Plus Asus wouldn't happen to be working on a big announcement concerning prime if it were to be discontinued. they wouldn't even have bothered spending the money or research behind a fix to a product to be discontinued. they would just focus on future products instead and let prime die off.
better luck next time. Prime will live on. We will continue to knock all these false rumors down one by one..lmao
@demandarin
We will have to wait and see who is right
For me the I'm in the Prime is on its Way Out Camp. My guess is TF700 will come out costing $100 more & within very short time primes funeral & TF700's price will drop to what prime is now to compete with that fruity competitor.
flub said:
@demandarin
We will have to wait and see who is right
For me the I'm in the Prime is on its Way Out Camp. My guess is TF700 will come out costing $100 more & within very short time primes funeral & TF700's price will drop to what prime is now to compete with that fruity competitor.
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You have my $5 on that.
Dem, if you look at it, there is definitely no place for TF201 in the pad line up. 3 of them overlap each other too much.
Sent from my HTC Sensation Z710e using xda premium
tinky1 said:
You have my $5 on that.
Dem, if you look at it, there is definitely no place for TF201 in the pad line up. 3 of them overlap each other too much.
Sent from my HTC Sensation Z710e using xda premium
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I do agree, the devices are spec similar. BUT at least its more of a major difference compared to Samsung lineup of tablets. they have all different lineup and spec similar. except for one thing, all their stuff is highly overpriced. at least Asus has a more reasonable priceline.
I can see prime ending around next winter or so. but by then that's the natural cycle of tablets ending anyways. Tf-700 has already been stated to not release till the end of the year. check the letter from Asus VP of something thread. so that gives prime plenty of time to still sell. by the time tf-700 finally comes out, it'll be the natural ending cycle for prime anyways. that's how technology is.
with the specs of the prime, it still has a place that fits in the lineup. regardless what some may believe. then you have the Asus built Google nexus tegra3 7in. tablet said to come out. ill say prime won't be discontinued anytime soon. for any product, there always come a time down the road when its discontinued. Wait till the announcement is released then tell me again does it make sense that they will discontinue the prime.
lets say they do discontinue it soon, so what..lol. it won't stop my Prime from functioning or performing great. it won't stop the major developement we already have for it. it still won't stop up getting updates, at least for a good while. So prime owners good either way. they already discontinuing the tf-101 less than a year from being released. to have it replaced by 300 model. tf-101 model just got ICS so it's still receiving support. Discontinued or not, Asus supports their products down the road. So I'm not worried anyways. I already plan on keeping my prime till Tegra4 releases at the end of the year. So once people finally able to buy infinity pad, Asus will announce the new Tegra4 powered Transformer pad..lmao. tegra4 is worth the wait if you already own a prime, IMO. nothing else announced to come out really grabs my interest. except to tegra3 powered Google nexus tablet built by Asus. that'll be so cheap ill get one anyways. most other new tablets coming out for android will be tegra3 powered anyways. there's like over 12 tablets announced and set to release eventually that will be tegra3 powered. they all are listed in another thread.
So ill take that bet also. if I lose, ill gladly admit I was wrong. but people make it seem like this will happen in the next month or something...lol. prime will be discontinued on its natural cycle ending date for tablets.
demandarin said:
I do agree, the devices are spec similar. BUT at least its more of a major difference compared to Samsung lineup of tablets. they have all different lineup and spec similar. except for one thing, all their stuff is highly overpriced. at least Asus has a more reasonable priceline.
I can see prime ending around next winter or so. but by then that's the natural cycle of tablets ending anyways. Tf-700 has already been stated to not release till the end of the year. check the letter from Asus VP of something thread. so that gives prime plenty of time to still sell. by the time tf-700 finally comes out, it'll be the natural ending cycle for prime anyways. that's how technology is.
with the specs of the prime, it still has a place that fits in the lineup. regardless what some may believe. then you have the Asus built Google nexus tegra3 7in. tablet said to come out. ill say prime won't be discontinued anytime soon. for any product, there always come a time down the road when its discontinued. Wait till the announcement is released then tell me again does it make sense that they will discontinue the prime.
lets say they do discontinue it soon, so what..lol. it won't stop my Prime from functioning or performing great. it won't stop the major developement we already have for it. it still won't stop up getting updates, at least for a good while. So prime owners good either way. they already discontinuing the tf-101 less than a year from being released. to have it replaced by 300 model. tf-101 model just got ICS so it's still receiving support. Discontinued or not, Asus supports their products down the road. So I'm not worried anyways. I already plan on keeping my prime till Tegra4 releases at the end of the year. So once people finally able to buy infinity pad, Asus will announce the new Tegra4 powered Transformer pad..lmao. tegra4 is worth the wait if you already own a prime, IMO. nothing else announced to come out really grabs my interest. except to tegra3 powered Google nexus tablet built by Asus. that'll be so cheap ill get one anyways. most other new tablets coming out for android will be tegra3 powered anyways. there's like over 12 tablets announced and set to release eventually that will be tegra3 powered. they all are listed in another thread.
So ill take that bet also. if I lose, ill gladly admit I was wrong. but people make it seem like this will happen in the next month or something...lol. prime will be discontinued on its natural cycle ending date for tablets.
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last i heard they were debating on tegra 3 vs something else for the nexus tablet. something changed?
also kindle fire 2 will be coming out around the end of the year with tegra 3. i guess we'll see how the battery life measures up. but if you are in the market at present for something with good battery life..the acer iconia a510 contains a 13 hr video playback battery life according to its specs.
demandarin said:
I would easily purchase the prime over those 2. here's why.
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Didnt you say a while back, that the 300 would have been your pick if it was available back then when the prime came out?
jblah said:
last i heard they were debating on tegra 3 vs something else for the nexus tablet. something changed?
also kindle fire 2 will be coming out around the end of the year with tegra 3. i guess we'll see how the battery life measures up. but if you are in the market at present for something with good battery life..the acer iconia a510 contains a 13 hr video playback battery life according to its specs.
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hold up..First thing is first..lmfao. where in da world did you hear kindle fire2 will have tegra3 also? I've never seen any hint of that. could be possible but very shocking. I doubt they will use that chip as its out of their league..lol.
To your first statement, they were debating ln it at first. now this is all according to tech sites rumors and speculations. at first it was said to have tegra3. then we heard to cut down on price they were going to use a lesser spec chip. then just recently, all reports show them going back with tegra3 and they will city costs elsewhere, which I think is good idea. Google nexus tablet needs to be powerful and low priced. this is to look more enticing than kindle fire or nook. so the latest spec on nexus tablet is that it will be made by Asus and still will use tegra3.
I heard about that Acer battery life. we will have to see what the real battery life performance will be once it releases. Prime + Dock still has best battery life of all. 18+ hrs. estimated battery life combined. plenty of people came in this forum and said if you think Asus has problems, Acer is alot worse. it'll be like going from jumping into a small fire to jumping into a volcano..lol. so I'm very skeptical on Acer products based on what other Acer owners that passed through here have said.
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junrider said:
Didnt you say a while back, that the 300 would have been your pick if it was available back then when the prime came out?
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if it was before prime was ever announced or released. sure. its cheaper priced. but I have no regrets on my prime purchase at all. it has performed to well for me. I wouldn't downgrade or get rid of my prime to get a lower spec 300. I do love the new colors though. I think the whole Asus line of tablets will be good. it will just depend on how much you can afford or willing tl spend. not everyone wants to dish out $500-700 for a prime or infinity pad. only reason I spent this much on a prime because I bought it as a Christmas gift to myself. plus I know its more than powerful enough that I won't need another tablet for a long time. Tegra4 powered Asus tablet is what I'm waiting for next. till then, prime does everything I ask of it just fine. This really is a great tablet. I never use my Ipad anymore. Prime is soo sexy Sleek n lightweight. lol
According to Engadget, ASUS PadFone priced and ready for pre-order in Taiwan tomorrow, launches mid-April, check it out
engadget com/2012/04/05/asus-padfone-priced-and-ready-for-pre-order-in-taiwan-tomorrow/ (sorry, doesn't allow me to insert full url)
megamoz said:
According to Engadget, ASUS PadFone priced and ready for pre-order in Taiwan tomorrow, launches mid-April, check it out
engadget com/2012/04/05/asus-padfone-priced-and-ready-for-pre-order-in-taiwan-tomorrow/ (sorry, doesn't allow me to insert full address)
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I'm interested to see if this concept pans out and people actually pick up on it. Personally I have my doubts that this will catch on. Especially with the price of the thing:
"...dual-core phone is priced at NT$17,990 (US$610), while the tablet set -- including that curious Bluetooth headset / stylus -- will set you back NT$24,980 (around US$850). If you're thinking keyboard add-ons are all the rage, expect to pay around NT$28,901 (US$980)..."
So if the phone itself is $610 and the tablet with keyboard is $980, there is no way this thing will make it. However, their wording around the pricing is a little confusing. Maybe it is $980 for the phone, tablet and dock. But even so, I would never pay that much for this.
I'm really tempted with one of these for the Mrs, both her phone and laptop are at deaths door.
If its sensibly priced for the Phone/Tablet Dock and it uses the TF201 Keyboard I'll probably bite
Its the ultimate set up for an electronics device but damn its expensive..lol. I really like it and would be so cool to own. Priced to high for me though. If the complete set would cost about $600, I'd say its worth it. But almost $1000 is too much. People will still buy it though.
I don't get it... WHY would people pay to get ONE device that just builds into another for the same price as buying 3 separate devices?
When Google finally comes out with its "cheap" Nexus tablet, getting an unlocked GSM Galaxy Nexus + tablet will probably be about $750. You telling me the keyboard dock is worth another $230?
jordache16 said:
So if the phone itself is $610 and the tablet with keyboard is $980, there is no way this thing will make it. However, their wording around the pricing is a little confusing. Maybe it is $980 for the phone, tablet and dock. But even so, I would never pay that much for this.
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If it's $980 for the phone, dock, stylus/headset, and keyboard dock altogether, then that wouldn't be terribly bad considering:
1. Phones are typically in the $500-$700 range (sometimes more) unsubsidized.
2. That would make it $370 additional for the tablet, the stylus/headset, and the keyboard dock.
3. The Transformer keyboard dock is $150 by itself. So, that makes the stylus/headset and tablet only $220. And THAT wouldn't be bad considering that the tablet includes some of the pricier components of a standalone tablet, such as the battery and the screen.
I also don't think the tablet/stylus/headset/dock combo will be $980 by itself, given that the Transformer Prime 32GB is only $650 and includes a processor, RAM, radios, etc.
If the phone were subsidized to the typical $200, and then the tablet/stylus/headset/dock were an additional $370, it would probably do pretty well as people compared the combo to a phone+tablet alternative.
If it's $610 for the phone and $980 for the other components... Then seriously, ouch. It won't go anywhere.
wynand32 said:
If it's $980 for the phone, dock, stylus/headset, and keyboard dock altogether, then that wouldn't be terribly bad considering:
1. Phones are typically in the $500-$700 range (sometimes more) unsubsidized.
2. That would make it $370 additional for the tablet, the stylus/headset, and the keyboard dock.
3. The Transformer keyboard dock is $150 by itself. So, that makes the stylus/headset and tablet only $220. And THAT wouldn't be bad considering that the tablet includes some of the pricier components of a standalone tablet, such as the battery and the screen.
I also don't think the tablet/stylus/headset/dock combo will be $980 by itself, given that the Transformer Prime 32GB is only $650 and includes a processor, RAM, radios, etc.
If the phone were subsidized to the typical $200, and then the tablet/stylus/headset/dock were an additional $370, it would probably do pretty well as people compared the combo to a phone+tablet alternative.
If it's $610 for the phone and $980 for the other components... Then seriously, ouch. It won't go anywhere.
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I guess if you put the price thing aside I think there is a fundamental usability problem with trying to combine the functionality of a phone and a tablet into a single device. And that is, what happens when someone tries to call you and you have the thing docked in the tablet? I am guessing you would have to either yank the think out of the tablet or use the bluetooth headset, which either way is going to be a clumsy and annoying experience (what if the bluetooth headset is not close to you, etc.).
Also, I don't want to constantly have to dock and undock my phone. This would be something that I personally would have to do a minimum of twice a day. In the morning I would leave for work and my phone would be docked in the tablet from the night before, so I would have to undock it to take my phone to work. Then once I get home from work I have to dock the phone in order to use the tablet. This would get old really fast. Currently I come home from work, plop down on the couch and grab my Prime which is right there ready to go. No setup is required.
It'll be cheaper, assuming it makes it to the US and gets carrier subsidy. That's the trick--navigating the carrier negotiations to get it approved, since you can't just pop in a SIM and use it. It may happen (for the US), since it would be a good halo device. Then again, the Moto Atrix didn't quite set any sales record.
The price isn't unreasonable once you account for all the trappings. But it's a sticker shock at first glance, because the iPad's $500 reference price is firmly ensconced in buyers' minds. "First-glance" eval can be make-or-break. It's definitely a niche item, even more than the usual 4G-enabled tablets. One indicator will be whether XDA gets enough requests to make a forum for it. But given the dearth of high-end Android tabs lately, it'll probably get a forum regardless.
I'm leery of its complexity. Asus has a less-than-stellar QC record with its tablets to date, both in hardware and firmware. Of course, prudence isn't exactly an early adopter trait, and kids must have their shiny toys. Prime users will have ample company in extolling their love of Asus products.
I re-watched the PadFone announcement to take stock, and Shih dude always cracks me up. He's the definition of "camp."
I would seriously pick the Padphone if it supported US Tmobile's HSPA+ (4g) 1700/2100 bands.
What is the point of this anyways. Why buy this instead of a separate phone and tablet...
e.mote said:
It'll be cheaper, assuming it makes it to the US and gets carrier subsidy. That's the trick--navigating the carrier negotiations to get it approved, since you can't just pop in a SIM and use it. It may happen (for the US), since it would be a good halo device. Then again, the Moto Atrix didn't quite set any sales record.
The price isn't unreasonable once you account for all the trappings. But it's a sticker shock at first glance, because the iPad's $500 reference price is firmly ensconced in buyers' minds. "First-glance" eval can be make-or-break. It's definitely a niche item, even more than the usual 4G-enabled tablets. One indicator will be whether XDA gets enough requests to make a forum for it. But given the dearth of high-end Android tabs lately, it'll probably get a forum regardless.
I'm leery of its complexity. Asus has a less-than-stellar QC record with its tablets to date, both in hardware and firmware. Of course, prudence isn't exactly an early adopter trait, and kids must have their shiny toys. Prime users will have ample company in extolling their love of Asus products.
I re-watched the PadFone announcement to take stock, and Shih dude always cracks me up. He's the definition of "camp."
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Ah, lmfao. I had to pause the video as i couldn't stop laughing. I love it. THAT guy is quite a character. More people need to show that kind of Enthusiasm towards Prime and Asus products. That was a good laugh. Then add in the fact that he's very animated also, Classic.
He is like "Is this a pad?" Love it! Lol
megamoz said:
According to Engadget, ASUS PadFone priced and ready for pre-order in Taiwan tomorrow, launches mid-April, check it out
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So Taiwan only?
jordache16 said:
So if the phone itself is $610 and the tablet with keyboard is $980, there is no way this thing will make it. However, their wording around the pricing is a little confusing. Maybe it is $980 for the phone, tablet and dock. But even so, I would never pay that much for this.
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I'm guessing it's $980 for the whole set, although the way it's worded in the article is admittedly a bit confusing. It wouldn't make sense for the padfone station with the keyboard dock to cost that much by itself, considering it's more than a prime with its keyboard dock, and the prime is actually a fully functioning tablet on its own, including on board memory, cpu etc., whereas the padfone station is just a shell for the phone with only some of the on board components of a tablet.
In any case, assuming my previous assumption is correct, $980 isn't that bad, considering the price you would pay for a separate phone and a tablet like the transformer with its keyboard dock. I wonder how much extra for the 32GB and 64GB models, considering that listed price is likely for the base 16GB model.
>$980 isn't that bad
In sales, never let the prospective buyer start talking about the price first. Sizzle always comes first, and price should be hidden away in a safe place until you finish the pitch. Once you got the mark to say "price isn't that bad," you know you've netted another one.
Anyway, as any purveyor of high-end toys would say, if you have to ask about the price, this isn't for you. The niche that this product targets is not price sensitive.
Rogue100 said:
So Taiwan only?
I'm guessing it's $980 for the whole set, although the way it's worded in the article is admittedly a bit confusing. It wouldn't make sense for the padfone station with the keyboard dock to cost that much by itself, considering it's more than a prime with its keyboard dock, and the prime is actually a fully functioning tablet on its own, including on board memory, cpu etc., whereas the padfone station is just a shell for the phone with only some of the on board components of a tablet.
In any case, assuming my previous assumption is correct, $980 isn't that bad, considering the price you would pay for a separate phone and a tablet like the transformer with its keyboard dock. I wonder how much extra for the 32GB and 64GB models, considering that listed price is likely for the base 16GB model.
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32GB padfone is the only one model which will be sold in Taiwan.
some pictures from one Taiwanese website
tinyurl.com/bpagq2w
Do you guys know if you can buy just the phone? I'm looking for an upgrade in the next 3-4 months an the specs of the phone seem just perfect for my needs. But i already have the TP so no need for the other stuff
bans0n said:
32GB padfone is the only one model which will be sold in Taiwan.
some pictures from one Taiwanese website
tinyurl.com/bpagq2w
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So then what about USA?
xGary said:
What is the point of this anyways. Why buy this instead of a separate phone and tablet...
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The value would be:
1. All info (photos, video, downloaded files, documents, etc.) stored in one place and accessible in both phone and tablet formats.
2. One cellular plan used with both phone and tablet formats (assuming the carriers go along with it). So, imagine your usual phone and data line, only usable for both a phone and a tablet (without the pain and hassle of tethering).
3. Ability to switch instantly from the phone to the tablet in terms of workflow. Imagine taking notes on the phone and deciding you'd rather take them on the tablet. Rather than saving the note on the phone, switching to a tablet, navigating to and opening the note on the tablet, and finding your place, you just pop the phone in the tablet and keep working. Now imagine the same with the keyboard dock.
4. Instant charger for the phone. Running low on the phone's battery? Toss it into the tablet for a quick recharge. Maybe even while on a call.
I can see some real advantages to such a platform. If it came to Sprint and the phone was nicely subsidized, and $370 for the tablet, stylus/headset, keyboard dock, I'd give it a strong look.
e.mote said:
It'll be cheaper, assuming it makes it to the US and gets carrier subsidy. That's the trick--navigating the carrier negotiations to get it approved, since you can't just pop in a SIM and use it. It may happen (for the US), since it would be a good halo device. Then again, the Moto Atrix didn't quite set any sales record.
The price isn't unreasonable once you account for all the trappings. But it's a sticker shock at first glance, because the iPad's $500 reference price is firmly ensconced in buyers' minds. "First-glance" eval can be make-or-break. It's definitely a niche item, even more than the usual 4G-enabled tablets. One indicator will be whether XDA gets enough requests to make a forum for it. But given the dearth of high-end Android tabs lately, it'll probably get a forum regardless.
I'm leery of its complexity. Asus has a less-than-stellar QC record with its tablets to date, both in hardware and firmware. Of course, prudence isn't exactly an early adopter trait, and kids must have their shiny toys. Prime users will have ample company in extolling their love of Asus products.
I re-watched the PadFone announcement to take stock, and Shih dude always cracks me up. He's the definition of "camp."
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It might not come to the US. When it was announced at WMC I emailed Hai at asus because I wanted to know if they would also sell the handset separately without the tablet because I really like the handset but cant justify spending that much on a 4th tablet (I have the tf 101, 201 and a HTC evo view) he replied with this: I hope it does change because I am fond of the handset
"For the Padfone. I do not think it will be released in North American shores. The market it too saturated over here with cellular devices and our partnerships with USA/CANADA cellular carriers view it the same way. I’ll let you know if this changes."
>I emailed Hai at asus
Since Hai is more forthcoming about Asus info, and is a tech mgr, perhaps you can send him a query about the getting of NVFlash to work alongside the BL unlock. Seems to be a point of complaints around here, and I didn't see much movement in getting the matter to Asus' attention.
---------- Post added at 06:34 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:51 PM ----------
>One cellular plan used with both phone and tablet formats
From the rumblings, untied data plan is coming to US carriers anyway. From the users' view, it doesn't make sense to pay multiple data plans, now that multiple-device ownership is more common. From the carriers' view, it would be good business, since the tied-plan requirement undoubtedly inhibits sales of other devices. The more devices the user owns = the more bandwidth he's likely to use = the higher capacity plan he's likely to buy.
>Ability to switch instantly from the phone to the tablet in terms of workflow
That's the promise of all these all-in-one (AIO) devices, but the devil is in the details. Historically, most fall short. Asus doesn't have a track record in high-end consumer electronics, and its present record in tablet isn't encouraging. We'll see when the reviews roll in.
Anyway, as graffixnyc mentioned, I don't see this coming to the US. Asus has little presence in the US smartphone market. Carriers tend to be a conservative lot.
I don't see why tethering can't just apart of data plans at no additional charge; i'd willing to give-up my 'unlimited' data, that they throttle anyways, for 5gigs a month. In exchange to be able to use my phone as a wifi spot for my tablet for important needs. Hell, I don't even get close to using 5gigs of data a month anyways.
Most places have a Wifi spot, but it seems that the most ideal places to take advantage of a mobile entertainment/productivity device, are locations that don't offer Wifi. For example, sitting outside for 30min. waiting for the kids to get out of school. Inside a doctors office around complete strangers that no one really wants to socialize with.
That's why this idea of the padfone kind of makes me upset. It's just another way to force consumers into something that should already have been integrated, and can ALREADY be supported by most devices on the market.
In closing, I'm looking forward to what Windows 8 platform has to offer in the next couple of years. Whether or not people want to admit it, Windows is the most widely used O/S in terms of user end. So ALL devices under one platform, given the support from one of the biggest and most successful companies, with a 'little' bit of the freedom linux/android has. Will be really exciting.
For now, I'll enjoy my iPhone4 and ATP! I'll probably trade the i4 for a android once I qualify for an upgrade. I due love the prime, but again, can't use it in some places I'd like to use it most.
So TFP was supposed to be the best Android tablet when it came out (now it's TFP 700). It was not a terrible product by any means but it did fall short of expectations.
It's broken GPS, sketchy wifi, horrible web browser (if not rooted) and low read/write speeds making everything slower compared to the cheapest android tablet out there. But besides all that it works and works pretty well.
Now that I've experienced the best of Android, I can't spend any money on it again for a similar experience.
I think I'll try MS Surface when it comes out. If nothing else at least the web browsing won't be as terrible as on TFP.
I think I take Google Nexus 7 and if Google provide 10 Inc Tablet I take it. Asus good company, but they support very poor. If Flagship like Prime doesn't work properly (but I very like this Tab, I use Prime every day, and Tablet very good) I think Asus not interesting to support they devices, they only interesting to sell. If they provide very good firmware with all new features, like Android 4,1 ,like kernel 3,1+ and other, and this firmware work grate and long battary live, I change my mind and take next Tablet from Asus and tell my Friend that this good deal and if they have Tablet they need Asus
If I could get my money back for my prime, I'd probably get the Nexus 7. Or just upgrade my phone
When I bought the prime a month ago (c4) I was aware of a lot of it shortcommings.
For me the prime works fine within its limitations. So my clear statement. I will stick with my prime at least
till next summer.
Then I will look may be a sufface pro or an ultrabook with touchscreen or even if Win 8 fails for me a new Win 7 ultrabook.
And I hear a lot of people think same.
The real looser are the current untrabook and notebook producer. Same like me a lot of ppl simple wait.
So again I stuck with the prime and I stuck with my 4 years old Dell notebook.
Absolutely not. The prime took form over function to a degree where it proved to be near useless on my trip- the reason I bought it. ASUS will not get another dime from me.
I have given up on Asus. I was hoping HTC would make the Nexus tablet. I have had great success with HTC Phones. This TFP was junk. From random reboots, sleep of death, horrible gps, and don't get me started on the WiFi! I like Samsung but their GPS is just as bad. I will pass on the Nexus 7.
I already pre-ordered the Nexus 7. Here is to hoping that with the support of Google, that Asus and Nvidia can get this one right!!
Why could we need a new tablet ?
I mean, here we all have a Tegra3 based - Super IPS panel - Aluminium ...
Alright, the GPS isn't so good (however not too bad) and ICS is a bit rough but I don't think that today there is any other tablet able to overcome ou TFP : TF700 simply has a 1080p panel and the nexus 7 has Jellybean (which will come soon at our TFP and probably fix somes issues).
I don't believe that there is any competitor for us, who just bought a 600 €/$ tablet 6 month ago ....
Thanks to one broken mainboard and the still remaining problems with screen flickering and the bootloader unlocker I am pretty sure, that ASUS will never ever get money from me again
A tablet for that much money and the screen is flickering and I cant unlock it? Due to this + bad WIFI and unusable GPS (which I would have accepted) this tablet is the worst investment in hardware I did in the past few years...
I just wanted a great gadget, now I cant even play with it, due to the locked bootloader that is not unlockable for me and many others
Asus is crap. I will never buy one of their products ever again, and will be sure to spread this opinion to all friends and family who ask me for tech advice.
Love my Prime, but will not be buying another ASUS product either.
Jonphinguyen7 said:
Love my Prime, but will not be buying another ASUS product either.
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I am with you on that one.
LOL...a lot of people bought their Primes as a POSSIBLE replacement to a laptop.
My Alienware M18 has replaced my Prime, and I think I will go with a M11 Alienware to replace my Prime.
BUT, even a 4k laptop is not without its problems. AMD has yet to provide a proper driver for dual 7970m GPU's......:crying:
So you know what Asus is probably on par with other manufactures, always caught up in the hardware/specs race and not fully ready to release a product.
Sent from my Alienware M18
Edit:
You know what, yeah i still do love my Prime, I know its flakey, but its great to sit on the couch and struggle trying to browse the internet. Plus its great on the crapper.
Crazy how things work though, my GS3 is now more powerful than my Prime...Geez it's only been 6 months
I run a business from my TFP. It's my baby. I think asus has been very accommodating. I can think of no other company that rolls out this manyupdates.
Regarding the problems, I think people exaggerate. Let's look at each one.
Browser issue. I've never really had any problem with my browser. But if I did, I have dozens of alternatives on the play store.
Dodgy wifi. There are 3 primes within my arms' reach. There's a c3, c4, and c5. I'm sorry, but I haven't seen any problem with the wifi.
Screen flickering. Again, I haven't seen any of that.
GPS. Ok, so only 1 out of the 3 primes I mentioned have working gps. But so what? Honestly, how many people use their prime as a gps device to navigate around? I'm the only person I've ever heard of to use a tablet as a gps navigation device. Also, don't you have a smart phone with a gps? Why not bluetooth it to your prime to navigate if you need to do it that bad?
I'm not saying I don't believe people are having these issues. I just don't believe these issues are that widespread. In my business, I can tell you that people seem to have 2 universal characteristics when it comes to their tech stuff. (1) People almost always blame someone/something else rather than themselves, and (2) people tend to exaggerate the problem.
For example, there was a guy that needed to send his tablet to me to fix. He swore up and down that it just stopped turning on and that it was asus's design flaw. When I received it in the mail, it was VERY VERY obvious to me that he had dropped it and the power button was depressed and out of alignment with the inner button. There was also another guy who crammed TWO micro-sd cards into the micro sdcard slot and ruined both his cards and the slot. He also swore up and down to me that it was asus's design flaw. Then there was the water damage case that, again, the owner swore up and down his prime was never anywhere near water. There was also a guy who totally screwed up his own PC but was too embarrassed to tell me about it. After I drilled him a bit, he finally admitted that he had one of those viruses that told him it was harmless and that all he needed to do was remove certain files from his system folder to get rid of it. The idiot actually went through and deleted his systems files.
The exaggerating cases are just as bad. Look, when you call someone up for tech support or help, you need to be precise. That's how we help you! I've had people give me end-of-the-world scenarios with their computers only to turn out that they accidentally physically switched off their wifi switch.
I am not an asus apologist. I think asus has a lot of improvements to make. That said, if you think another tablet manufacturer can do a better job, please by all means switch. After having owned a multitude of tablet devices and years of testing out various boards from many manufacturers, I'm sticking with asus's tablets. I will try to get myself an infinity when it's available.
It's my experience that online reviews don't paint a real picture of things. People tend to stay quiet when everything is fine and only write a review when they found something wrong. This phenomenon gives the false impression that most of whatever it is are defective.
Then there are the ones who want to screw over a business just because they can. I sent out an item via ups some time ago. It was suppose to arrive on the 19th via tracking but ups had a delay and it was delivered on the 21st. The customer wrote me an email blasting me for ups's delay. Very nasty email, actually. He even hinted that if I gave him a partial refund he wouldn't give me a negative review. Annoyed, I replied thanking him for assuming I had complete control over how ups operates. Well, you guessed it, I got that negative review. In the review, he said he received the item very very very very late and that I was rude and packaged the item very poorly (even though I wrapped it in two layers of bubble wraps). There's that exaggeration with reviews again.
So, yeah, guys, go ahead and switch to a different company if that makes you feel better. Just my 2 cents.
already pre-ordered a nexus 7. I might see what win 8 tablets talking about. but after nexus 7, ill be satisfied until tegra4 tablets release.
p.s. I LOVE THE PRIME!
I have an ASUS TF700t and keyboard on pre-order, and will be selling my good working Prime with its keyboard on eBay as soon as the new one comes in. That's what I did with my original Transformer and my current Prime. I expect that at the end of the year there will be some real Windows 8 tablets, such as the Microsoft Surface RT. I expect to "upgrade" to one of those in a similar manner. Great fun!
Bye.
It will be a Samsung tablet that's for sure, not only do Samsung's Exynos SoCs consistently perform as on of the best SoCs on the market but Samsung's latest Android devices have been nothing but stellar.
The Prime was my first experience of Asus and it's definitely going to be last, in my opinion; Asus have absolutely shocking quality testing. Whilst people can post that they don't have any problems; for every one who doesn't have an issue, 100's do. The fact that Asus did not comprehend the impact of a full metal design on the WiFi and GPS performance speaks volumes about their pre-release testing.
I'm not an unreasonable person, I actually didn't care much for GPS on a tablet and hence why I've not been vocal about it, so I'm not complaining for the sake of it. However, since .21, I've always had pathetic browser performance, screen glitching where the status bar jumps up and down and sleep of deaths whilst docked. .28 comes along and fixes none of those issues but throws screen tearing on the left side of the screen into the mix, you can imagine how much that would annoy a consumer.
I'm happy to use applications off the market to make the experience better, for example I use thumb keyboard because Asus' stock keyboard is nothing but an embarrassment. I mean, why release a 10.1" tablet with a soft keyboard that doesn't have the option to split the keyboard in landscape orientation? You can't reach the keys in the middle of the screen, it's basic ergonomics and something I learnt in school when I was 16 and that's why it's embarrassing. Yet there's certain applications where I'm not willing to compromise as the loss of features are too great.
For example, the stock browser supports flash and direct syncing with my Google account. Nothing else does this as Chrome doesn't support flash. Another great example of how disorganised and unprofessional Asus are, is the whole GPS dongle shipping process. Not only are Asus incompetent to mess up GPS in the first place, they're stupid enough to mess up their attempt to resolve the issue.
For me it comes down to a simple question, am I happy with the £500 I spent on the Prime? The answer is no, as I could have bought a tablet that's £200 cheaper with a Tegra3 chip in that doesn't have the issues the Prime does. Would you put up with a TV unit that had screen tear down the side, with absolutely no acknowledgement from the manufacturer as to when it's going to get fixed?
Will certainly buy the nexus 7 as soon as it will be available around here. Don't know if i'll go for the infinity 700, since i lovethe prime except for its weak wifi speed on long range. I think i'll prefer to see what the windows8 tablets will be worth before going for a replacement for the prime of there ever will be one.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using xda app-developers app
No way with ASUS, they are not getting another dime. And for that matter unless it surpasses the iPad in terms of smoothness and UI performance, I ain't getting another Android tablet, they are just not mature enough (phones are a different story, I will stick with Android phones).
Keeping my Transformer Prime TF201, adding a Nexus 7. If you NEVER buy stuff from any maker you get a bad device with in the end you will have nothing to buy.
I mean for a tablet you have who Asus and Samsung as top players, anyone else?
goodintentions said:
So, yeah, guys, go ahead and switch to a different company if that makes you feel better. Just my 2 cents.
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You can bet I will. I own several Moto products, an HTC and a Samsung. The 201 I wanted seeing how good the form factor was and hearing about quad-core power. After what I've been through with mine, the issues with the tablet and the company and trying to get a hold of someone competent enough to get a GPS dongle shipped to me, I'll never spend money on anything Asus again. I haven't had any of these issues with the other companies products, but this is just my personal experience with the devices I have purchased.
While I'm not saying there aren't people satisfied with their 201's you obviously are, for me I definitely didn't get what I spent $500+ on. I would probably have a more positive view of the company had I waited for the N7 and saved myself 400 or so plus the hardware and software problems over my 201 and dock but at least I learned the lesson I'll never spend that much again on an Asus tab.