The ToyBox

Ricardo Bilton & Gloria Sin

Sony cuts Tablet S price by $100, 16GB version now $399

By | January 2, 2012, 4:00am PST

Summary: 2012 may have just begun, but Sony is wasting no time in cutting the price of its Android tablet.

If we can say anything about Android tablets in 2012, it’s that they will undoubtedly get cheaper.  We’ve already seen it with the (admittedly minor) price drop of Motorola’s on-contract Xyboards, which now start at $379, but it won’t be long before other companies join in on the cuts.

For proof of the trend, look no further than Sony. Engadget reports that the company has cut the price of its Tablet S by $100, bringing the 16 GB version to $399 and the 32GB model down to $499.

That’s a pretty big change, but probably not the most significant differential if you weren’t so keen on the device to begin with. Still, if you’ve had your eye on the Sony tablet, a $100 price cut is probably all the reason you need to invest in one.

The best news is that in the days leading up to CES 2012, these sort of price cuts are definitely something we will see a lot of. And that’s something that consumers will certainly appreciate.

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Ricardo Bilton writes for ZDNet's The ToyBox. His work has appeared in The Japan Times, The New York Observer, and The International Business Times, among other publications.

Disclosure

Ricardo Bilton

Ricardo Bilton has no investments that may conflict with his work with ZDNet. Similarly, he has not worked with any companies that he may write about in his technology coverage.

Biography

Ricardo Bilton

Ricardo Bilton writes for ZDNet's The ToyBox. His work has appeared in The Japan Times, The New York Observer, and The International Business Times, among other publications. He lives in New York, and is a graduate of Amherst College.
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No Androids in the wild here...
grillomalta@... 4th Jan
Here in Malta (Europe), although huge amounts of shops sell Androids, not many are actually buying them. It was, instead, a fight to secure an iPad2 for my daughter. The tablet actually arrived three days AFTER Christmas. In schools all across the countries (according to a survey) iPads are all the rage.

I have an iPad AND an Android myself... but it's the Apple I pick each and every time... 30% (SHIPPED!!! NOT SOLD!!!) divided by who knows how many manufacturers is nothing.... single digit percentages all round...

Come to think of it, I do not know anybody owning an Android.
Nice positive spin. But really we all know the main reason all these Android manufacturers are drastically cutting cost. No one's buying.
0 Votes
+ -
@dave95.

No one? 30% ain't good but ain't that bad either.
Obviously single digit shares, not so good, Doh!

@Return_of_the_jedi
@Return_of_the_jedi

That 30% is based on shipped Android Tablets, not sold. Android tablets are reported as shipped to the retail channel, which is not necessarily indicative of how many consumer actually purchased them.
0 Votes
+ -
@the apple folks.

You'll crack me up.
If you'll saw how you look from the outside the garden, you'll would laugh too.

I pointed out 30% you'll change the subject to who makes more money.

FYI: Amazon didn't do bad with Kindle Fire.
But I know APL. makes more money. OK. Point taken.
@Return_of_the_jedi

Wait, what? Who's discussing which company makes more money? I'm just pointing out that 30% share you stated could actually be significantly lower, because it's based on shipments to stores not on actual sales to consumers. That's why Sony and others are now trying to cut price, to get it away from the warehouses and into the hands of consumers.

http://news.yahoo.com/android-tablets-not-selling-well-claimed-145600449.html

And are we now counting fork Android tablets like the Kindle Fire as Android tablets?
@dave95. Actually they are all buying... Kindle Fire and iPads. That is basically it. Kindle Fire is the only Android tablet that is selling in quantity. Obviously it is due the price point and the Amazon back end.
Just be carefull with Android. Google give OS for free, in return they "spying" on you. Just like Gmail.
what is helping to kill android tablet sales has been limits by major players on internet usage.
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Tegra2 reach junk status
phel21 3rd Jan
There will be more cheap boards on off as new chipsets demonstrate how terribly bad the tegra2 chip is. There are millions of tegra2-based tablets in stock as an entire industry was misled by Nvidia's claims about about the HD-capabilities of tegra2.
0 Votes
+ -
No Androids in the wild here...
grillomalta@... 4th Jan
Here in Malta (Europe), although huge amounts of shops sell Androids, not many are actually buying them. It was, instead, a fight to secure an iPad2 for my daughter. The tablet actually arrived three days AFTER Christmas. In schools all across the countries (according to a survey) iPads are all the rage.

I have an iPad AND an Android myself... but it's the Apple I pick each and every time... 30% (SHIPPED!!! NOT SOLD!!!) divided by who knows how many manufacturers is nothing.... single digit percentages all round...

Come to think of it, I do not know anybody owning an Android.

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