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Topic: Windows 8

Vizio announces pricing for new Windows 8 laptops, all-in-one desktops

Summary: The company goes premium with its latest PCs; each of which will cost more than $1,000.

Sean Portnoy

By for Laptops & Desktops |

With its first round of computers, Vizio tried the approach that made it wildly successful with its HDTVs — decent quality at a very affordable price. But with its latest group of desktops and laptops, Vizio is going upscale.

vizio-windows-8-touchscreen-laptops-desktops
(Image: Vizio)

Introduced at this year's Consumer Electronics Show, the new Windows 8 touchscreen-enabled Vizio PC lineup has just revealed its pricing, and not one of the four new systems costs less than $1,000. The least expensive model is the CT14T-B0 14-inch laptop, which features an AMD APU processor and a $1,089 price tag. But adding an Intel Core i7 processor instead boosts the price to $1,419.99.

The 15.6-inch, thin-and-light laptop starts at $1,189.99 with AMD inside, whereas the Core i7 flavor of the same machine runs $1,469.99. Note that while these notebooks include touchscreen capabilities, they are not convertible models with tablet functionality that justify the high price. But they are being marketed as super-svelte competitors designed to take on the MacBook Air, with a similar aluminum unibody construction and solid state storage.

Pricing for premium all-in-one desktop PCs tends to run a little higher, so the sticker price for Vizio's new desktops appears a bit more in line with the overall marketplace. The 24-inch CA24T-B0 starts at $1,279.99 and includes an AMD A10-4600M processor, 8GB of RAM, 1TB hard drive, and built-in 802.11ac Wi-Fi capabilities. A version using a Core i7 CPU instead will run $1,439.99.

There's no AMD version of the 27-inch all-in-one, with the CA27T-A5 coming with a Core i7-3630QM processor and similar components as the 24-inch model (albeit with a bigger screen). It will set you back $1,549.99.

You can order select new models from Microsoft's online store, or the full lineup through Vizio's website.

Are these priced too high for your PC budget, or do you think they are priced right to make Vizio as successful in the PC market as with HDTVs? Let us know your thoughts in the Talkback section below.

Topics: Windows 8, Laptops, PCs

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Talkback

42 comments
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  • Hope they Fixed

    the trackpad and keyboard which were awful in the first version of the laptop. Had the first version which I traded in for a zen book prime which I then traded for a mac book air. ZBP was better than the Vizio and the MBA is much better than the ZBP.
    txscott
    Reply 2 Votes

  • Cut this price in half...

    ...and they may sell a few Windows 8 computers.
    dfolk2
    Reply 3 Votes

    • exactly. ultrabook pricing is what's killing pc

      sales. People are not stupid. You can't expect to triple your profit margins and not see a drop in volume. Go back to your traditional margins and sales will recover. There's nothing new or innovative in ultrabooks that hasn't been around for a couple years already.
      Johnny Vegas
      Reply 1 Vote

      • Except...

        That line of thinking is exactly why the PC market has failed to produce a decent product (aside from Lenovo/Dell exceptions). Vizio as a new entrant is positioning itself exactly where it should. I dare say that Michael Dell should forget his company and buy Vizio instead.
        Therminal
        Reply 1 Vote

    • They won't sell a single item

      They won't sell a single AIO.

      Slow APU : http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=AMD+A10-4600M+APU. Hardly "unlimited speed".
      Basic model doesn't have 32GB SSD cache.
      Poor screen resolution for the 24" monitor: "1920 x 1080 max" (no mention of IPS).
      The most expensive 27" model still has 1920 x 1080 resolution.
      The fake chome-plated display "stalk" is too thin and wobbly to be used with touch.
      Questionable quality bundle. Silly keyboard with bad key layout and touch pad. Questionable 2.1 audio.

      It might be better to go with iMac, which offers superior quality screen or go DIY and buy the parts you want separately: http://techreport.com/review/23376/hands-on-with-intel-open-all-in-one-platform

      Or, if you already have a descent monitor and want a small footprint, buy Intel NUC: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/23/intel-nuc-review/
      Earthling2
      Reply 2 Votes

  • & u thought Apple was expensive...

    Uhm, I think I´ll just stick to my MacBook Pro.
    Luis Zerpa
    Reply 2 Votes

    • Apple is expensive

      That doesn't mean it isn't worth it, but don't act like they aren't still expensive because of the price of... a 15.6" laptop being higher than their 13.3"
      Michael Alan Goff
      Reply 1 Vote

      • why is the apple logo worth a higher profit margin

        Not better components, not better build quality, not better service, inferior os. Better marketing does not justify higher profit margin.
        Johnny Vegas
        Reply 2 Votes

        • Those are opinions

          Especially the ones about service and OS.

          Apple computers, for good reason or not, hold their value better than computers of most other brands.

          So that makes getting that newer computer that much cheaper.
          Michael Alan Goff
          Reply 1 Vote

          • Says who?

            The iMedia? Of course they want you to think that apple products hold their value longer. It's in their best interest as they have to somehow justify the overpriced purchase. I just haven't seen this carry over into real life. I know my one mac friend tried to get that "extra value" for his mac book, and he still has it to this day. Apple products devalue just like every other tech toy. Who honestly would be willing to pay $500 for a 2011 mbp today? No me....but it still cost $2000+
            Smigelhoffen
            Reply Vote

          • Sooo

            You base what everyone would pay base on what you would pay?

            Glad to know you're trying to ooze credibility, there.
            Michael Alan Goff
            Reply Vote

        • Apple is fashion first in the eyes of the consumer.

          Because Apple isn't technology, it's fashion. If you try to ask your wife why she needs a $2k Loui V purse, your forgetting that logic, form factor and design are all second to foolish desires.
          Therminal
          Reply 1 Vote

  • Paying Apple prices for Windows 8

    That's a dead-end road. You can get an i7 quad core Mac MIni for $799. Even adding on a good-sized monitor for $200, you're still below the Vizios.
    D.J. 43
    Reply 4 Votes

    • You can't compare

      tower prices with AiO PC prices.
      Michael Alan Goff
      Reply Vote

      • I just did

        It still is a better deal.
        D.J. 43
        Reply 2 Votes

        • Okay

          You can't if you have any real integrity.

          Which I'm assuming you don't.
          Michael Alan Goff
          Reply 2 Votes

          • I get it

            Apples to Apples, no pun intended. Still, paying $1,300 for an iMac versus let's say $1,300 for a Vizio with Windows 8? I'm not sure Windows 8 OR Vizio's hardware is going to win the consumer.
            D.J. 43
            Reply 2 Votes

          • I think so

            Microsoft just needs to really sell the benefits of Windows 8 that OS X doesn't have at this point.
            Michael Alan Goff
            Reply Vote

          • Win8

            Win 8 benefits? Surely you jest !!!
            mytake4this
            Reply 2 Votes

          • re: I think so

            So. . . "Gorilla Arm" is a benefit?
            rocket ride
            Reply Vote
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