Every time a new device is on the verge of launch, we get to hear lots of rumors and speculations about it.
While in most cases we have third party sources who claim to be 'in the know' regarding the product, there are times when the company themselves leak product information out.
John Martellaro at the Mac Observer writes an interesting article about how Apple goes about doing this. John, who himself was previously with Apple as a Senior Marketing Manager reveals that controlled leaks to the press are part of Apple's strategy to generate buzz as well as study the market reaction to the leaks.
He explains:
"The way it works is that a senior exec will come in and say, "We need to release this specific information. John, do you have a trusted friend at a major outlet? If so, call him/her and have a conversation. Idly mention this information and suggest that if it were published, that would be nice. No e-mails!"
The communication is always done in person or on the phone. Never via e-mail. That's so that if there's ever any dispute about what transpired, there's no paper trail to contradict either party's version of the story. Both sides can maintain plausible deniability and simply claim a misunderstanding. That protects Apple and the publication."
John claims that the recent article on WSJ about pricing and launch dates of the upcoming Apple Tablet had "all the earmarks of a controlled leak". He explains that it could be to not only to study the reaction regarding price-points, but also as a possible way to confuse competitors who might be needing this information for their own product launches. John adds that such leaks also help in getting the crowd to their media event and sometimes result in stock price surges though that is never a reason to leak product information.
John's observations are a fascinating read and you may find them at the Mac Observer site here. Going by his points on the objective behind Apple's media leak yesterday as a possible way to gauge consumer reaction, what do you think the Apple Tablet will eventually be priced at? Do you see the final price coming down or will Apple hold the price at $1000? Tell us your opinion in the comments.
Well it all depends on how good this tablet is, Im sure it's not going to be as powerful as there mac books but on the other hand it's not really suppose to be just a labtop. I don't no I think it might cost around 1000 without contract since I heard maybe it will be with some carriers and should be cheaper like that. I sure don't want a contract with it. I have my own provider! I say 800 is a good price for it.
It's over priced, even if it does have many more features then the kindle. $1000 is too much.
maybe it has a core 2 in it, that would be nice (hacking anyone?)
and for $1k it had better have something like that or at the very least a genie in a bottle
Whatever it costs, it's gonna have to be so compelling that it will a) justify it's price and b) have a few very definite and very unique elements that would put it beyond standing between an iPhone and a MacBook/Air.
Being as good or better a reading tablet as the Kindle could be one of the kind of elements I'm talking about. Connectivity could be another: ethernet, sd cards, firewire, usb, switchable batteries!!! etc. I'm sure there are many other things that can make it a must. I count on Jobs and his gang to surprise me (and then to disappoint, but that's another story).
All this to say it could be worth the $1000, it may not.
Looks awesome, but no way I'd pay $1k for it… $500, 600, maybe even 7 or 750. Plus, I don't want to be stuck with the ATT Suckwork for data speeds…Hopefully it'll be compat with TMobile's 3g frequency…
STOP WITH THE POP UP ADS!!!
With the slue of tablets being announced at CES 2010, at what seems to be a price range of $400-700, Apple had better aim low in pricing on this one or they will get left in the dust. Just look at NVDIA's new, little computer kit as a sign of where this is going. If Apple is going to come in around $1000, it better do a lot more than its cheaper rivals. And, if they have the outright stupidity to pair up with AT&T again, it's doomed out of the gate. We'll see…
I love this site but hate the pop-ups too. Try http://www.adblockplus.org. Works with many browsers. It's free and works like a charm.
Hahaha…I love that "Popup" above is now a pop up ad!
lol that's hilarious
i just don't understand the logic behind everybody here complaining. if this thing has a 10" touch screen..and it does more than an iPhone..isn't it worth a $1000? if you don't wanna pay $1k, i get it…neither do i. but don't you know..the iphone 3gs was like $500-$600 (or was it more?) when it first came out? how the hell does it make sense to cost around the same price? consumers don't make sense..everything is just supposed to be cheap huh?
I'm here at least once a day, I've never seen a single ad, popup, what have you on this site!! Ever! AdBlock Plus rocks! I'm waiting for it to be ported to GoogleChrome Mac, so I can use that. Don't go browsing with out it!
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