The Big "Apple" for $99 (Clone)...$85 Coby Netbook PC "Midget" At CeBIT Show

MOBY AND COBY

- The Big Apple Killer: Marvell's Tablet ("Moby") for $99.
People are crazy to pay Apple's prices. They will be really crazy to pay through the nose for an Apple iPad when they are able to get a suitable replacement for $99 -- if not the Marvell Moby, then something else. Price breaks like this, when it actually happens, are market breakers. This will kick the floor out from under Apple. Read more at http://hothardware.com/News/Marvells-99-Moby-Tablet-Might-Just-Change-The-World/ .


- Coby Netbook PC NBPC722 should even run Linux, as shown by the link below:
http://www.cobysz.com/newEbiz1/EbizPortalFG/portal/html/ProductInfoExhibit.html?ProductInfoExhibit_ProductID=c373e91fae986c488fea6cf251e6dcb6&ProductInfoExhibit_isRefreshParent=false

You will see below why the $100-laptop phenom is unstoppable though most everyone in the computer field does want to stop it.

Today's news comes from the CeBIT exhibition (European show for consumer electronics and telecommunications, with emphasis on suppliers as well as users), ongoing in Hannover, Germany, March 2-6, 2010. http://www.cebit.de/search?srchopts=ZGRmBQt0ZQDjAmcypaMapzH9AFM2pG0kZQN3Amp0AQbkZwL3AwHmZmZ4

We reported on this over a year ago while some famous gadget sites (I won't name Engadget.com or anything like that) were still in denial on this -- http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/cobys-sub-200-netbooks-handled-at-ces/ . :) (Do Engadget and Ross Rubin ever say they were wrong?)

You see, everyone who makes their living in the computing game is loath to admit what they loathe. And, oh, how they loathe supercheap computers, because commoditization of computing will cut revenue streams from it, make it less profitable for all -- and that includes stores like Best Buy and product pointers like Engadget and CNet.

The Coby NBPC-722 (Netbook PC, 7-in. screen) is claimed to sell for well under the famed "$100-laptop" price barrier, as Engadget now admits (a year late) -- actually $85.

Unfortunately, I doubt that. The sweet spot for ultracheap computers is about $129. You can sell tons at that price if you have wide distribution channels, as Coby does. You couldn't get a similar device for less than $66 wholesale in quantity, FOB China, which tells me that's about what it costs to make these. So a $99 retail selling price probably is doable for Coby but by no means necessary. I would estimate the introductory price as $119 to $129. But the competitors for these will get much more expensive, making the Cobys attractive indeed.

LET'S MAKE IT OFFICIAL

Here is Coby's page showing the 7-in. netbook PC: http://www.cobysz.com/newEbiz1/EbizPortalFG/portal/html/ProductInfoExhibit.html?ProductInfoExhibit_ProductID=c373e91fae986c488fea6cf251e6dcb6&ProductInfoExhibit_isRefreshParent=false You can see the specs and a photo there.

1. The BIG Deal: YOU WILL BE ABLE TO FIND THEM "EVERYWHERE"!

2. The OTHER BIG Deal: There Will Be DOZENS OF IMITATORS!

By finding them everywhere, I mean they will be in unusual venues for selling laptops, notebooks, and such: at GROCERY stores, HOME IMPROVEMENT stores, DRUG stores. We won't have to rely on conventional electronics sellers like Walmart, Best Buy, and Fry's, who hate to sell cheap PCs. They just won't do it until they have to. Incidentally, I have seen the Augen Netbook for just a little over $100 at a TA truck stop. It also was available at the grocery chain Albertson's and the home-improvement store chain Menard's, last November (Black Friday) for both of them.

Out-of-the-ordinary-channel distribution is essential for the sub-$100 laptop phenom to take off and fly.

100s of Brands Even Now

A city in China, Shenzhen, is the source of literally hundreds of brands of similar mini-laptops or EPCs, as the Chinese are wont to call them. Here are some between $50 and $100: http://www.aliexpress.com/category/702/laptops.html?minPrice=50&maxPrice=100&quantity= .
Here are many more for a little over $100: http://www.aliexpress.com/category/702/laptops.html?minPrice=100&maxPrice=200&quantity= .

LOTS OF $100 LAPTOPS, THAT'S a KEY.

3. AND THE COUP DE GRACE (for $300 - $3000 PCs): The BLISTERPACK PC

When you see these on blisterpacks, you soon will see them in dollar stores (all kinds of dollar stores).

Breaking through the price floor will lower the price of all personal computers. Even Apple and Sony will not be able to hold the line. The bottom price point drags down the bottom line of all computer marketers and those companies and people who feed on them. It is very simple.

My opinion right now is that "computers" eventually will be offered for few tens of dollars. However, bear in mind that that is in 2010 dollars, not the inflated ones we will have when computers get into dollar stores, which might themselves change into "$5 Stores."

MORE FROM ENGADGET.COM

Engadget finally got on the ball with this and it is worth looking at: http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/03/coby-85-smartbook-feels-like-a-hundred-bucks-hands-on/ .

How About a 32-inch Notebook for $150?

Details at the link below:

http://www.hktdc.com/sourcing/company_product_detail.htm?companyid=1X041954&productid=818453&pathid=55&isothernode=false&isinventorynode=false&isstockofnode=false&isstockofothernode=false&entryPoint=1&locale=en

Live in NYC? Check out the Electronics Store where Celebs Go for Bargains

Well, you know the old saying: "Everyone likes a bargain -- the rich *love* a bargain." Actors, politicians, stars, and has-beens ... you'll see them all at J&R Music and Computer World in Downtown New York (yes, NYC has a "downtown").

If you can't make it to the City, you can check out J&R's educational web site and get FREE SHIPPING.

While you're it in New York, also check out some of the smaller stores, typically run by recent immigrants who can offer knockoffs at a much lower price sometimes.

But J&R graduated from a hole to a city block (photo) and is well worth a look, as they can offer some of the lowest prices around.

They are at Park Row, between Beekman and Ann Streets, one block south of City Hall and two blocks north of Fulton Street, in Downtown New York. (New York's billionaire mayor Michael Bloomberg shops there.)

23 Park Row
New York, NY 10038
(across from City Hall Park)
Phone: 1-212-238-9000

How About a13-inch Notebook for $250?

Meet the Hanbo. (Is there no end to these Chinese brand names)? http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/277051766/2010_new_netbook.html

It's around $250 direct from China, FREE SHIPPING, your payment protected by Alibaba (no delivery, no payment of your money).

As far as a day-in-and-day-out deal, one you can always get anytime you want it, this probably is about the best we can do for right now on a netbook computer of this size.

ANSWERING JOE WILCOX' ARTICLE IN "BETANEWS"

I couldn't resist commenting on Joe Wilcox's blog article "Sony shows how to lift Windows PCs out of the low-price doldrums" http://www.betanews.com/joewilcox/article/Sony-shows-how-to-lift-Windows-PCs-out-of-the-lowprice-doldrums/1265139557 , which is the antithesis of the content on my blog:

Clayton Hallmark
Feb 2, 2010 - 5:03 PM [EST]

Well, Joe, you make a good argument, but you got it right the first time: What we are seeing is commoditization.

I have a whole blog dedicated to this, to the Alpha 400 and other cheapEST computers. If you live in New York City, you can prove to yourself, by visual observation, that maintaining ASP in PCs is the Impossible Dream. Go into any of the hole-in-the-wall cheap-electronics storefronts in Midtown (mostly) and you will see mini-laptops -- not worthy of the name, some would say -- that you can buy for around $100 any old day, no contracts and no strings attached. This might be true in other big cities as well, or soon will be.

There are literally thousands of sources for these cheap ARM-based notebooks in mainland China, hundreds of *manufacturers* even, all making basically the same no-name product -- that is, usually with no brand-name at all. Some have even set up shop in the USA, online and on the street.

Cheap products for the Chinese market can be sold cheaply here as well. They will flood the market and drag all ASPs down with them. You can even order these direct from China, often with the seller paying your shipping cost, on a single-unit basis, and your payment is even protected by something similar to PayPal (no delivery, no money). Unstoppable. (I am not giving my web address, but I had to respond to the very interesting article.)

HERE IS JOE WILCOX'S BASIC ARGUMENT, BUT GO TO HIS WEBSITE TO GIVE HIM A FAIR CHANCE:

http://www.betanews.com/joewilcox/article/Sony-shows-how-to-lift-Windows-PCs-out-of-the-lowprice-doldrums/1265139557

"Sony shows how to lift Windows PCs out of the low-price doldrums"

"Windows PC vendors can effectively raise selling prices -- not that it will be easy, particularly as long as they sell netbooks. One Windows PC OEM shows the way. Today, Sony announced new E-series laptops packing Intel i3 and i5 core processors and boasting, brashy colored exteriors. The $799.99 price is about $326 more than the average selling price of laptops sold at US retail in fourth quarter, according to NPD data."

"Selling Prices in Free Fall"

"US retail average selling prices fell for both Macs and Windows PCs during 2009, but for different reasons. For Windows PCs ..."

"Their wicked toll: In fourth quarter, notebook ASPs (including netbooks) declined to $473 from $604 a year earlier. Desktop ASP: $488 down from $533 year over year. Thank you, netbooks. May you burn in hell."

"By comparison, also during fourth quarter, Mac notebook ASP was $1,359 down from 1,507 a year earlier. Interesting trend: Mac laptop ASPs also fell below desktops. The desktop ASP was $1,366 down from $1,471 a year earlier."

"To Acer, Dell, HP and other Windows OEMs pushing cheap PCs, I say this: If you don't offer a premium brand with premium features at a reasonable premium price, your customers' next computer purchase will be a Mac. Get it?"

Again, Joe Wilcox's article is well worth the time to read it, and you can do so here: http://www.betanews.com/joewilcox/article/Sony-shows-how-to-lift-Windows-PCs-out-of-the-lowprice-doldrums/1265139557

ORDER $100 PCs DIRECT FROM CHINA -- You are protected by Alibaba payment, meaning you get delivery before the payment goes through.

There are hundreds to choose from, but they are all the same!

Here is an example. This link http://www.aliexpress.com/product-gs/284166570-7inches-UMPC-Netbooks-Mini-Laptops-Laptops-Notebooks-Laptop-Computers-VIA-ARM-VT-8505-SSD-2GB-Memory-wholesalers.html takes you to the 7-inch mini-laptop in the photo, offered by Shenzhen Dongdai Industry Co., Ltd., in Shenzhen, China.

FINALLY ON THE STREET: The other photo shows one of the ubiquitous cheap-electronics stores in Manhattan. This is where it all typically starts. Best Buy and other store chains (even Walmart) hate these cheap laptops. The reason is, they are making so much money on selling laptops for 4-10 times as much. You will find these stores in downtown Chicago, Los Angeles, and other really big cities.

FREE SHIPPING FROM CHINA: Dongdai offers the laptop in the photo for $118, and they will pay the shipping cost from China to you.

The procedure is, (1) you go to the above site, (2) make your payment for $118 with your credit card to Alipay, a service of the well known Alibaba Chinese e-commerce site. You pay securely with your credit card without exposing your details. (3) Alipay holds your payment in escrow until your notebook is delivered. They forward your order to the seller / manufacturer, Dongdai. (4) Dongdai sends your computer. (5) You receive your computer and confirm delivery. (6) Alipay forwards the payment to Dongdai, the seller, after you get the product.

This service even provides a tracking number for you to track your order.

The laptop is like the other ARM computers we have been covering recently in posts like this: APPLE TABLET CLONE -- and Dozens of OTHER CHEAP PC'S .

There are literally thousands of sources in China for these ARM laptops, among which there are hundreds of manufacturers. There are even dozens of Chinese people in the US who have established online stores for cheap electronics in the United States.

WHO NEEDS BEST BUY? By now, I would expect laptops for $100 or close to it are available on the street in the US. They should be found in the many cheap-electronics storefronts in Midtown Manhattan, especially near Times Square. Soon these will be available in stores everywhere. Chicago, Los Angeles -- on the street in all the biggest cities.

However, don't look for these in the big chain stores. Again, who needs Best Buy, Microsoft, Fry's, or Geeks.com?

APPLE TABLET CLONE -- and Dozens of OTHER CHEAP PC'S

Over 40 Computers UNDER $200 -- to buy from many online stores: CLICK LINK BELOW

http://www.bizrate.com/computers-software/products__absoluteMaxPrice--150000__absoluteMinPrice--0__keyword--computers__maxPrice--200__minPrice--0__priceRangeSubmit--yes__start--0__zipcode--zip%2Bcode.html







APPLE Tablet CLONE, SPECIAL NOTE:

Yesterday Apple introduced its coyily delayed tablet computer / reader, which they call the "iPad" and hope to sell for $500 (!). Lots of luck, Steve Jobs, because there already is a cheap Chinese version of this in the works (tablet photo), from a company that sells mini-laptops / notebooks for $66 to $80, depending on quantity, (laptop photo). The supercheap computer, which you can buy below, is based on Anyka's AK7802 processor, which is ARM based.

The King of Cheap, Sungworld, which offers the above, will also offer an Apple Tablet clone at a huge discount over the grossly inflated price Apple is advertising. No small computer should cost more than about $100, including anything from Apple.

PHOTO (laptop, above): $66 (quantity price) Mini-laptop from Sungworld. Click for more. The Chinese can have one. You can't. Ask yourself why.
If you want a sample of the above, quantity of one, Item E70002-5, it will be $80 plus shipping from China. The contact at Sungworld is Daniel Zhang, at direct line 86-755-89580577 , extension 8577.
FAX: 0755-89580501 URL: www.sungworld.com
E-mail: yw03@sungworld.com or daniel_dan2008@hotmail.com

If you want to distribute this, you can sell it for a lot less than $100. Quantity prices are: $73 in quantities of 500, $71 for 1000, $69 for 2000, and $66 for 3000. Larger quantities are negotiable.

And consider the following, which you can have right now, any day. Only extra cost is the usual, the shipping from US / Canada location to you (except for the Lightinthebox, see below).


Name / Price / Op System / CPU: Speed, make, CPU # (architecture, i.e., x86, ARM, MIPS, etc.)

(Low-cost shipping from US or Canada.)

Merimobiles "No Name" / $99.99 / 7-inch / Windows CE / CPU: 533-MHz VIA, VT8500 (ARM) / WiFi, Yes
Order at Every Day Low Price: http://www.merimobiles.com/Cheapest_7_inch_Mini_Notebook_Laptop_WIFI_Windows_p/meri0190.htm Telephone 1-800-204-0883

LightintheBox "No Name" / $99.99 / 7-inch / Windows CE / CPU: 300-MHz ANYKA, AK7802 (ARM) / WiFi, Yes
Order at Every Day Low Price: http://www.lightinthebox.com/index.php?main_page=shopping_cart&products_name=Mini-Netbook---7-TFT-ANKY-7802-300MHZ-256MB-DDR-2G-Storage---Laptop--SMQ4097-
Shipping $27.01, sales@lightinthebox.com

Inner Circle (phone with keyboard) / $94.99 / 2.2-inch / Windows CE / CPU: Unknown / WiFi, No
Order at Every Day Low Price: http://www.merimobiles.com/S73_Keyboard_dual_sim_TV_phone_p/meri0091.htm Telephone 1-800-204-0883

Cherrypal Africa / $99 / 7-inch / Linux / CPU: 400-MHz Ingenic, unknown number (MIPS) / WiFi, Yes
Order at Every Day Low Price: http://www.cherrypal.com/openstore/product_info.php?products_id=9&osCsid=c3e9349a07c665d1b83674256ddd88a8 Telephone: (650) 319-8300

Airlife / $119.99 / 7-inch / Windows CE / CPU: 533-MHz VIA, VT8500 (ARM) / WiFi, Yes
Order at Every Day Low Price: http://www.merimobiles.com/Airlife_7_inch_Notebook_Laptop_WIFI_Windows_CE_6_0_p/meri0189.htm Telephone 1-800-204-0883

Y'allStore.com "Mini-laptop" / $128.99 / 7-inch / Windows CE / CPU: 300-MHz VIA, (ARM) / WiFi, Yes
Order at Every Day Low Price: http://www.yallstore.com/laptops-notebooks-c-720.html
(518) 632-6888
===================

$100 PCs YOU CAN ORDER ANY DAY -- Including Platform for APPLE TABLET CLONE

APPLE Tablet CLONE, SPECIAL NOTE:

Yesterday Apple introduced its coyily delayed tablet computer / reader, which they call the "iPad" and hope to sell for $500 (!). Lots of luck, Steve Jobs, because there already is a cheap Chinese version of this in the works (tablet photo), from a company that sells mini-laptops / notebooks for $66 to $80, depending on quantity, (laptop photo). The supercheap computer, which you can buy below, is based on Anyka's AK7802 processor, which is ARM based.

The King of Cheap, Sungworld, which offers the above, will also offer an Apple Tablet clone at a huge discount over the grossly inflated price Apple is advertising. No small computer should cost more than about $100, including anything from Apple.

PHOTO (laptop, above): $66 (quantity price) Mini-laptop from Sungworld. Click for more. The Chinese can have one. You can't. Ask yourself why.
If you want a sample of the above, quantity of one, Item E70002-5, it will be $80 plus shipping from China. The contact at Sungworld is Daniel Zhang, at direct line 86-755-89580577 , extension 8577.
FAX: 0755-89580501 URL: www.sungworld.com
E-mail: yw03@sungworld.com or daniel_dan2008@hotmail.com

If you want to distribute this, you can sell it for a lot less than $100. Quantity prices are: $73 in quantities of 500, $71 for 1000, $69 for 2000, and $66 for 3000. Larger quantities are negotiable.

And consider the following, which you can have right now, any day. Only extra cost is the usual, the shipping from US / Canada location to you (except for the Lightinthebox, see below).


Name / Price / Op System / CPU: Speed, make, CPU # (architecture, i.e., x86, ARM, MIPS, etc.)

(Low-cost shipping from US or Canada.)

Merimobiles "No Name" / $99.99 / 7-inch / Windows CE / CPU: 533-MHz VIA, VT8500 (ARM) / WiFi, Yes
Order at Every Day Low Price: http://www.merimobiles.com/Cheapest_7_inch_Mini_Notebook_Laptop_WIFI_Windows_p/meri0190.htm Telephone 1-800-204-0883

Airlife / $119.99 / 7-inch / Windows CE / CPU: 533-MHz VIA, VT8500 (ARM) / WiFi, Yes
Order at Every Day Low Price: http://www.merimobiles.com/Airlife_7_inch_Notebook_Laptop_WIFI_Windows_CE_6_0_p/meri0189.htm Telephone 1-800-204-0883

LightintheBox "No Name" / $99.99 / 7-inch / Windows CE / CPU: 300-MHz ANYKA, AK7802 (ARM) / WiFi, Yes
Order at Every Day Low Price: http://www.lightinthebox.com/index.php?main_page=shopping_cart&products_name=Mini-Netbook---7-TFT-ANKY-7802-300MHZ-256MB-DDR-2G-Storage---Laptop--SMQ4097-
Shipping $27.01, sales@lightinthebox.com

Inner Circle (phone with keyboard) / $94.99 / 2.2-inch / Windows CE / CPU: Unknown / WiFi, No
Order at Every Day Low Price: http://www.merimobiles.com/S73_Keyboard_dual_sim_TV_phone_p/meri0091.htm Telephone 1-800-204-0883

Cherrypal Africa / $99 / 7-inch / Linux / CPU: 400-MHz Ingenic, unknown number (MIPS) / WiFi, Yes
Order at Every Day Low Price: http://www.cherrypal.com/openstore/product_info.php?products_id=9&osCsid=c3e9349a07c665d1b83674256ddd88a8 Telephone: (650) 319-8300

ACER CHIEF STAN SHIH: China Will Rule -- With Cheap Computers

An article here -- http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/1587595/acer-us-pcs -- quotes the founder of Acer (about the only netbook maker that has kept the faith, kind of) as saying cheap Asian brands will drive the US brands out of business.

I already knew that, and this blog points the way. I don't think Mr. Shih will be pleased, however, by the way forward. His prices are about 5 to 10 times where the basic price point of mini laptops will end up.

Anyway, the article by Nick Farrell is worth clicking on (above). One thing that gentleman apparently doesn't get yet is that even Apple will be caught up in the price crunch. For Apple knockoffs, see the Shanzai.com site.

At some point, the Chinese as a nation will decide officially to get off the US-is-world-beater bandwagon and instead to upset the applecart by competing per force, including ignoring some US intellectual-property legalities. They are doing it unofficially already. "Shanzai" stands for "pirate."

You Can Now Buy a $100 PC (A Blister in the Side of Microsoft-Intel)

Up front: I am not recommending (yet) the Cherrypal you have been hearing about. That might even be vaporware for now. But there finally is a real alternative, above, and you can get it by mail, from Canada, every-day low price, brand new, only need to buy one, just $99 ... (stay tuned).



The $100 PC has long been talked about but has been a long time coming. I toldja about it 5 years ago! It almost obviates the objective of this blog, which is:

Revolutionizing the Computer Industry By Provoking a PC Price War!

HOW TO BUY:

Click here. ................. Don't have to ship from China. It's close by in Canada. And it is $99 all the time. Something everyone can use. (If you think you are a techie, you can just play with it. For everyone else, the normal ones, it has Microsoft programs for just about every common application.) Easy to use and very useful. Note: The same deal is available for the same price in China, but that costs about $45 more just for shipping. Canada shipping cost to the US is MUCH less -- about the same cost as within the US, just a few dollars. The company is Merimobiles.com , a company long known to be dependable. CLICK HERE, and there's pages and pages of cool stuff.

And it is almost a secret. Almost. You can thank the Chinese for making the $100 PCs (manufacturing cost is more like $50 for a 7-inch low power mini-laptop) possible. You can blame Microsoft, Intel -- and just about everyone else in the PC industry, including magazines, PC reporters, market analysts, and websites like Cnet.

Finally, you can order a PC for under $100 -- any day, no contracts or strings attached, brand-new, not refurbished, no shipping charges from Asia, no minimum quantity, or any other catch -- and now you know how. If you want one, you can have it in hand in a few days.

MICROSOFT, INTEL, ENGADGET, ARSTECHNICA, GEEKS.COM, ASUS, HP, BEST BUY, FRY'S, ETC., WANT THIS THING KEPT UNDER WRAPS

C'mon, you already know why.... How they did it it (kept netbook prices high) is that Microsoft resurrected its old, dead XP operating system and practically gave it away to keep control of the smallest computers after the Asus Eee came out in late 2007. Their partner in crime, Intel, actually named the genre they were taking over, called it the "netbook" and started making cut-rate Atom chips for "netbooks. Microsoft and Intel dictated to their PC-maker licensees sizes of memory and screen that would guarantee netbooks" would get larger and more expensive. Asus and One Laptop Per Child caved in, and their promises of a $100 PC failed, derailed by US corporate interests at the expense of your interests.

I even discontinued this blog for a time, put it in limbo and went on a hiatus. Nothing new to report after the World's Cheapest Laptop, the $169 Alpha-400, was discontinued by Sungworld and Geeks.com. Well, the concept is back, for way less than $200, as I always knew it would be, and so are we.

THE GOAL: PCs SOLD ON BLISTER-PACK CARDS (Seem strange?)

The accompanying photo gives you PART of the picture. What is so special about that picture?

Think of it this way: Where do you get the cheapest consumer products? Forget about performance for a moment and forget your ego about being a techie or geek. You don't need a 19-inch laptop, 5 billion transistors, and an OS that takes all day to turn on or off. No one needs that for most computer work.

As to what is so special here, where do you get calculators for $1 or $2, or even a *graphing* calculator for less than $15? (Sorry, Texas Instruments.) Where do you get a radio for a buck? Where do you get everything for a dollar or 99 cents or less? And how are these things packaged?

DOLLAR STORES SELL GRAPHING CALCULATORS FOR $15 ON BLISTER-BACK CARDS HANGING ON A PEGBOARD.

The first scientific calculator -- never mind the first graphing one -- revolutionized electrical engineering and other scientific professions at a cost of over $700 apiece in the early 1970s. It put the slide rule in the museum with the buggy whips. Grizzled old engineers grouped around the first colleague to get one, and drooled, at first. Now they are old hat you can get them for about $3 or $4 (Balzic brand-name) at:

Drug stores
Hardware stores
Dollar stores
Discount stores

THEY ARE PACKAGED ON BLISTER-PACK CARDS, and the same thing will happen to PCs.

Now of course an engineer will have to spend close to $100 or more for a professional graphing calculator, and TI still is making those.

Same thing will happen with computers. The masses will buy supercheap PCs, for perhaps $20-$50, destroying 100s of companies and 100s of thousands of jobs in designing, marketing, retailing, advertising, and reporting on $500-$5000 PCs -- and these expensive PCs will become the niche market. They won't disappear, of course.

THAT'S WHAT IS SO GREAT ABOUT BLISTER-PACK COMPUTERS

They won't eliminate all other computers for consumers, let alone professional users. However, when you actually see one like that in the photo to the right, you will know the revolution has begun. The blister-pack PC hanging on a pegboard at the dollar store won't be out this year, but you CAN get a mini-laptop for $100 any day of the year, everyday low price like Walmart (just follow the link above). We are on our way. Even Apple is having to intro cut-rate notebooks.

Clayton Hallmark

3 Notebooks for Less Than $150 Here

They are at the following address:
http://www.geeks.com/products.asp?cat=NBB

Asus Eee PC 4G 701 Celeron M 900MHz 512MB 4GB SSD 7" Netbook Linux (White)
4GB SSD 7" Netbook Linux (White)
Part # EEEPC4G-701-WHT-R
Refurbished
Almost Gone
$144.95

Asus Eee PC 900 Celeron M 900MHz 512MB 4GB SSD 8.9" Netbook Linux (Black)
4GB SSD 8.9" Netbook Linux (Black)
Part # EEEPC900-BK072-R
Refurbished
Almost Gone
$149.95

Asus Eee PC 900 Celeron M 900MHz 512MB 4GB SSD 8.9" Netbook Linux (White)
4GB SSD 8.9" Netbook Linux (White)
Part # EEEPC900-W073-R
Refurbished
Almost Gone
$149.95

Where to Get the Alpha 400 for $169.99

The Alpha 400 has sold out again at Geeks.com, but we can always order the Alpha 400 directly from its source, BestLink. No need too wait on Geeks.
http://www.bestlinkeshop.com/index.php?p=1&more=pro_onsales&listing=0&s=bc193b41e15660c150d56274a20bfc6b&lang=en

You can order the Alpha 400 for $169.99 at the above address. This is most common price that Geeks.com has used anyway.

For a full description of the mini-laptop click on the link below.
http://www.bestlinkeshop.com/index.php?p=6&id=11?s=10462d69a9c7eec43853b3235022aeb9

STEVE BALLMER SHOWS MICROSOFT'S TRUE COLORS: "Raise the Price of Netbooks" Here's an open letter: "Fat chance, fat man!"

Open Letter to Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft Corporation:

Dear Mr. Ballmer:

In a recent presentation to stock-market analysts at Microsoft headquarters, you admitted that Microsoft wants to raise the price of netbooks. http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/07/31/microsoft_plans_to_use_windows_7_to_raise_netbook_prices.html

You are admitting what I have accused your partner in crime (Intel) of, numerous times in posts here: bait and switch. When Asus came out with its revolutionary Model EEE, which is to computing what the Model T is to cars, you used the monopoly power of Microsoft to drive Linux off the Asus mini-laptops and later almost completely off "netbooks" (a term established by Intel) by practically giving away a Windows product, XP, that you had discarded. Now Microsoft's profits are down 29 percent for the last three months, based on cheaper XP dragging down Windows revenue http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/microsoft/2009526346_webmicrosoft23.html ; and you hope to "upgrade" everyone with Windows 7, which means extracting much more money from home and enterprise users, especially, those who use small, cheap computers.

You have said you hope to use Windows 7 to bring up the price of netbooks. Actually, that would be the tail wagging the dog: Netbooks are bigger than Microsoft, and your latest OS introduction will be a flop, just like Vista.

I have news for you: The basic law of microelectronics is not the well known Moore's Law (named after the cofounder of your partner in Wintel, for those who still don't know), which says maximum transistors on a CPU will double regularly. The basic law of microelectronics is not Moore's Law and it's not "More is better," meaning use the more complex chips for more performance (speed) and "featurism" -- 1001 features that almost no one needs on an operating system or application program and that just slow down the computer and get in the way of the user.

The Basic Law of Microelectronics Is ...

It is Van der Rohe's Law (not Moore's): "Less is more." I wrote one of the early books with "microelectronics" in the title, and I have been interested in this since long before the PC came out.

Electronic components like microprocessors get smaller because people want cheaper and more portable end products. At first it was radios, TVs, tape players, and other consumer electronics. Of course it's the same with computers -- of course.

People can find 15-inch laptops for $300 in the Sunday advertising supplements, and any day of the week in Walmart or electronics stores. These cheap laptops use your operating systems. Do you think you are going to get people who have been exposed to these to go back to notebooks or laptops selling for 3-10 times as much just because you are introducing a new Windows 7 OS with new bells and whistles and eye-candy?

Mr. Ballmer, with all *due* respect, you are not going to be able to turn back the clock. You have baited people with $35 XP, but you won't be able to switch them to Windows 7 on computers costing $500, $1000, or multiples thereof. Maybe you were foolish for staying in the cheap-computer fray as long as you did. You have let the horses out of the barn.

Less is more. You and all in the computing game will soon see. I eagerly await the introduction of Windows 7 on Times Square in New York and seeing it on the famous electronic billboard. I eagerly await crowds of yahoos standing in the cold outside the doors of the Best Buy in Brooklyn (Ohio) at one in the morning (just as they did for Vista) to get the first copies of Windows 7. I will be watching on my $100+ mini-laptop from Geeks.com.

Yours truly,

Clayton L. Hallmark

Sold Out Already

The near-$100 computer deal at Geeks.com has sold out again, much sooner than I expected, less than a day after I posted it.

This shows the revolutionary demand at a level near $100, even for a 7-inch computer.

When will someone break that barrier on a more or less permanent basis? This year or next?

The results will be amazing, as most people don't know you can get a brand-new computer anywhere near that cheap.

Get Alpha 400 + FREE SHIPPING for $129.99

I said a few posts ago that Geeks.com had reached the "sweet spot of computer pricing" at $129 for the 9-inch Asus EEE PC. They ran out of that and similar deals in a few days.

Well, the deals are back, with one on our beloved Skytone Alpha-400.

Please click here http://www.geeks.com/additem.asp?InvtId=ALPHA-400-R&Cat=NBB to get the Alpha-400 for $129.99 with no shipping charge. Be sure to use the code FREESHIP during checkout at Geeks.com.

I wouldn't wait too long if you want the world's cheapest price for a computer that is brand new and not refurbished or subsidized.

We are very close to the $100 computer now, which is not the OLPC (One Laptop Per Child) and never will be.

President Obama in the Funny Papers

$100 PC Era Brought by Asus EEE PC, Not OLPC, After All: $129, 9" LCD, at Geeks (Also Alpha 400 at $134+)

MONDAY, JULY 13, 2009 - UPDATE: GEEKS.COM DISCOVERS "SWEET SPOT" OF COMPUTER PRICE POINTS: It's $129.

The sweet spot of computer pricing apparently is not $99 as many of us thought, but $129. Geeks now offers a 7-inch Everex CloudBook for $129.99
http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=CE1200V-PB-R&cpc=SCH (refurbished). They sold out of the refurbished Asus 900 at $129.99, which was supposed to be available through July 31. Sold out Saturday night, July 11. In the bargain they also sold out of the ALPHA-400 at $149.99, which they have been selling brand-new for a long time (presumably it will be restocked).

They also offer the newer Asus EEE PC 900A (note "A") for $179.99 http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=EEEPC900A-WFBB01-R again refurbished, details below.

Rounding out the best deals online, is the Alpha-400 (brand new) at $130-$150 http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=ALPHA-400&cpc=SCH when and if it is in stock.

BEST DEALS IN COMPUTING

Also, you can usually find a standard laptop, around 15-inch LCD, in the Sunday advertising flyers in your local paper for a few bucks over $300.
----------------------------------------

$129.99 Refurbished

* Everex CloudBook CE1200V VIA C7-M 1.2 GHz 7-inch Netbook

http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=CE1200V-PB-R&cpc=SCH

* General Features:
* Color: Black
* gOS Rocket Operating System pre-installed
* VIA C7-M 1.2 GHz Ultra Low Voltage Processor
* VIA VX700 Northbridge / Southbridge chipset
* 512 MB DDR2 533 MHz SDRAM (1 GB maximum supported)
* 30 GB hard drive
* No Optical Drive
* VIA UniChrome Pro IGP graphics
* Built-in Webcam
* VIA VT1708A Vinyl High-Definition Audio Codec with built-in speakers
* Realtek 8100C 10/100 Base-TX Ethernet
* Realtek 802.11b/g Wireless Network Adapter
* 80-key US keyboard with TouchPad
* 7-inch WVGA Widescreen Display (800 x 480 native resolution)
* Built-in 4-in-1 Card Reader
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
$179.99 Refurbished

* Asus Eee PC 900A Atom N270 1.60 GHz 8.9-inch Netbook

http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=EEEPC900A-WFBB01-R

* General Features:
* Pearl white color
* Asus customized Linux operating system
* Intel Atom N270 1.60 GHz processor
* 1 GB DDR2 RAM
* 4 GB SSD (Solid-State Disk) internal storage capacity
* No optical drive
* No floppy drive
* Intel UMA integrated video
* Integrated high definition audio with built-in speakers
* Integrated 10/100 Ethernet
* 802.11b/g Wireless LAN
* Keyboard with touchpad
* Built-in memory card reader
* 8.9-inch Wide LCD display with 1024 x 600 resolution (WSVGA)

=========================================================

SATURDAY, JULY 11, 2009



One of the things that capitalists fear the most, believe it or not, is the concept of a $100 PC. That's why ever since the Asus EEE came out in October 2007 there has been constant pressure to up the performance -- and of course the price -- from every kind of news and PR source and of course from Microsoft, who have practically been willing to give away their once-discarded XP OS to get it on so-called "netbooks" (as their partner in crime, Intel, promptly dubbed them).

The $100 PC originally was promised by the nonprofit OLPC (One Laptop Per Child project), and they failed to deliver, even switched from Linux to that "vast capitalist conspiracy," Windows. Even Asus failed to attain $100 exactly and switched to Windows also.

But can we finally agree that the day of "the computer you need is always $5000" -- gross exploitation of computer consumers by corporate capitalism -- is over and the day of $100 PCs (laptops, notebooks, MIDs, smartphone computers, etc.) is finally here? http://www.geeks.com/pix/2009/900M.html I mean, if Geeks.com can sell a 9-inch version for $129.95, that's close enough for me to declare victory. Even if it is only for July 2009. And even if the unit is a refurb (3-month warranty, which American Express should extend to 1-year if you use them). (Buyer Beware: When you order on a special deal online, don't forget to apply the "secret savings code," 900M here, at checkout to get the near $100 price http://www.geeks.com/pix/2009/900M.html . Write the code down as soon as you see it.) If you insist on brand new, and if a 7-inch screen will suffice, the same outfit offers our beloved ALPHA-400, always, day in and day out, for $149.99 (sometimes near $130) http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=ALPHA-400&cpc=SCH .

As I said in October 2007, the Asus EEE PC will be remembered as the Model T of computers -- the computer for the masses that put the world on the Web (and not just the core developed nations). In a sense, there is a chance to get your piece of history -- and as Henry Ford might say today, "In any color you want, as long as it's black or white."

A REAL DISGRACE -- THE INTEL-MICROSOFT OCTUPUS STILL RULES

On a recent trip to the Microcenter store out in Mayfield Heights, I was shocked to find not one Linux notebook. And this was one of the first retailers to carry the Asus EEE PC in bricks-and-mortar stores. More recently, news reports say that Microsoft XP has about a 99-percent share in mini-laptops (netbooks) being sold now.

Do you feel baited and switched? It's a technique as old as retailing, mercantilism, and probably trade itself; and it works best under capitalism: "Underpowered." "Unfamiliar." "For kids." "Not for intensive gaming, video editing [or whatever]." "Needs a larger screen for real work" [as large as that mural-sized LCD on your wall, or is a 2" cellphone screen enough sometimes?]. Or as Bill Gates famously said, "Geez, get yourself a decent computer."

NONCOMMERCIAL, OPEN-SOURCE SOFTWARE WILL FREE THE WORLD'S PEOPLE FROM THIS KIND OF EXPLOITATION

Ultimately the Wintel netbook version of bait and switch will fail. People will try the various versions of Linux and find that Windows is not easier, just more familiar. But HERE IS WHY MICROSOFT ALWAYS SEEMS TO WIN: The Wizard hides behind an iron curtain of PC magazine and Engadget propaganda -- incorporating PC users themselves and foolish word-of-mouth on forums, in comments, etc. -- convincing people that he is all-wise and that they need him to boss them, and especially to provide all of their software needs. Anything else, he will tell them, is difficult and unreliable. I would venture that everyone reading this knows that that is of course a lie.

The average person who tries a Linux laptop or notebook or other device and overcomes the simple-minded snare of familiarity will agree with me as well. Remember, Linux is the computer language of the people. It is there to help. Commercial software is something that has been fenced in (like land in the Range Wars of the Old West), copyrighted, and patented and is out there to make a profit for the richest man in the world.

So to doubters, quit being a computer wimp and a baby: Give up the security blanket of boxed, store-bought software and try open-source, the software of the people.

Världens billigaste netbook: The world's cheapest netbook

By Niklas Andersson [Photo]

This is just in from the Swedish magazine Tech World via the Swedish version of the IDG website http://opensource.idg.se/2.1014/1.238036/varldens-billigaste-netbook. The translation is by Google:

"Nicolas Negroponte's dream of a computer for a hundred U.S. dollars looks to soon come true, but it is not his own creation that crosses the finishing line.

The Belco Alpha 400 has been sold for as little as 1070 kronor for a sales campaign.

A computer should not cost more than a hundred U.S. dollars, thought MIT professor Nicholas Negroponte, and he started the project One Laptop Per Child (OLPC).

The project launched what Sony called a "race to the bottom" with constantly falling prices and reduced margins.

OLPC developed around Linux for cutting off what became the single largest cost component - the operating system.

OLPC and Linux became the catalyst for the entire netbook industry, where ASUS was the first out with its Eee PC-700, which took the world by storm and where the sales target was up to five million units. Since then, the majority of PC manufacturers had to jump on the netbook train with continued depressed prices as a result.

OLPC project since its inception has had several difficult periods. Negroponte's controversial move that the device could also ship with Windows has outraged the open-source community, which endorsed the product mainly for it to ship with free software. OLPC has also seen itself forced to fire much of the staff, and sales success has failed to materialize.

The last public price information for an OLPC was at $188, or $88 off target.

The price has now, however, been approached by a number of manufacturers with models like the Asus Eee PC-900 which Geek.com sells for $194.99. [Note: Andersson, like journalist Caitlyn Martin in the US, does not distinguish between new and REFURBISHED. The PC-900 at Geeks is a refurb. The Alpha is brand new, never tampered with.]

If processor architecture is a minor consideration, there are even cheaper computers. Belco Alpha 400 is a netbook with a MIPS processor, and the computer approached during a campaign a price of $139. http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?InvtId=ALPHA-400&cm_mmc=GoogleProducts-_-Laptops/Notebooks-_-NetBooks-_-ALPHA-400&utm_source=GoogleProducts&utm_medium=ShoppingSites&utm_campaign=ALPHA-400

Most point to the trend of falling prices continuing. The company behind the processor ARM say they have several models ready for the autumn, which in addition to lower price will offer significantly longer battery times.

The cheapest netbooks we see today go for $139, or around 1070 SEK. So for the mini size, we have 70 kronor left until our dream limit is reached - a thousand kronor - which may take place as soon as autumn.

Nicolas Negroponte should probably wait until next year.

Coby to Buy NBPC1020, Other 10-Inch Netbooks from Kophee Technologies Co., Ltd.

---------------------------------
UPDATE MON 6JUL09

KOPHEE Technologies Co., Ltd., of Shenzhen China apparently is the maker of the Coby notebooks or netbooks.

The relationship with Coby Electronics could be more than manufacturer-destributor. This could be one of what Coby refers to as "sister companies." Also note the similarity in the names, depending on how you pronounce Coby and Kophee.

News reports have stated that Coby has supplied notebooks to S. America, Asia, and Korea. Kophee does have Korean ties. Also, the Coby/Kophee model numbers already are being marketed by Eltech in the United Arab Emirates, which says its IT hardware is "designed in the USA" and "manufactured in Korea and China" and which all fits in with Coby Electronics. The UAE is in southwest Asia.

So apparently the first seller of the Coby notebooks like the NBPC1022 is Eltech in Asia, or the Middle East.
---------------------------------


You can get an Alpha-400 mini-laptop like we are promoting here for $134.99 here http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?InvtId=ALPHA-400&cm_mmc=GoogleProducts-_-Laptops/Notebooks-_-NetBooks-_-ALPHA-400&utm_source=GoogleProducts&utm_medium=ShoppingSites&utm_campaign=ALPHA-400 from GEEKS.COM, the best buy around for a NEW computer (some journalists like Caitlin Martin have unfairly compared this to even better "bargains" in refurbished, used computers). Or you might someday be able to get a 10-inch Coby for $240 as explained below.

The long-awaited "netbook" PCs of the American Champ of Cheap, Coby Electronics, apparently will be manufactured by Kophee Technologies Co., Ltd., of Shenzhen, Guangdong Province. This could be coming to discount stores (and other outlets) everywhere.

Two colorful examples are in the photograph (click to enlarge). Be sure to go to the Kophee page here http://www.asianproducts.com/company/index.php?op=product&item_id=P12377177554252927&cno=A12377167151930742 for details of the NBPC-1022, which supposedly will soon be sold by Coby in South America as well as in Korea and other Asian countries for the equivalent of $240.

The other three 10-inch mini-laptops listed on the site of Shenzhen Coby Communications Co., Ltd., are at this link: http://74.125.47.132/search?q=cache:2kB1cm3auDIJ:www.kophee.com/main/home/cp.php%3Fcatid%3D3%26nowmenuid%3D2%26cpath%3D0003:+%22nbpc1022%22&cd=11&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

The Kophee Technologies Co. page shows that the company will sell in lots of 100 units minimum and can provide up to 200,000 a year.

If anyone can offer a 10-inch mini-laptop -- brand new, not refurbished as many tricksters in the press try to use to confuse the issue -- for $240 in the United States, Kophee and Coby will need to gear up production. And, as for Michael Dell and Bill Gates, in the words of long-ago president Harry Truman, "When that happens [they'll] need a new nose, a lot of beefsteak for black eyes, and perhaps a supporter below!"

World's Cheapest PC Computer -- Alpha 400 at Near $100

CLICK PIC TO ENLARGE.


Can we say the day of the $100 computer has arrived?

"SnaggStuff.com is a place to find way under priced tech gadgets. We offer one product daily that is available until sold out or until the next product is available. New products are posted every day at 10:10 AM CST."

SnaggStuff.com is based out of a suburb in Memphis, TN. Also, note that there are two "g's" in "Snagg."

Here's their URL.
http://snaggstuff.com/alpha-400-mips-400mhz-128mb-1gb-7--linux-ultralite-notebook.html