De ce doar Apple poate sa faca un tablet bun sub 500 dolari

Am vazut astazi un coleg cu o tableta care semana foarte mult cu iPad. Omul stia ca nu are iPad si era constient ca jucaria lui este ceea ce ii trebuie: avea 2 porturi USB, port Ethernet, 2 sloturi de card microSD, GPS si puteai sa atasezi tastatura si mouse. Android Pad-ul mergea cu Android 2.1 si atit, dar puteai sa-i adaugi aproape orice aplicatie din Market. Jucaria era de 2 ori mai groasa decit un iPad si facuta dintr-un plastic argintiu. Era un fel de computer care rula Andoid.

Ca orice alt user de Android informat, el stia ca tableta lui ruleaza un software Open Source si ca asta e foarte bine. L-am intrebat ce inseamna asta si am primit un raspuns de genul: “pai 60% din aplicatii sunt gratis”, dar mi-a aratat si anti-malware-ul care trebuie sa ruleze pe tableta. Problema era alta: Android Pad-ul mergea greu, aplicatiile nu prea erau facute pentru el, butoanele lasau de dorit si asa mai departe. Feeling-ul general era acela al unui computer vechi pe care pui Windows 7 – merge si iti faci treaba cu el, dar fie trebuie sa astepti, fie da erori, fie nu gasesti drivere pentru el.

Colegul meu era mandru ca poate sa faca bateria sa tina mai mult cu un simplu downclocking de procesor. Cu alte cuvinte, sacrifici performanta la un tablet care merge si asa destul de incet, ca sa te tina mai mult bateria.

In acelasi timp am dat de un articol interesant pe Cult of Mac, care explica de ce Motorola Xoom sau alte tablete nu pot fi vandute la preturi sub 500 dolari si sa concureze cu iPad-ul. Daca intr-adevar exista un “Apple Tax” cum de el nu se aplica la tablete?

There’s a lot of factors at play here, but essentially, what it all comes down to is that Apple doesn’t have to pay a cut of every iPad to nearly as many parties as Motorola, say, has to pay for the Xoom.

Apple’s A4 chip design is owned by them, so they don’t have to pay licensing fees. They sell the iPad primarily through their online store or their 300 retail locations, which means other retailers don’t take as much of a cut. They don’t have to license an operating system. Furthermore, Apple can subsidize each iPad in small part thanks to the cut they make on every sale made through iTunes, including the App Store, their music and video stores and the iBookstore.

All together, it looks like the reason competing manufacturers can’t make a tablet with the same features and price as the iPad is because it’s impossible for anyone but Apple to do so at this point. Apple’s the only device manufacturer out there in control of its own manifest destiny from hardware through software, from physical retail presence down to digital delivery. Forget the Apple Tax: the sub-$500 tablet is a product only Apple is in a position to make.