When we first reported on Lenovo’s IdeaPad A1, it was fairly big news because they were the first big-name manufacturer to offer an Android tablet under $200.
However, in the time it took them to finally release the IdeaPad A1, other companies, most notably Amazon, have announced similarly-priced Android tablets. And unlike the IdeaPad A1, which only has 2 GB of internal storage (expandable with a micro-SD slot), the Amazon Kindle Fire has 8 GB of internal storage plus unlimited cloud storage from Amazon S3. It’s likely that Huawei’s MediaPad, now known as the T-Mobile SpringBoard, will be $199 with 2-year contract. And its specs blow away the IdeaPad A1′s feature list. Yes, it technically costs more over time because of the 2-year contract, but for most customers, all they’ll see is the up-front cost of $199. And the advantage of an always-available net connection is attractive to many buyers compared to a Wi-Fi only device, which the IdeaPad A1 is.
Lenovo’s decision to price the IdeaPad A1 starting at $229 is pretty disappointing. It’s not even clear why the price hike has occurred. Unless retailers offer their own discounts to the $229 MSRP, it’ll be hard for Lenovo to compete with other more capable, more attractive Android tablets hitting the market.
Via Pocketables
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