Marvell Introduces $99 Tablet Aimed at Students

[gpj]

[citation][nom]dgingeri[/nom]Most of the expense of textbooks is the writing and producing of them. the cost of manufacturing them is minimal. My current intro to business class book is $150, and the writers likely get $50 of that, with the publisher taking about $70. That actual manufacturing of them is likely only about $10-12, and the remaining $18-20 goes to distribution. That's why most book stores make most of their money from used books. They make almost nothing from new books.[/citation]

Umm.. no. Royalties for academic textbooks like these is probably closer to a $5 per book. Trust me, I cash royalty cheques for my partner who co-wrote one. Book publishers are like video game publishers.. they hold the balance of power and make the balance of the money.

However, the true cost in creating a book is the cost of producing the book (i.e. to pay the salaries of the editors and other staff) and this cost entirely depends on the book since academic books like these are peer-reviewed by other academics who get about $100-$200 per review... Each book is reviewed by 3-6 peers so that too is a minimal cost. Manufacturing and transporting is also a cost, but minimal. I repeat.. publishers make the balance of the money - they are like any other corporation.

 

[MxM]

I simply do not believe that they will sell it for $99! With the price of some textbooks close to $150, this product will fly of the shelfs even for $200. Hell, I am not a student, but I do read books, and I would buy that as well!
Mark my words - it is too good to be true.

 

[dj1001]

I don't know what i would use this for but yeah for 99 dollars i would buy it in a heartbeat

if it can run programs like powerpoint and word i'd be willing to pay way more 99

 

[dgingeri]

[citation][nom]MxM[/nom]I simply do not believe that they will sell it for $99! With the price of some textbooks close to $150, this product will fly of the shelfs even for $200. Hell, I am not a student, but I do read books, and I would buy that as well!Mark my words - it is too good to be true.[/citation]

They'll likely want to charge the same for the books, and they'll know they'll get more profit, but they'll whine anyway. (Just like the music producers.) They'll whine all the way to the bank.

 

[dgingeri]

oops, wrong quote.

 

[husker]

I agree with a number of people here who have stated that, as far as textbooks go, it is more of a publisher/intellectual rights issue than a technology issue. Digitized media, music, movies, books, games, whatever, will all go through the same kind of growing pains which could take years. The music industry is years ahead of others simply by virtue of market pressure created by napster and the like.

Once a couple of industrious college kids devise a scheme for pirating and distributing textbooks via a device like this (not that I advocate it, it's just inevitable) then you will see publishers getting dragged to the negotiating table for a similar adoption of digital textbooks.

What would be interesting is if a person could choose to download only specific chapters of a textbook as apposed to the whole thing, just like downloading specific songs as opposed to the whole album. This might provide some relief in costs for the student. They could download content as the class progressed to help spread out the cost, and then avoid the cost of purchasing sections of the book that are never used for the class.

 

[Guest]

I've got 99 problems but an iPad ain't one...

 

[ananke]

Actually, making the physical books is the most expensive, including transportation, storage, etc of physical media. The royalties and publisher expenses average $10-15 per university textbook and much less for a novel . But, publishers are keeping this secret, otherwise will not be able to charge you hundreds of dollars per textbooks, dear friends . Education business is mafia, similar to the health care business in US

 

[Guest]

Usually those things get great ideas, sell for $99, but ultimately their streetprice will be closer to twice that (or more).

See any resemblance to the OLPC, EEEPC, and others?

 

[dbowlin17]

im all for it. assuming it is 99. i would love to run ubuntu here too. and that it, unlike the ipad, has multi-tasking and runs like a computer and not a smartphone esc device.

 

[thedipper]

It'll be nice if it's $99 for everyone. I'd get one.

However, prices like that on things like tables usually mean that it's $99 -to a school- usually because that school district makes and investment which actually drives the cost of each one past $99.

 

[Guest]

Hopefully this isn't anything like the government's cash for clunkers program where u get up to 4500 back but taxpayers pay 48000 for each car sold under the program. But for 99 it's hard to argue. My only regret is that I'd have 99 less to spend at the stripclub.

 

[orionantares]

Sounds like the same price Apple should be charging for the iPad. I hope this thing turns out strong.

 

[FloKid]

I have a question though. How's the pen sensitivity, or can you even use a pen on this? I am looking for a tablet that I can make sketches on and take it everywhere...

 

[androticus]

$99? BULLSH*T. Total b.s. It will never sell for that if it even makes it to marktet

 

[Guest]

would be great if they'll use Pixel Qi screen.

 

[1pp1k10k4m1]

I want one ASAP. I start law school in September...come on Marvell!

 

[anamaniac]

[citation][nom]mahalay[/nom]would be great if they'll use Pixel Qi screen.[/citation]
Pixel Qi screens seem quite interesting. Decent specs, extremely llow power usage, but most of all, dirt cheap.
Perfect for this.
[citation][nom]dgingeri[/nom]They'll likely want to charge the same for the books, and they'll know they'll get more profit, but they'll whine anyway. (Just like the music producers.) They'll whine all the way to the bank.[/citation]
Ha. My father's boss doesn't like this 'recession' thing. In his own words, they don't drive trucks full of cash to the bank anymore, they only use wheelbarrows.

I had a math teacher, who with a few other profesisonals, decided to make a cheap mass produced book for students. Full ~1000 page textbook for only $13, as compared to $40-80.
I remember suggesting him to buy the whole class tablet PC's, he liked the idea (he gave out PDF's of the book and used it on a projector/touch panel).

If they really only cost $99, they of course will be skipping expensive features (large amounts of memory etc.), but if they can do these for cheap, mass production, decently durable, and 8+ hours of battery life, then I say.... WIN!
I had 7 really heavy books to carry around, it hurt my back (two for physics, two for chem, two for math, one for social). Lockers aren't always easily accessible in large schools. Especially if shared (as in poor schools).

Please Marvel, please follow through with this. For once, can't a company do something just for the 'lulz'?

 

[the associate]

We should have had these years ago already, seeing a 12 year old child leaning forward from a school bag half or more of their own body weight is sad and insulting. And they say high heels are bad for the back? How is a 12 year old straining their back with terrible posture any better? Think about the children!!!

 

[sgdidache]

Consider how quickly calculators replaced 'log books' in the 1980s. We could learn a thing or two from that. Calculators were faster, more convenient, more durable, more portable, more powerful. Schools didn't have to change their teaching method to suit the technology - students merely had to learn a new tool, fully motivated by themselves.

Even if they cost significantly more, it didn't take more than a decade to fully take over log books, and more.

 

[randomizer]

Pixel Qi screens seem quite interesting. Decent specs, extremely llow power usage, but most of all, dirt cheap.

I think the Kindle uses a bit less power due to the display not needing to constantly refresh the pixels except when changing page. But there's compromises with everything.

 

[Spanky Deluxe]

There's no way this will sell for $99. I'd be shocked to see it sold for anything under $299 at launch.

 

[Dkz]

I think it's great, but i only have 1 problem with this tablets things, the fact that has no keyboard.

It's hard for me to see the use of this device in a classroom, for example; i do use my netbook as a notebook(paperone 😛) and I'm able to do so because i write around 3 times faster on the keyboard than on actual paper. The thing is that this devices have a latency and a lack of accuracy that it's a big problem in matter of getting things written.

On the other hand i see the huge potential of this tables in what PDFs and TXT reading represent, also the possibility of drawing that i assume this tablet may have. For students i think it has a 50/50 chance of being a success. But, some how i picture that it will end up being a cheap amusing artifact for tech fans. As i am.

 

[mmt]

I hope it comes out. Even at $150 bucks it would undercut most e book readers and the apple. Schools could purchase one for each desk and just keep them with the desk so students wouldn't break them. Homework could be downloaded. Less teachers more tech = cost savings.

 

[cruiseoveride]

Now this is what you call disruptive innovation. $99 FTW