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Windows RT tablets could start at $300, according to Lenovo executive

Windows RT tablets could start at $300, according to Lenovo executive

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Intel-powered Windows 8 tablets will cost $600 to $700, while RT tablets with ARM mobile processors will be $200 to $300 cheaper, says Lenovo’s head of North American operations, David Schmoock. Schmoock's remarks are the first details about Windows 8 tablet prices that we’ve heard since Microsoft's Steven Sinofsky said Surface for Windows RT would be “priced like comparable tablets that are based on ARM.”

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Intel-powered Windows 8 tablets will cost $600 to $700, while Windows RT tablets with ARM mobile processors will be $200 to $300 cheaper, says Lenovo’s head of North American operations, David Schmoock. In an interview with Bloomberg, Schmoock says, “RT will play in consumer and retail at very aggressive price points.”

It's true that a $300 price on a 10-inch Windows RT tablet would significantly undercut Apple’s latest iPad, which starts at $499. But the same can’t be said for the current crop of lower-priced 7-inch Android tablets like the $199 Nexus 7, a price point that is essentially impossible for Windows RT OEMs to hit if rumors of an $85 licensing charge for Microsoft’s OS are true. These are the first details about Windows 8 tablet prices that we’ve heard since Microsoft said the Surface for Windows RT would be “priced like comparable tablets that are based on ARM.”

Microsoft is also rumored to be lifting its Windows RT licensing restrictions in January, which, coupled with these newest rumors about price, would mean $300 Windows tablets could take the place of last year’s generic Android tablets at CES.

Thanks, ryanvinnicombe!