Intel CEO says future Windows 8 tablets to start at $200

By Sam Sabri
last updated

Head on over to web retailers like Newegg or Amazon and you’ll see that the cheapest Intel based tablet you can buy running Windows 8 is about $430 (Acer Iconia W150). That’s not too bad when you consider the potential of the system with the ability to actually install desktop applications. But what if we could go lower than the $400 dollar mark? Totally possible according to Intel’s CEO.

The bigwigs at Intel are boasting that prices of Windows 8 touch devices will dip to new low prices soon. You can thank the engineers working on the next generation Atom processor named “Bay Trail”. Atom might bring PTSD type memories from those netbook days, but it’s gone from “the little processor that could” to something that could shake up the mobile market. Bay Trail is expected to the most powerful Atom processor and will double the computing performance of the current crop. In addition you can look forward to all day battery life, weeks of standby, and devices with designs as thin as 8mm (0.3 inches).

When and for how much, right? Paul Otellini, CEO of Intel, has this to say:

"If you look at touch-enabled Intel-based notebooks that are ultrathin using [Bay Trail] processors. Those prices are going to be down to as low as $200.”

Unfortunately, you probably won’t be getting your hand on Windows 8 device with Bay Trail until Q3 of this year at the earliest. That’s when the quad-core processor is expected to become available. Is it possible that some future “Xbox tablet” might use it or an ARM chip?

We’re already expected a future wave of tablets running Windows 8 in the 7-inch range. Even one under the Surface family. That $200 price point seems more probable with a smaller, more portable device. It’s somewhat hard to imagine devices around the size of the Surface to drop to that low price.

Anybody out there interested in future Atom products? Would you rather have Windows 8 or Windows RT in the 7-inch tablet range? Sound off below!

Source: CNET

74 Comments
  • Now we're talking!
  • Yes indeed. And I would love to see Intel on Windows Phones and Surface tablets too. Those things are way powerful than ARM.
  • It would break binary compatibility on WP, so likely no. Bad enough they are fragmenting WinRT with ARM.
  • WinRT is made specifically for ARM so they can't possibly be fragmenting it. It would have to support another architecture in the mix for it to be considered fragmenting. :)
  • +1. Intel has the advantages in memory bandwidth and performance efficiency, as we have seen in desktop PCs, rather than all other competitors. Also, this will help Microsoft to unify Windows and Windows Phone OS into 1, universal platform, just same as the dream of Bill Gates when he was a CEO in the past time.
  • eh? What are you lot talking about. Intel are in Atom powered tablets, and core based tablets like Surface Pro :/
     
    WinRT (the product, not the core) is for ARM, its not fragmented - its a complete codebase of its own (albeit dragging across libs/api/base from x86/64 land)
     
    I have an RT, Atom and Core devices (Surface RT, HP Envy X2 and Surface Pro)
    The RT is just a tad slow, but of course  ARM will improve in performance next gen.
    The core processors and Surface Pro  are bonkers fast. But I am happiest in  the middle ground with Envy.
    Atom (Clovertrail) is already fast enough for me, and Bay Trail later in the year will be amazing (twice as fast, same 10 hour battery) Its probably why OEMs have backed off from WinRT, they know Intel have won this race.
    The only place left for Intel to succeed is Phone. Medfield is fast, but not food enough on battery consumption. When Intel crack that, bingo.
    Interetsing times.
  • Just a slight correction... Windows RT is the codebase for ARM. WinRT is an API built on Win32 that runs metro across all windows 8 environments.
  • I'll believe it when I see it. (I would really like to see it though)
  • As would I!
  • 7-inch Surface FTW!!! But, I'm absolutely loving my new Windows 8 laptop.
  • A $200 windows 8??? Now let see if tech blogs can bash windows 8
  • Oh, believe me, there's always some bullshit move they can pull off like "Microsoft should offer a $100 upgrade from Windows 8 to Windows 7" or "with Android tablets starting at $149, Microsoft still doesn't get it".
  • With that $50 though, you can do a whole lot more than you can with an Android tablet - mainly because of the massive amount of drivers that is accessible with Windows 8 (and RT) while with Android, and even iPads, you have to unlock to get the same functionality, and that takes time and effort. My biggest question is with $200 for a tablet, how much of that is the actual OS, or is that without it?
  • This makes me want to just wait until then to buy a new tablet. I have my giant HP laptop running Windows 8 so I'm good.
  • That's what I'm going to do! Really not that long of a wait.
  • +1000000
  • let's all boycott Windows RT (and "Windows phone 8") devices until companies make real Windows 8 tablets/phones. Windows RT is useless. It has infinitely less apps than Android or iOS, and can't run PC apps. What's the point?
    I'll also wait for real Windows 8 tablets/smartphones. Now that will be the ultimate device!
  • RT should be on 7-8" tablets, Atom/AMD powers mid-range hybrids, Haswell for the power user convertible Ultrabooks. Sounds like a plan to me. :)
  • 7in surface w/ Win 8!! I can finally retire my 7in Galaxy Tab! :D
  • Christmas will be great this year!
  • Hell yeah!!!
  • I have a surface rt but I will so buy a 7 inch surface if available
  • I have a surface pro but would buy rt for $200
  • Im sure that RT devices will be $200 but that's good! More tablets sold = more attention from devs. Im sure that win 8 tablets will be lowered too since today's Intel Atom isn't designed for ARM tablets.
  • Paul Otellini also predicted that Haswell based W8 ultrabook will be sold at $499 and up.  With the release of the new Win 8.1, these new generation of PC devices will finally take off.  That will also spell the end of Win RT which will be priced out of market.  The Win 8.1 BayTrail tablets will take over the low end market.  It's time to load up MSFT and INTC shares.
     
  • This is what I'm waiting for!
  • :"Unfortunately, you probably won’t be getting your hand on Windows 8 device with Bay Trail until Q3 of this year at the earliest."
    I can wait. Its not like you gave a 3 year projection. It'll happen THIS YEAR!   I can wait.
  • Intel has a tendency to both significantly delay release and overstate performance improvements, though. Haswell was supposed to launch between March and May. We're in April and now we're talking about Q3.
  • That reminds me, so glad I bought my Surface Pro when I did, I don't think I could wait that much longer...
  • I'm getting ready to pull the trigger on a Lenovo Yoga 13. Pretty much need to buy something this month. Any other ideas?
  • Kindle Fire?
  • Lenvo Helix is definitely worth looking into and is coming out very soon. I had my eye on a Yoga but think the Helix might be a better way to go. Helix is supposed to have Haswell which is huge. I don't know that Yoga will soon.
  • $200! Stop tricking with us Intel. If it is real, put me down for at least two tablets on day one.
  • My wallet will bleed this Christmas.
  • Ha ha, that's the exact same thing I thought when I read the article.
  • RT still wins in battery longevity.
  • Not really my clover trail tablet lasts all day. Pretty much in line with iPads and the Surface RT
  • @$200 I might buy a couple for gift giving.
  • The idea of using Windows 8 in desktop mode on a 7" tablet is laughable to me. 
     
  • Steam games still work at 7" with a BT kbm :)
  • you could use the desktop mode only to open PC programs when you need to do that, and otherwise use the Windows tiles.
  • Got all my Bing reward Amazon cards saving up until then.
  • I hope this is true. Being Intel that means I can run legacy software (basic but that's all I need) in a small form factor and possibly do a retro fit onto my car's dash to add some metro flavor to it lol. :)
  • The real power of windows tablets is on win8 pro. If it could be had for 200, that is just killer. Run desktop and business apps together on such a cheap and portable device? Insane! It would be a corporate IT managers dream if they have to manage computing for mobile employees in the field. No need to program iOS, android, or even metro apps, they could just use the same corporate software the rest of the company uses.
  • He did not say tablets he said touch notebooks. Tablets are more expensive to make.
  • I'd ditch all four of my family nexus 7`s for $200 7" win8/rt tablets.
  • 7" Surface with an i3 for about $350, and capable of playing some PC games, I'll buy that straight away
  • Interesting !
    If they made an R\T with an Aluminum back , Dual Speakers & 3G for the right price I'll be sooooooooooo tempted to replace my Xoom !
  • They already have the magnesium backs on the surface, aluminum would be a downgrade. That and everyone would think it is an iPad.
  • I didn't know that , Thanks
    My only experience with a Surface was a touching one that's wrapped in all kinds of protective plastics . By the way, my Xoom have an aluminum back & no one mistakes it for an iPad !
  • For the general consumer who aren't sure about Windows 8, a 200$ would be a big advantage over Apple iPads
  • My first tablet ever was a Samsung ATIV Smart PC (Clover Trail), but it turns out that Samsung is sh*t and they don't really care about anything other than Android, so my ATIV was full of problems and I was already going for the third one in 2 weeks, when I decided that I have had enough. By November last year there was no other tablet that I liked, so I swiched to an iPad 4. Far from being ideal I would at least have the apps in it. But I have always told that I'll give W8 tablets another chance when they are ready (last November they clearly weren't), with more apps, less bugs, hopefully with a screen that can actually be useful used in portrait mode. And I will always go for ATOM because I want thin, light and nice batery life devices. Maybe Nokia will make one for me.
  • The Acer Iconia looks pretty nice as far as current Gen devices. I almost bought one a week ago.
  • I spent some time with an ASUS VivoTab Smart, $500 10" Atom-based tablet.  It worked pretty well as long as I didn't do anything too CPU or GPU intensive.  The GPU on this generation of Atoms is absolute crap though.  Outdated PowerVR design with lousy performance and somewhat flaky drivers.  I hope they do better in the next generation.
  • Since I am a student, I prefer Windows RT because it comes with Microsoft Office.
  • My body is ready!
    * I mean wallet
  • Hallelujah!!! Manana is today!!!!
  • Money thrown
  • im buying the 7´ inch Surface once is available!
    Xbox 720, Surface Tablet and still owning a Lumia 710 and just installed Windows 8 on my 4 Years Old Toshiba, it now looks like a Ferrari +.+  
  • Finally. Surface looks hot but I can't justify that price. $200 gets me a tablet. Just hope its decently built.
  • Wow, that's awesome. Take my money!
  • The only thing Intel has that I like is better x86 process execution/clock and smaller lithography. It's graphics are crap and are going to be for a while. On a tablet I want better battery life but also good graphics, AMD can deliver good graphics so I plan to go with them with something that runs the A6-1450.
  • I'd rather have Windows 8. RT is great. But 8 is greater.
  • I'll take a tablet with an active digitizer and Windows, similar to a Galaxy Note 8 for 400$ please. PLEASE
  • Same! Bring in a <$400 Windows 8 Pro tablet with an active digitizer.
     
    Would also be nice if we could run Windows Phone 8 apps on the tablet too, there are some really nice apps now, e.g. AJE, Modern Combat 4, MetroTube, etc.
  • The big question for me: Is this going to have a fan though?  Love the RT because it doesn't need a fan. 
  • I doubt it being the form factor is so thin and these are low power chips. Current Atom processors in tablets don't have a fan...
  • Throw in phone capabilities and you have a winner 
  • This will definitely change things. Had they released Win RT tablets priced at $200-$250 when launched, it would have crushed sales. Instead, only folks in the know would have picked it up. I'm glad it's going to (hopefully) happen, even if late.
    I have the Ativ 500T, and would still pick up a 7" Win RT tablet.
  • I love to have a 7" Windows 8 Pro Surface Tablet with this processor! Until this tablet is released, I will stick with my Nexus 7. Please release it soon; I want the full Internet experience. 
  • Interestin how .....when windows os by own cost about the same 200
  • OH MY DUDES.
     
    Baytrail (atom) and Haswell (core i3,5,7) do you understand that i will be a broke nigga after christmas lol and how can we forget the optimization and features the Blue update will bring :))))
     
    i've said it since last summer, no way i am buying a new Home PC and Tablet (preferably hybrid) till christmas 2013 :)
  • Windows RT is a waste. With these Atom chips and Windows 8 Pro you can run all Windows Apps and get real work done. I love my new Surface Pro. My dream device is a 5" phone with Windows 8 Pro and a stylus.  Wireless HDMI to support 3 external monitors, or a dock you can plug 3 external monitors into, and that is the only computer I need. 
    I'll go with the Nokia 928 for 2 years, and maybe with next upgrade, Microsoft and Intel will have my dream device ready :-)
  • This is what Microsoft should do if it wants to survive and consolidate it's position as tech leader-Throw away WinRT and Windows Phone to "dustbin",and converge the subsequent versions of windows i.e windows 8.1,8.2,9 & so on into 7 inch tablets and smartphones with atleast 3.5 inch.With Intel's research advancment partnership and welcoming other credible research advancement tech firms from around the globe microsoft can do this and succeed.This is the key to future technology advancement worldwide.