Not to mention that legitimately was clearing out inventory of a 10 month old product two months before a refresh. Both these TVs and the Galaxy Tab came out in June.
Not inspiring confidence about 3D or the tablet.
What makes you so sure that this is product came out in June this year? Heck, BB doesnt even state clearly what
specific model they're talking about (the larger one has a sku: # though). Not saying youre wrong, but based on a picture i saw (somewhere, not sure where) of the tv having that chrome foot, brushed alu etc. i'd say the model itself is "old" (released in 2010 if im not mistaken. sadly, only one model was black alu. - this is pretty much as close as you can get to a matte device these days

)
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*Apologies to the mods for the double post. It would not let me add the following to my most recent one.*
Actually, yes. The more popular the platform, the more developers will be inclined to write apps for it.
Apple has been lucky over the years regarding OS X that, while its marketshare is small compared to Windows, a small but dedicated number of
gifted developers wrote exclusively for it. However, now, and in large part due to the sizable marketshare iOS enjoys, some new developers are even inclined to write for OS X or port their iOS app over to it. Besides that halo effect, there is the more often cited halo effect on the buying public that start with an iOS device and then begin eyeing Macs.
It is not a case of schadenfreude or even being a fanboy (though I am a fan of Apple products) that I'm posting on this topic. More out of just not wanting a repeat of what happened to Apple in the past, and so I'm following the competitions' progress or lack thereof. As I posted in a recent thread regarding HP, most here are not rooting for the negative impact on employees of Apple's competitors. I, for one, hope Apple always has some competition so they'll be inspired to continue to innovate. Just within reason.
Not that one dimensional though. As a platform gets "too popular", developers see their apps being commoditized, with margin-pressure following. This creates a push towards emerging platforms.
(One of the reasons why i believe that Applications (as we know them), for most part, will become an industry asset in the near future.)
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Thanks for pointing out these are 3D. These units both appeared in the US last June, unlike the non-3D Samsungs.
My lingering doubt in the assumption that it is all about moving TVs lies in the amounts being slashed in the promotion. Today, you can buy the 55" that will be part of the promotion for the same price once the promotion starts: $1,999.99. Granted, there is a slight difference between what you currently get for free (Blu-Ray player, glasses and 3D movie) and in the 3D Shrek Starter Kit that's part of the promotion starting tomorrow that includes the free tablet; both are $349.99. The question remains, though, how are they making up the additional $500 loss from the GalaxyTab?
As a side note, it has always been my understanding that one of the things that led to the demise of Circuit City was the
slim margins on HDTVs. I have also read more about
3D not catching on with
consumers than the other way around (Still only about 160 3D movies for sale and ESPN 3D was just dropped from AT&T due to poor sales.). So maybe it is the TVs just as much as, if not more than, the Galaxy Tab. Hard to say.
Guess i should've read this before posting what is written above. In the US you say. Any note on when they were first released (anywhere?). Any note on upcoming refreshes? Shouldnt the 9-series be here somewhat soon?
personally, i'd say that its as simple as this. these babies are priced up more than the average itoy. obviously, they are not selling very well - something sammy (and others) would like. With these babies they can (for now) withstand the margin pressure that is pretty much killing companies in this industry as we speak. refresh or no refresh, they really want this tech. to be adopted, the sooner the better.
now, as for the tab: first, they dont need to make up for 500 usd (assuming that is the retail price of the device). depending on who is running this stunt (sammy or bb - or both), they need to cover a) production cost b) whatever bb pays for it. One thing is (somewhat) certain, in the end they are making a net profit on the deal.
Sure, they have some incentives to drive the market through subsidization, but i doubt it. That just opens a whole different box of trouble at lower price-points. Sure, these devices have crap margins, but they sure as hell want to push them at high volumes nonetheless.
Now, (assuming sammy runs the show) is it a coincidence that they bundle the tab? Definitely not. This is actually a market that makes perfect sense to drive through subsidization (as evidenced by sony and msft in the video game industry). Thing is though, this campaign will hardly move volume. Sure, it may increase sales (of the TVs) from close to nothing that somewhat further away from nothing.
Even if we go on a limb and say that they sell 100k units (a bizarre figure), does that really make a difference in the tablet market?
Simple answer: probably not :- )
that said, this is likely to be more about 3d tvs (high margin-low volume business) than anything else.