More Windows RT Device Price Cuts: Dell Drops XPS 10 Tablet Price

Dell Wednesday became the latest vendor to significantly cut the price of its Windows RT tablet, reducing its XPS 10 from $449.99 to $299.99. The tablet, which runs on Qualcomm's ARM-based Snapdragon processor, starts with 32 GB of flash memory. The 64-GB model is currently listed at $349.99, down from $499.99.

Dell had previously reduced the starting price of the XPS 10 last month to $449.99, which is $50 less than the device's launch price, and chopped $100 off the 64-GB model from its original $599.99 asking price.

[Related: Microsoft Slashes Retail Store Prices Of Windows 8 Ultrabooks ]

Dell isn't alone, either. The XPS 10 price reduction follows other cuts to Windows RT devices last month. The Asus VivoTab RT saw its price dropped by about $50 by retailers like Best Buy, while Lenovo last month slashed the IdeaPad Yoga 11, a hybrid tablet-notebook, from its original price of $799 to $599 (Lenovo cut the price again recently to $549). Microsoft's Surface tablet, however, has yet to see its original starting price of $499 reduced.

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Perhaps even more concerning than the price cuts is the fact that there are currently only a handful of RT devices on the market, and rumors of additional offerings from various vendors have yet to materialize. Solution providers aren't exactly upset about the lack of traction for Windows RT, saying the OS version for ARM-based systems isn't a good fit for the commercial market.

"You can only run brand-new software on RT, not legacy Windows apps, so it's very limited," said Brian Goddard, owner of GTechserv, a Dell partner based in Charlotte, N.C. "The RT device doesn't make sense at all for businesses."

Iris Sepulveda, sales and marketing manager for PR Computer Services in Puerto Rico, agrees, and said Windows RT isn't making an impact with her business. A Lenovo partner, Sepulveda said customers are only interested in the vendor's Windows 8 tablets. "We really like Lenovo's tablets," she said, "and with the Windows 8 Pro, you can definitely tell the difference between those devices and RT devices."

PUBLISHED ON MAY 16, 2013