Microsoft Sells Dell's Venue 8 Pro Tablet For $99 - InformationWeek

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Comments
Microsoft Sells Dell's Venue 8 Pro Tablet For $99
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Michael Endler
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Michael Endler,
 User Rank: Author
12/9/2013 | 1:40:19 AM
Re: iPad envy
I suppose if you read a lot of tech stories, you might get tired of repeated iPad comparisons, but here are a few things to keep in mind:

1) The iPad has WAY more market share than Rolls Royce. In fact, the iPad is the most used single line of tablets. That alone makes it a sensible point of comparison when discussing new products in the same category.

2) The iPad Mini is a particularly apt comparison, given the Venue Pro costs the same (outside of Monday's promotion) as the cheapest iPad Mini.

3) Maybe it wasn't clear, but "Different strokes for different folks" was sort of the point of the iPad comparison--e.g. "[T]he Venue 8 Pro's major sales draw isn't touch apps; it's support for desktop software, particularly Microsoft Office."
Michael Endler
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Michael Endler,
 User Rank: Author
12/9/2013 | 1:34:13 AM
Re: Microsoft claims false report
Okay, since it's Sunday night here on the West Coast, I haven't had luck reaching anyone outside Microsoft's call centers. But I spoke to a call center supervisor (she said she couldn't give her full name) based in New York. I can report the following:

-- If a customer service rep said outright that the deal was false, the customer service rep spoke outside of Microsoft policy. The supervisor told me that company policy is to say, "We cannot confirm that" in response to situations such as this one. The reps should not have denied the price, and they should not have suggested (as some readers have reported to me) that InformationWeek (or any other publication reporting this deal) was wrong.

-- Microsoft customer service is basically in the dark on this deal until it is live. The supervisor told me that they don't have access to pricing information until the deal is active. So basically, the people I talked to in Microsoft PR knew about this deal, but at least some of the people in Microsoft customer service (perhaps all?) knew nothing.

-- My assumption is that some people called Microsoft customer support around midight EST, asking why they couldn't find the Venue 8 Pro deal. Because the deal doesn't go live until 7 AM Pacific (not a detail the supervisor could confirm even at this point, btw), the reps wouldn't have seen the pricing info.The reps should have said, "I cannot confirm that," but based on what I've heard from some readers, it appears at least some of them said something more like, "No, all the articles about that deal are wrong."
anon2893443333
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anon2893443333,
 User Rank: Apprentice
12/9/2013 | 12:58:09 AM
Re: Microsoft claims false report
Fair enough but surely you can see the use of editorial content for PR purposes perspective here. Microsoft isn't doing itself any favors.

You can bet they won't earn any high marks for the way this was handeled. 

It would be good of you to do a follow up story to see how realistic the sale was. Microsoft will sell perhaps 1000 Venue Tablets and gained perhaps 10,000 dissatisifed potential customers. Different story angle instead of a PR relay:

Microsoft tries to become relevant in tablets, sells 1000 tablets at a loss. Can anyone say HP Touchpad? While Windows isn't going away, there is no fear in the market that Microsoft will gain significant marketshare with this fiasco.

They are trying so hard to make it hard to buy a Windows product. In the past week I installed Linux Mint on 3 family laptops instead of upgrading them to Windows 8.1, passed out three USB sticks with Unbuntu on them to friends who have since migrated to that OS. This is no longer a fluke, Microsoft is losing customers who have been with them for over 20 years.

That says something.
Michael Endler
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Michael Endler,
 User Rank: Author
12/9/2013 | 12:33:12 AM
Re: Microsoft claims false report
As I've pointed out elsewhere, the deal isn't live yet. A website I linked to previously indicates it will go live at 7:00 AM Pacific. I can't account for why Microsoft's customer service agents are evidently in the dark. But I have documented confirmation from Microsoft about this deal. If the deal does turn out to be false, rest assured I'll run a story Monday morning that includes the email, and that asks why Microsoft would intentionally perpetuate false information.

 Edit: Hyperlinks aren't visible in the post for some reason, but the word "website" in item 3 of the list I posted above includes the link to Microsoft's deal promo page. I also inserted the link into the word "website" in the previous sentence.
anon2893443333
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anon2893443333,
 User Rank: Apprentice
12/9/2013 | 12:22:44 AM
Re: Microsoft claims false report
What website ? You obviously knew the sale would start at 7am and managed not to mention that in the article? After all it was mostly an ad piece so why not just get it all out?

Sorry Michael, maybe you got duped. Either that or you got information not properly vetted.

Microsoft customer service agents know absoluetly nothing about it. I guess they told both me and the other person bad info so everyone there knows nothing.

The Microsoft Store won't let you buy the product, it will allow you to buy all the other tablets.

You didn't look at their shopping site? You'd know then that it doesn't list the item out of stock, it simply can't be purchased.

Maybe instead of defending what you put out you could do some research and report more than spoon fed PR which is exactly what your story looks like.

The other stories? So then what is different about you and why should anyone bother reading you? If you hide behind being the same as everyone else then that makes you a commodity doesn't it?
Michael Endler
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Michael Endler,
 User Rank: Author
12/9/2013 | 12:15:19 AM
Re: Microsoft claims false report
Not fake. Microsoft put up a website that indicates the deal will go live at 7:00 AM. So if you're on the East Coast and expected that you could flip over to Microsoft's website at midnight, no dice. Wait a few more hours, and you'll have your shot.

EDIT: The hyperlink isn't visible, but the word "website" in the first line of this post has the link to the promo site.
Michael Endler
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Michael Endler,
 User Rank: Author
12/9/2013 | 12:11:48 AM
Re: Microsoft claims false report
@anon9094197732,

If that's true, the Microsoft customer service rep with whom you spoke is seriously misinformed.


A few things:


1) Literally hundreds of articles have been written about this deal. If the deal were bogus, you'd expect there'd be at least a few dozen articles (probably many more) saying as much. But as far as I know, there have been none.


2) I confirmed the details with Microsoft PR before writing this story.

3) Microsoft has a website about the deal.
AlexO508
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AlexO508,
 User Rank: Apprentice
12/9/2013 | 12:05:48 AM
Re: Microsoft claims false report
this is FAKE. No shuch deal.  thanks for wasting my time!
anon9094197732
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50%
anon9094197732,
 User Rank: Apprentice
12/8/2013 | 11:48:27 PM
Microsoft claims false report
Microsoft's customer serivce is saying that the article is bogus and the deal is false.  I searched their website and wanted to wait to see if they would change the price at midnight.  Any thoughts?
anon4453030347
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0%
anon4453030347,
 User Rank: Apprentice
12/8/2013 | 1:21:23 PM
Re: Using the same OS is more productive
I was using windows 8 for my pc. But what i think the Windows 8 is not made for professionals. We should love and use Windows 7.

 

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