» Competitive with what?

Dante D’Orazio at the Verge details Lenovo’s pricing for its upcoming Windows 8 tablet/full desktop computer:

The tablet will be available starting at $599 on October 26th, while the keyboard dock will cost you an extra $149.

Is that competitive for a 32 GB model? Sure.

Oh, competitive with netbooks, I mean. Not with iPads.

Why not with iPads, Apple boy? It’s got the same amount of memory.

The tablet and keyboard weigh about 1.4 pounds each, which is suitably light, but it does lend to the device’s overall inexpensive feel. That’s not terribly surprising considering this is an IdeaTab product: like many of Lenovo’s Idea-branded devices, the back of the tablet is made of an attractive textured plastic, and the hinge looks to be all-plastic too. Speaking of the hinge, it has a large, plastic eject button that was acting up on the pre-production unit that we used, and sliding the tablet in and out wasn’t terribly smooth. Unfortunately, the Windows key on the bezel of the tablet is covered when docked, meaning you’ll have to reach for the Windows button on the keyboard: not a huge deal, but a minor inconvenience nonetheless.

How many times can we sarcastically say “No compromises” before it’s not funny anymore? I know we’re not there yet, I’m just asking for future reference.

And then there’s how Windows 8 works in touch mode. Realistically, you need the keyboard to get the best use out of this thing. Once you have the keyboard, you’re not competing with the iPad,  you’re competing with netbooks.

Maybe I’m missing something, but I’ve yet to see the “it” Windows 8 device.