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View Full Version : Ballmer Expects Smartphones to Sell for $100 in 2 Years


Mike Temporale
02-16-2006, 12:00 AM
<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://in.today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=technologyNews&storyID=2006-02-14T233919Z_01_NOOTR_RTRJONC_0_India-236648-1.xml&archived=False' target='_blank'>http://in.today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=technologyNews&storyID=2006-02-14T233919Z_01_NOOTR_RTRJONC_0_India-236648-1.xml&archived=False</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer expects smartphones powered by the company's Windows Mobile software to sell for $100 within one or two years, which would create a huge market. "We will get smartphones at consumer style prices," Ballmer said in an interview on Tuesday at the 3GSM wireless trade show. "I think it will take a year or two before we get to $100 type offerings (of Windows Mobile devices). I may be wrong, but not by much," he told Reuters. Today's Windows Mobile smartphones sell for between $200 and $300, before operator subsidies."</i><br /><br />That's $100 drop in price per year. While I would like to believe this, I really can't see it happening. We haven't seen $50 savings in the last 2 years. Why should I expect $100 this year alone?

Kris Kumar
02-16-2006, 04:32 AM
I am guessing that in two years, today's smart phones will look more like dumb phones. The smart phones feature set will evolve and therefore maintain the $200-$300 price range.