Wrong-Way Archos

When Steve Jobs returned to Apple, the first thing he did was slash the product line. That made buyer choice far less confusing and focused Apple’s energies. It also preserved Apple’s dwindling capital so the company could remain alive.

Archos, on the other hand, thinks it can achieve success by spewing out a confusing array of devices, some of which it’s calling “tablets” when they’re no such things. What they are, in fact, is fodder for the iPod Touch steamroller. Really, these smaller devices will wind up on Woot! faster than you can say, well, Woot!

Archos is spending money — no, wasting money — like a drunk in a whorehouse.

Engadget has all the details.

What I want to focus my ire on is the new Archos 70 and Archos 101. Those are really tablets: a 7 and 10 inch capacitive screen, accelerometer, Android 2.2 (promised), and prices competitive against the iPad.

Except in one important point: The 70 is priced just about $25.00 less than the 101! The 70 is $274 versus $300 for the 101.

Wut?

What kind of sense does that make?!

To make this pricing doubly insulting, the 70 has a screen …

… that’s only 800×480 versus the 101 …

… with 1024×600!

It’s like they don’t want people to go and buy the 70 at all!

The screwiness continues: the stereo speakers on the 70 are on the front. The 101 has them on the back!

Wut?!

Is there no consistency of design at Archos?! Didn’t anyone notice this discrepancy?

I’d be interested in the Archos 70 — because I don’t want to convert my AVI video, and it’s only Archos that provides software with an Android tablet to play that format — but this price is too high next to the 101.

Seeing the way Archos is operating here, instead of lowering the price of the 70, they’ll increase the price of the 101!

None of this is good right now.

Advertisement