pricing

Microsoft Surface pricing will be comparable to PCs -- analyst

The least expensive Microsoft Surface tablet will be priced more in line with a low-end laptop than a $199 Google Nexus 7, one analyst argues.

Microsoft's imminent Surface RT tablet will priced between $399 and $499, excluding the smart cover/keyboard, according to Sameer Singh, an analyst with India-based consulting group Finvista Advisors, a mergers and acquisitions consulting group.

And the Pro version -- due next year -- will fall in the $799 to $899 range, also excluding the smart cover/keyboard.

Surface RT uses an inexpensive Nvidia ARM chip and won't run older Windows software. The pricier … Read more

Nook GlowLight e-reader price drops to $119

As Amazon gets set to ship out the Kindle Paperwhite, its new e-ink e-reader that features an integrated light, its chief rival appears to be getting a price cut. At least two major retailers -- Target (shown above) and Wal-Mart -- are now advertising the Nook Simple Touch With GlowLight for $119. That's $20 less than the original $139 price, and the exact cost of the entry-level Paperwhite (which, unlike the Nook, includes "Special Offers" ads).

When Barnes & Noble introduced the Nook GlowLight earlier this year, it had problems keeping up with demand (it later admitted … Read more

iPhone 5 estimated to cost 41 cents per year to charge

A new estimate claims Apple's latest iPhone costs 41 cents a year to keep charged, less than a third of its sibling, the iPad.

The metric, put out this week by energy analytics company Opower, is based on the assumption that iPhone owners will recharge their device once a day for the entire year:

Phone 5: consumed 9.5 watt-hours to charge, taking 1 hour and 50 minutes. Maximum wattage was 6.3 watts, with an average of approximately 5.0 W. Multiplying 0.0095 kWh/day by 365 days = 3.47 kWh per year. Annual charging cost is … Read more

EU to market test e-book settlement proposed by publishers, Apple

The European Union's executive arm confirmed today that Apple and four e-book publishers have offered up a settlement deal on e-book price-setting that could be approved in the coming months.

According to the European Commission, Apple, Harper Collins, Hachette Livre, Macmillan, and Simon & Schuster (which is owned by CBS, the same company that publishes CNET) have agreed to terminate e-book agency pricing contracts and allow retailers to set their own prices on titles for a period of two years.

The proposed deal, which the EC did not offer an opinion on, will now be open to public comment, … Read more

Apple reveals prices for unlocked iPhone 5 in U.S., Canada

If you're in the market for an unlocked iPhone 5, Apple has posted a handy tool detailing how much you can expect to pay for each configuration.

The Apple Store's comparison tool lists the 16GB iPhone 5 at $649, the 32GB at $749, and the top of the line model 64GB at $849. In Canada, where all models sold by Apple are unlocked, the same models are priced at -- in Canadian dollars -- $699, CAD $799, and CAD $899 , respectively.

However, those expecting to get their hands on Apple's next-generation smartphone soon will have to put … Read more

Feds demand $1B from LCD maker for price-fixing

The U.S. Department of Justice has reined down hard on a Taiwanese LCD screen maker in court, demanding $1 billion in fines and significant jail time for two former executives.

According to the Associated Press, AU Optronics carried out an extensive price-fixing scheme that feds said was the most significant ever prosecuted in the U.S. During a federal trial in March, the jury found both AU Optronics and two of its executives, Hsuan Bin Chen and Hui Hsiung, guilty of price-fixing.

The original complaints for the case alleged that the company worked to create an international "cartel&… Read more

Next iPhone to cost the same as last iPhone, report says

Those hoping for a cheaper iPhone -- or dreading the possibility of a price hike -- can stand down, according to a new report that claims Apple will stick to its tried and true pricing structure.

In a report today, 9to5Mac posts a "parts code matrix" for the upcoming handset that sports the same $199 to $399 prices that have been in place since the iPhone 4S last year. The outlet says these prices and storage capacities will stay the same in the jump to the next iPhone, which is dubbed the N42.

The cost of a carrier-subsidized … Read more

Friday Poll: What would you pay for an iPad Mini?

Nobody can say for certain just yet, but it sure looks like Apple will be unveiling a 7-inch iPad Mini soon. Along with the rumors comes all sorts of speculation about the price tag.

Google's Android-running Nexus 7 tablet has already landed at a $199 price point. That's what Apple is up against with the launch of an iPad Mini. Because it's Apple we're talking about here, the new tablet probably doesn't have to come in that low to attract buyers.

Some of the potential prices that have been bandied about are $199, $249, and $349. According to one analyst, coming in at $249 would blow away the competition. … Read more

Publishers to pay $69 million over e-book price-fixing allegations

Three major U.S. e-book publishers have agreed to a deal that will see them pay a significant sum for alleged e-book price-fixing.

Connecticut State Attorney General George Jepsen yesterday announced that he, "along with 54 attorneys general in other states, districts, and U.S. territories," have signed a $69 million deal with Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins Publishers, and Simon & Schuster (which is owned by CBS, the same company that publishes CNET) to settle antitrust claims over an alleged conspiracy to artificially inflate e-book prices.

"While publishers are entitled to their profits, consumers are equally entitled … Read more