Unreleased OQO 2+ OLED Version Sells For $6,500 52
psych787 writes "OQO's product line — much loved by their community at oqotalk — has recently suffered a slow, agonizing death. After dropping warranty repairs, not returning several units sent in, disconnecting phonelines, and leaving trash at their headquarters, a couple of units have survived and found eBay. The last one went for $4.5k. Now the only PC for sale to include an OLED has gone for $6.5k. At that price, perhaps a competitor bought the device to come up with something that meets the same market?"
Re:Heh (Score:3, Insightful)
tech evolves over time; it may very well be that future advances will drive the cost down, iron out a few of the bugs and possibly change your mind. these OLEDs are incredibly efficient and can be used to make thin flexible displays.
Re:Heh (Score:5, Insightful)
I doubt that the final price is about a device with a 5" OLED screen, I think the final price is about having a collector's item, a rare prototype. As rare as it is, I would think it would fetch a much higher price.
I wouldn't know, I don't have a device with OLED. I don't typically use devices out of the corner of my eye. I'm pretty sure fading issues have been addressed, a screen made today is going to be a lot better than that made even two years ago. I doubt that an OLED and an LED TV would be comparable, because the LED TV you're thinking about is only LED backlit, it would still be LCD based and as such, still be pretty limited in real contrast ratio.
Pricing (Score:4, Insightful)
I guess it just turns out they priced them wrong... shoot, they've got the market for $6500 laptops cornered.
The problem is (Score:3, Insightful)
That there may not be enough idiots willing to pay high prices for it. You don't make enough money to stay in business selling only a few systems, even if you can get ridiculous prices for them.
Same kind of deal with the Voodoo 5 6000. There were a few people out there willing to spend ungodly amounts to have a special card, but not enough.
The only way you can have a company that survives on a market like that is if you have extremely low overhead. If you don't really do any R&D, then sure you can deal with low unit sales if margins are high. However to survive as a company that actually makes new products, you need a sizable number of sales.
Re:Heh (Score:3, Insightful)
Rare != Desirable. For an item to fetch a higher price than its normal counterparts, it needs both components.
Lots of rare things out there that aren't desirable. Also, the brand isn't that big. This also isn't a major milestone tech item. The first iPod(s) (by serial number, not just model), or iPhone... those and their prototypes probably will fetch money in years. Maybe even the first razr, if that phone is still remembered.
But the other billions of phones and mp3 players around? Not so much.
I think $6k for this device is plenty in that regard. Perhaps devices like it (the next Zune will be Oled too) will be around come Xmas from another competitor.
OLEDs are awesome (Score:3, Insightful)
I can see where someone would want to have a working prototype of one of the first devices with an OLED display, it's probably headed to a museum somewhere.
total misfire (Score:2, Insightful)
Shoving marginally laptop class computing resources into a palmtop with a thumb keyboard and a dinky, even if cool OLED screen is just stoopid. Either ya have to go bigger and be a netbook, or smaller and be a phone. This OQO concept was a tinker's wet dream, wishing for a market.
When the state of the art gets to the point where a laptop class CPU can operate in a compact mobile phone-sized format there might be some potential for a few vertical markets.. Beowulf cluster in a briefcase anyone?.... Beuler? .... Beuler?
At least for the next few years it's gonna be netbooks and iPhone clones.