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When we reported on the new ASUS Chromebook Flip C101 finally breaking cover and then showing up in some stores here and there, we had to make some assumptions about a few things.
First, the dates listed in the multiple store fronts matched, but we always have to take those with a grain of salt. Smaller online stores make guesses on release dates all the time, so we can’t really hang our hat on those dates.
For what it’s worth, the common date in many listings was August 1st.
Second, the pricing we saw across the board was in Euros. We were only able to assume there as well about US dollar pricing. At 399 Euros, we simply assumed a $399 US price was realistic.
We may have missed on that.
A Reader Had Some Insight
An eagle-eyed reader has reached out to us about a few things since that article and we wanted to offer up a couple facts and some further assumptions.
First, some of the listings we linked in our article have now adjusted the release date to September. Granted, all the current retailers listing the device are European, so it stands to reason that these retailers are accurate in their adjustment as Europe routinely receives Chromebooks later than the US. It is highly likely that the August release for the US could still stand.
Of course, we’re still making guesses and assumptions here, but the logic is solid.
Second, our earlier thoughts on price could use some adjustment. As our reader keenly deduced:
All of these sites are listing the device to be around 350 Euros (excluding VAT, or Value-Added Tax) which directly translates to around US$400. However, the European markup on devices like this needs to be considered. For example, the original Asus Flip – the C100, currently retails in the US for US$259 however these very same European sites list the C100 at around 294 Euros excluding VAT which is actually close to US$334 – and remember that’s *before* tax. That’s an US$75 markup. Let’s look at the Asus C302 as another example – a device that retails in the US for US$499. In Europe it’s 600 Euros excluding VAT for the equivalent model, that translates to US$683 – a markup of US$184!
With this all considered, I think it could be reasonable to think that this device could possibly see a price in the $300-$350 range as markups are much more aggressive in European markets on these devices. Perhaps even a bit cheaper than that.
Order The Samsung Chromebook Pro On Amazon
This is all great news for this device, especially for those of us in the US. Further confirmation of a possible August release coupled with a smaller pricetag? Pretty exctiting stuff!
