First Impressions

[teckel]

I got a coupon code for the 14" model and was about to order, till I got the shipping price, $31!  So really, it's a $131 laptop.  At that price, there's better hardware and more stable OS out there (like Chromebook).  Looking at Amazon today, with free 2 day shipping, there's $145 Samsung and Asus Chromebooks.

I'm no Pinebook hater, I was planning on getting one and excited when I got the email with coupon.  But $31 shipping on a $100 item is silly.  They should arrange for a US distributor and send them in batch from China and then individually from the US.  Or, offer a slower shipping option for less.  I get shipments from China all the time and never was the price close to $31.

Maybe the $90 & $100 price point wasn't possible, so they padded the shipping price?  In an case, the Pinebook is really a $131 laptop.  Super disappointed.

Anyway, I've got two 14" Pinebook coupons if anyone wants to use them.  Private message me if you do.

Tim

you are right, it is in fact 130 dollars notebook, but what kind of chromebook you can get for that price? can you link some? I am just curious. I still prefer ARM based notebook to same chromebook that only supports that strange and useless Chrome OS.

The real question is why would you compare the Pinebook to a chromebook or a cheap x86 laptop in the first place? in my first post about the Pinebook I wrote that this isnt a replacement laptop for your work or school. This is basically a community-ran project with some really interesting developments and exciting prospects, and because its in our hand AND (much of it) is open-source some very cool things may come of it down the road. Of course its not as stable as Chrome OS! but look how far we (ayufan, longsleep and Xalius) got us in just under 3 weeks!. And many more things are in the pipeline - some of which may or may not work. Thats the nature of this unit and project surrounding it.  But I understand that this isnt for everyone, and if all you want to do is word/ google docs and watch youtube then there are better devices for that (some of which may even be cheaper). l have a feeling a lot of people don't quite grasp the nature of this device.

[edit] ... there is no denying however that shipping is a bit on the pricy side ...

I compare it to a Chromebook because once you consider shipping, the price is VERY similar.  Also, you can run other OS on a Chromebook laptop.  Many people run flavors of Linux or Android on Chromebook laptops.  Then, once you realize the price and capabilities are similar, you then look at the quality and the hardware.  That's when Chromebook's built by companies like Asus or Samsung that have been making hardware for a LONG time make the Pinebook look like a cheap, easily broken toy.

Anyway, for $100 I was going to get the Pinebook.  But now that I see it's actually $131, Chromebooks stand out as the clear way to go. That's why I suggest a cheap shipping option. I've purchased maybe 100 things from China and none were ever lost. And you can get shipping insurance without using DHL.

Tim