Marketing (il)logic

Sometimes, one wonders if marketing people have any grasp of elementary logic. Consider this quote from a report headlined “Many Windows 8 Tablets Will Sport a Keyboard.”

Samsung showed off the latest version of its Slate tablet, a grayish device with a bright touch screen measuring 11.6 inches at the diagonal. It comes with a pressure-sensing stylus called the S-Pen, and will sell with an optional detachable keyboard that uses magnets and latching hardware to stay in place. Unlike most of the devices shown at the event, the Slate had a price and release date: it will be available October 26, the same day Windows 8 launches, for $749 with the keyboard and $649 without.

Allison Kohn, public relations manager for Samsung Electronics America, said the company decided to pair the tablet with a keyboard to help users carry around fewer gadgets. “It simplifies your lifestyle, being able to consolidate your devices,” she said.

So: Samsung provides 1 tablet + 1 keyboard in order to “consolidate” the lives of people who currently carry 1 iPad?