The Makers of China’s Super-Expensive Communist ‘RedPad’ Tablet Respond!

RedPad's main screen

Yesterday, we told you about the RedPad, an Android tablet aimed at China’s government officials and priced at an incredible 9,999 RMB ($1,580). Yesterday, the Southern Metropolis Daily spoke to an official RedPad rep and got the full scoop on the device, and also heard the company’s official response to many of the cynical questions raised by Chinese net users after the device went viral yesterday.

The biggest question, of course, is why the device costs so much. After all, the thing is running Android and boasts modest tech specs; why does it cost twice as much as an iPad? RedPad spokesman Liu Xianri says that what they’re selling is services and information. The hardware, according to Liu, “only costs us 2800 RMB” ($438). The device is so expensive because it is designed specially for work use by government cadres, and is the exclusive provider of some “Red” (read: Communist) resources. “In a market economy,” Liu explains, “Red resources cost money too.”

‘Unlike the iPad, we provide more than just hardware’

Liu says he doesn’t get the iPad comparisons since — according to him — Apple only needs to pay hardware costs to sell it. Of course, that isn’t even a little bit true: Apple spends boatloads of money developing its iOS software platform as well as operating its app store and acquiring new software services (like Siri) to fold into its existing offerings. But that’s what Liu said. He also said “if you install all kinds of apps on an iPad for a year, you’d need 10,000 RMB” ($1,580). But with the RedPad, all the apps are free, as long as you understand that 7,100 RMB ($1,112) of the device’s original cost is paying for the preinstalled apps.

Most of those apps are connected to various provincial and national Communist Party newspapers. There’s also a suite of apps including a calendar, calculator, and slide show manager for office use. To the RedPad’s credit, the Southern Metropolis Daily reporter tried out its handwriting recognition feature and found it to be accurate and speedy. Then again, there are a number of extant Chinese handwriting input solutions for Android; it’s not clear whether the RedPad’s is original or whether it is just using one of those.

Amazingly, Liu also told reporters that part of their strategy was to make the device the most expensive one on the market. His logic is that people think expensive things are good, so making the RedPad expensive establishes that it is the best. Once the product is on sale, the price will be negotiable. Um, OK…

‘Don’t worry, this totally won’t be a misuse of public funds!’

RedPad's offices in Beijing

Part of the reason Chinese net users have been so concerned about the price is that the device is targeted at government officials, who might not care about the price because they’d be buying the things using taxpayer money. To this, Liu responds that RedPad didn’t invent the mobile government office use market, and that currently, government officials are all using iPads. I’m not sure how that’s relevant, given that the RedPad costs nearly double what an iPad costs, but whatever. Liu also stressed that RedPad “wants to compete with the foreign brand [Apple]” and that there would be no forced sales (meaning local governments would not force their employees to buy the device).

Meanwhile, the People’s Daily — which RedPad has taken great pains to associate itself with in its promotional materials — has been busy drawing a clear line between itself and RedPad, telling reporters yesterday that it played no part in the development or promotion of the RedPad, and that their cooperation consisted only of RedPad using some of their content. Liu agreed the two were only “partners.”

Interestingly, another “partner” of RedPad’s is the periodical Internet Public Opinion, which Liu says has given RedPad the exclusive distribution rights to the tablet version of their publication. Readers who subscribe to three years of Internet Public Opinion will even receive a free RedPad. A three-year subscription to Internet Public Opinion costs 3,800 RMB ($595).

Something tells me that this interview is probably not going to help dissuade people that the RedPad is an overpriced, underpowered piece of crap that’s primarily designed as a shiny way for local governments to launder bribe money, but hey, who knows!