Several minutes ago the folks at The Verge posted an article about a refreshed version of the ASUS Transformer Prime, but then they suddenly decided to pull the post for reasons we don’t yet understand. Thanks to the internet though, it’s resurfaced in full and the gist of it is this: ASUS is going to release a new Transformer Prime in Q2 2011 that’s still called the Transformer Prime, but it bears the suffix TF700T. What makes this new version special is that the 1280 x 800 pixel resolution display in today’s Transformer Prime will be replaced by a 1920 x 1200 panel. Also of note is that the back of this new device will sport a completely new design to fix those pesky GPS and WiFi issues that owners of today’s Transformer Prime are experiencing. The price tag will go up a bit, it’s expected to land between $599 and $699, but other than that we don’t really know anything. We don’t even have pictures!
If you’re one of the unlucky people who went ahead and ponied up $500 for an ASUS Transformer Prime, how do you feel? You’ll have the latest and greatest Android tablet for 3 to 6 months, which runs Android 3.2 Honeycomb until ASUS releases a software update in who knows how many weeks, and then the “real” Transformer Prime will land with better specs, better WiFi and GPS performance, and Android 4.0.1 Ice Cream Sandwich. Stings, doesn’t it?
Our advice is to just stay away from today’s Transformer Prime, return your unit if you already bought one, and just wait. When you really think about, a tablet is a luxury item anyway, so not having one for half a year isn’t going to kill you. And hey, you never know, maybe you’ll fall in love with what Apple brings to the table with the iPad 3? Rumor has it that it’ll push 2048 x 1536 pixels, which is mind bending when you think about it.
Update: It’s official on both The Verge and SlashGear, the latter saying that $599 is the new price tag for the 32 GB model and $699 is for the 64 GB version.