Tablet War: Which one will you go for?
By Kukil Bora, SiliconIndia   |   Thursday, 24 March 2011, 13:21 IST   |    5 Comments
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Tablet War: Which one will you go for?
Bangalore: Here is a question - Why are consumer electronics companies falling all over themselves in a bid to roll out their own tablets? Perhaps, Apple's CEO Steve Jobs would love to raise his hand to answer. It's Apple's clear edge in the tablet market today that makes the other players inquisitive. While Apple is making a big show with two versions of iPad, rivals are catching up as well. By calling them "copycats", Steve Jobs tried to despise iPad rivals during the launch of iPad2. But whether he likes it or not, the war of the tablets has started; and his remark has made the race to the winner's crown much more interesting. According to an ABI Research report, approximately 4.5 million tablets were sold in the third quarter of 2010, out of which 93 percent were Apple iPads. Apple's dominance in the tablet market is no surprise as it was the only consumer tablet available last year until Samsung unveiled its Galaxy Tab. Many are of the opinion that Samsung's new Galaxy Tab 10.1 and 8.9 are their answer to the iPad2 as they are thinner, lighter and feature higher resolution screen and cameras. The Galaxy Tabs also offer double the RAM of the iPad 2 at 1GB. The newly released Motorola Xoom is another competitor for Apple now. It is the first tablet to run Android 3.0 Honeycomb. Xoom, which was the darling of CES, is the first tablet to offer dual-core processing, and the first with Adobe Flash 10.2 support. The Xoom has faster browsing than the iPad 2. Compared with the Xoom, iPad2 chokes a bit on busier sites. Isn't it enough to call it a perfect iPad contender? When Apple took wraps off the iPad last April, its stock zoomed more than 10 percent. According to analysts, Apple has smartly pre-empted the BlackBerry maker Research In Motion (RIM) by launching the new iPad, ahead of the rival's PlayBook. RIM had unveiled the PlayBook in September to announce its entry into the new arena. A big plus for the BlackBerry PlayBook is the fact that it will have Flash support. Its multimedia features are definitely up to par with other tablets on the market. Aside from running on a brand new BlackBerry OS designed specifically for the Playbook, you'll also get a 1Ghz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM and two HD 1080P cameras (5MP back, 3MP front). Apart from all these, other products to keep an eye on this year include HP webOS, expected to be released by June; Android-run HTC Flyer; LG G-Slate with a dual-core Tegra 2 chipset and 3D display; Sony S1 Play Station tablet with Android 3.0.; ASUS Eee Pad Transformer; Toshiba tablet; Notion Ink Adam and Lenovo IdeaPad U1 Hybrid to name a few. What makes this contest even more challenging is the growing awareness of tablets and e-readers among consumers around the world. Consumers are becoming more concerned about the various features offered by new tablets, and manufacturers will have to keep that in mind while battling for the top spot. According to a BCG survey of more than 14,000 consumers in 16 markets including China, Germany, the U.K., and the U.S., the initial consumer interest in these devices, which reached a crescendo in April 2010 with the release of Apple's iPad, remains strong. Apart from literally being in the couch potatoes these days, tablets are set to sweep corporate offices also. Because of their business apps, tablets will become the first choice of about 50 percent major companies in the next two years, said the survey by Menlo Park, California-based, Robert Half Technology. According to analysts, since the corporate world still swears by the BlackBerry smartphone, the PlayBook will be their first-choice tablet ahead of the iPad because of its integration with the BlackBerry. Going with the Gartner report that said that media tablets are expected to displace around 10 percent of PC units by 2014, it is clearly evident that tablets are here to stay and stay for long. And as far as the war among the tablet manufacturers is concerned, it will be decided not only by consumers and gadget lovers, but also by corporate workers looking for the next game-changing productivity tool. So the war will be won by the one which would be your favourite. Which one will u choose?