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New York Times didn’t mix words today, stating the HP was the biggest flop of 2011, worse, they labeled the purchased WebOS as a toxic asset.
Do you agree that only Google and Apple have the successful mobile operating system?
According to Engadget, Sony has dropped their price on the Tablet S. Unfortunately, Amazon owns the bottom of the price market and Apple owns the top. Is there room at the top? Does it even matter? Maybe Sony should abandon the android market completely and head for development of a Windows 8 tablet.
Tablet S runs Google’s Android operating system and features a 9.4″ multitouch display, 1 GHz Nvidia Tegra 2 dual core processor, Wi-Fi ability, front- and rear-facing cameras, Bluetooth, and an infrared sensor. It is also configured with access to the Sony Entertainment Network and is PlayStation Certified and Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) compatible.
On December 21, a Sony representative confirmed Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) will be available for the Tablet S model.
A DigiTimes report published July 25 suggests tablet shipments expected to surpass 65 million for the year, up more than 200% from 2010. This is great news for the expanding market for tablets.
The Abstract
The tablet craze sparked by Apple has not only given fresh impetus to the convergence of 3C markets (computers, communications and consumer electronics), but has also engulfed the entire ICT industry with its radically different business models, ushering in a new era in the mobile computing market.
Tablet shipments were up more than 420% from one year earlier in the first half of 2010 and the market will continue with its positive momentum in the second half of the year, with shipments expected to be up more than 150% from one earlier. While Apple remains the dominant player with its iPad line, other major vendors have looking to gain traction in this booming market.
While Apple remains the dominant force in the tablet market, major 3C brands are making the most of their own strengths and are projected to ship more than 20 million tablets in the second half of 2011.
Android has developed even more rapidly in the tablet sector than in smartphones, with a penetration rate of more than 30%. In terms of core application processors, Nvidia’s Tegra series has been widely supported by brands other than Apple. However, shipment figures from Digitimes Research suggest that Texas Instruments (TI) is likely to be the firm to beat out in this area.
The contribution of Taiwan’s electronics industry to the meteoric rise of the tablet industry should not be overlooked. In addition to the overwhelming advantage enjoyed by Taiwan’s OEM device/product makers, Taiwan’s touchscreen panel industry has also played a critical role in the branded tablet market, with Taiwan-based firms being the partner of choice for brands wishing to move into the tablet market quickly. This report takes a detailed look at the role of the Taiwan electronics industry in the development of the tablet supply chain.
A few items to highlight from the above abstract:
1. Don’t you agree that the 3C market is a great term? Computers, communications, and consumer electronics.
2. Tablet shipments in FH 2010 were up 420% – and the momentum continues.
3. Android is developing rapidly
4. Watch Texas Instruments (TI)
NY Times points to a joint Forrester Research and Bizrate Insights report that reports Tablet owners prefer to purchase online with their Tablet more than with their Smartphone and desktop.
Already a significant percent of consumers who currently own tablets report shopping on their tablets; furthermore, many of these shoppers prefer to browse web stores and purchase on their tablets instead of on their PCs or smartphones.
This is important to understand because people are using the Smartphones to browse the product and may later purchase the product on the Tablet.
As outlined in a blog post by an author of the report, reasons for the differences in preference may be an increase in portability or the ease for using a Tablet screen over the limited size of the Smartphone. A third reason may be the richer browser experience on the tablet versus a Smartphone.
The report concludes with a recommendation to online store owners: Design a tablet commerce road map that stays ahead of consumers. Well that is easier said than done!
According to Engadget, Dell has temporarily pulled the Streak. A Dell customer service representative explained the device is receiving an update. The Engadget report states the rep, “insists it has zilch to do with Android.” Gloria from ToyBox (ZDNet) confirms online ordering is blocked.
The Dell Streak features the following:
- A sharp 5-inch capacitive multi-touch WVGA (800×480) display for a great full-screen experience watching video or browsing the web
- Fast 1GHz Snapdragon ARM-based mobile processor from Qualcomm
- 5 MP autofocus camera with dual LED flash that offers easy point & shoot capability and quick uploads to YouTube, Flickr, Facebook and more
- VGA front-facing camera enables video chat functionality down the road
- A user-removable (and replaceable) battery
- A 3.5mm headphone jack means many of you can use the Dell Streak as the music source (and more) in your car
- Integrated 3G + Wi-Fi (802.11b/g) + Bluetooth 2.1 (think headsets, external keyboards, stereo headsets, etc.)
- UMTS / GPRS / EDGE class 12 GSM radio with link speeds of HSDPA 7.2 Mbps / HSUPA
- A user-accessible Micro SD slot expandable up to 32GB. That means you can store lots of movies, music, photos or other kinds of files.
DigiTimes pointed out that ViewSonic will either ship or start taking preorders at the Taipei Computer Application Show.
Most important, ViewSonic explains that their 7-inch tablet will ship WiFi only because of the Android Smartphone market penetration. Why is that important? Users of Android 2.2 and above are able to use their Smartphones as routers. At least that is how my students use their phones.
Even though reports surfaced that Amazon placed an order for 1.2 Million tablets, IDC is reporting tablet shipments are below expectations.
If we look at the numbers we can see that a 1.2 Million order of tablets is far below Apple’s 14-15 million but exceeds other suppliers. Interestingly, I still find myself asking the question, can Amazon pull this off? This will depend upon the product positioning. It’s possible.
Could the news published by Digitimes be music to Tableteers’ ears?
Most non-iPad table PC [sic] vendors have been frustrated recently due to lower-than-expected performance of their tablet PCs built with ARM/Android. While attributing the slow sales to the instability of Android and the strong brand image that Apple enjoys, some vendors have also begun mulling new strategies to strengthen their competitiveness.
Will we finally be getting back to the basic reason of awesomeness that makes the Tablet PC – Ink? Will we finally have good product coming out of vendors rather than the Android-based models?
Please, please, please.
On a very serious note, Microsoft is going to need to push Windows 8 OS by not following – it’s time to push Panda Bear Po AWESOMENESS into high gear.
HPHP TouchPad - Virtual Keyboard
HP is now in the tablet PC arena after introducing the 9.7-inch Touch Pad, has ordered from a supplier for 400,000 to 450,000 Touch Pad tablet PCs per month, and will sometime in August launch seven-inch tablet PCs.
Will this be a second WebOS tablet and not a tablet pc?
Displays are vital to the success of tablets and displaymate does a great job comparing the displays of the Apple iPad 2, ASUS transformer, and Motorola Xoom. Which tablets have the best displays?
For the current set of Tablets the iPad is the clear winner in every category, which is somewhat surprising considering it was the first Tablet to launch and the one that later competitors knew they had to beat – but as of yet none have succeeded.
The Motorola Xoom continues to be beat up by reviewers. The company is having trouble with the MicroSD and now display comparisons put it at dead last – far behind the competitors.
If you were the CEO of Motorola, what would you do to stop the embarrassment?