Toshiba and Samsung plan to take market share away from the Apple iPad with the launch of its tablets.
 Click to enlarge |
| The Samsung TAB – coming 4Q 2010 |
According to online reports, Toshiba plans to sell the FOLIO 100 3G for 499 euros, which is 100 euros cheaper than the Apple iPad. While Samsung has not announced the pricing for its TAB, it is speculated that it will be offered on a plan by various carriers for $0 upfront.
Gartner UK’s Research Director, Carolina Milanesi said, “Looking at the iPad price, alternative tablets should be sold at below US$300 to be appealing to consumers unless you have a strong brand to support the premium or a carrier to subsidize the hardware.”
The Toshiba 10.1-inch tablet runs on Google Android 2.2 but comes with a graphical interface developed by the company. It also comes with an SD card slot, HDMI connector, USB, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth, while a 3G model will be offered in later months. It is 14mm thin, weighs 760 grams, and promises a battery life of up to seven hours.
Samsung’s TAB on the other hand, sports a 7-inch TFT-LCD display, weighs 380 grams, uses a Cortex A8 1Ghz processor, and runs on Android 2.2. It comes with 3G connectivity, 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0, and also offers video conferencing and push email. Voice calls is also possible on the TAB.
Despite the strong competition, iSuppli says that Apple is “unlikely to face a viable competitor until 2011, allowing the company to maintain a dominant share in the tablet market at least through 2012”.
Based on the market research released last month, “The iPad will account for an overwhelming 74.1 percent of global tablet shipments in 2010, with the remaining 25.9 percent consisting of a mix of older PC-type tablet products and competitive slates.”
iSuppli’s Director of Monitor Research, Rhoda Alexander said, “Although the iPad has been on the market for only a few months, powerful interests throughout the technology business are devoting enormous resources to challenge and topple Apple’s domination in this fast-growing marketplace.”
“However, if recent history is any lesson, it will take some time for these companies to get their products to market, longer for them to offer necessary software support and infrastructure, and an even lengthier period to begin to rival the overall user experience Apple is able to deliver,” added Alexander.
