Samsung is Still Our Best Chance at an iPad 2 Rival
But it's a long road from inadequate to superstar.
Mar 4 2011, 12:56pm CST | by Robert Evans
Have you heard what Samsung mobile VP Lee Don-Joo just said? It's the latest hot bit of (apparently true) industry gossip. Don-Joo told the Korean Yonhap news agency that parts of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 were "inadequate" in comparison to the iPad 2. This may be the most startlingly frank and lucid appraisal of a product ever made by a suit to the press. I wonder if Don-Joo was drinking with the reporter?
As I noted in my earlier article about Android tablets in the iPad 2's wake, Samsung may be the only company with a real shot at locking horns with Apple. The Samsung Galaxy S is the first smartphone that began to compare to the iPhone in sales. The Galaxy Tab established the first Android tablet "brand".
I walked away very impressed with the Galaxy Tab 10.1. But I think I understand what Don-Joo found inadequate about it.
The Tab 10.1 has a very different feel from the iPad. It has a rougher, grippy-but-plasticky feel. And there is too much give in the middle. It feels light, sure, but it also feels fragile. I have a feeling battery life is another area Samsung is struggling to catch up to the iPad in.
They have to be reconsidering price, too. Motorola seems to be inches away from learning the hard way that Apple's $499 floor is important to meet. Hell, the WiFi-only Xoom has been sighted at a Sam's Club for $539.
We're only a few days past the iPad 2's announcement, and already Android customers are reaping the benefits. A redesigned Galaxy Tab is bound to be an improvement over the (already stellar) device we saw at MWC. And it'll be cheaper, too. Even if that means Samsung has to take a loss per unit. Right now, I think they'll do anything they can to pry a sizeable chunk out of Apple's 90% tablet market share.
Updates
Samsung argues 4G Galaxy Tab not in direct competition with Apple's 3G iPad 2
Source: AppleInsider
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Full article at: AppleInsider
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Robert Evans
The excitement about new smartphones, tablets and anything mobile drive
Robert to unearth the latest rumors and developments in this fast
moving space. He adopted 4G as soon as it become available and knows
where the mobile market is going.
Robert can be contacted directly at robert@i4u.com.
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