Samsung is Insane, The 8.9" and 10.1" Galaxy Tab(s) Prove It

Are they crazy like a fox, or just very seriously ill?

Mar 22 2011, 1:10pm CDT | by Robert Evans

Samsung is Insane, The 8.9" and 10.1" Galaxy Tab(s) Prove It

You have to be bold to succeed in a dirty business like consumer electronics. And Samsung is a bold company. When faced with Apple's rock-solid iPad 2 reveal and the frenzy resulting from its launch, rival tablet-makers were forced to do some hard thinking. Samsung decided their 10.1" Galaxy Tab wasn't up to the task of fighting Apple. They took it back to the drawing board in what looked to be a sane response from a rational company.

But what they came up with proves that Samsung has ventured a few steps beyond bold into "straight-up crazy" territory. Instead of launching one 10.1" tablet, they're launching two tablets- one 8.9". Both slates will otherwise be virtually identical. Oh, and the first of them launches on June 8. Right up against the iPhone 5.

There are a few things wrong (read: crazy as a bird) with Samsung's decision here.

1. The difference between 8.9" and 10.1" is incredibly small. When you factor in the identical hardware, Samsung is marketing the same product at almost the same price points.

2. Both versions of the Tab will have the TouchWiz interface uglying up Honeycomb's stark, dignified countenance. We can also expect to see the Tab launch loaded with varying spyware programs and spam apps, based on which carrier you go with.

3. Seriously- June 8? What do you people smoke in those board meetings?

In a way, this is refreshing. Samsung isn't pussyfooting around Apple with their launch dates. They've built a wonderful Android brand over the last year and they feel it finally has the steam to stand against the heavyweight. By marketing their Tab as the thinnest large screen tablet on the market, they've got a legitimate claim against Apple in the "magic" territory and can brag a superior extended reading experience to boot. By choosing two different display sizes they'll be able to collect valuable real-world data about which form-factor consumers prefer.

That's an expensive way to do market research, but the 7" Tab is proof that Samsung doesn't mind spending a lot of money to get it right. Or closer to right, anyway.

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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.