- February 23, 2011
- Posted by: admin
- Category: Blog
Apple has already captured the new market segment of tablet PC’s, almost single-handedly, 2011 is all about the struggle for market share in the Tablet PC. According to industry experts, Google Android 3.0 has a good chance to fight with market leader, Apple, and its iOS operating system to be incorporated.
This is the common ambiguity in the consumers of tablets that, is Apple iPad still the market’s key driver or not in the world of tablets?
The new Android 3.0, which is marketed under the name “Honeycomb”, will especially convince with its higher graphics performance and improved multi-touch functionality. It has also worked on the multi-tasking capability of the software, and improves the user-friendliness of the operating system.
Time will tell if Android will manage to surpass the sales of iPad.
Statistically speaking Android devices have captured 22 percent of global tablet shipments in the three months to Dec. 31, up from 2.3 percent in the preceding quarter. The iPad accounted for 75 percent of shipments in the period, down from about 95 percent. Apple is facing intensive competition from Android Tablets made by Samsung Electronics Co., Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc.
Although Ipad has an artificial disadvantage over in this comparison, but Apple has planned to launch Ipad 2, in a month or so. Market will decide which one of them will win the race. It’s quite obvious that Apple has to add some exclusive features to remain the key market driver in the world of tablets.
Please share your views.
It depends to what extent you consider a threat a threat. Android tablets have clearly already intruded significantly into Apple’s market dominance. The question is, will equilibrium leave Apple with “enough” market share (whatever that means), or will Android push it off the charts?
My crystal ball is in dire need of a good polishing, but it looks as though there are enough Apple Fanbois out there who will buy ANYTHING Apple, that iPad will remain *profitable* (one of the few things in this whole question and answer, that can be quantified) for quite some time. Mind you, two things here: first, “quite some time” can be very short when translating “computer industry time” to “normal time”, and second, Apple’s normal computers are still “profitable”, with a fairly small share of the overall computer market!
That said, though, if Apple wants the general public (not just Apple fans) to *automagically* think “iPad” when they hear “tablet” (in computer context anyway), much like people tend to think “Kindle” when they hear “electronic book reader”, then yes, Android tablets (and the others out there) are definitely a threat.
I don’t think Androids will be a threat to the Ipad till they’re able to get the battery life up to a reasonable amount. My Android phone I have to keep my adapter with me at all times because I’m lucky to get 4-6 hours of life on it. The Tablets face a similar challenge, once they get that down, they will be considered a viable competitor.
Android tablets will eventually win because the manufacturer’s listen to their customers and learn from Apple’s mistakes. I believe the tablet war will mirror the cell phone war which Android has clearly won. You want an HDMI port on that iPad? No way! How about a USB host port? Not on an iPad. What about an SD card slot that is standard on every non-Apple device? Nope! What about that price? The cost of entry to the Android space is miniscule. $300 gets you a decent tablet that runs great and has all of the ports that the iPad lacks not to mention the solid Linux kernel running at it’s heart.