Samsung scents strong Android tablet sales Watch out, Apple, Samsung wants your market share. The South Korean giant has forecast that its Galaxy Tab 7in Android tablet will account for a third of the slate market by this time next year. To do so, Samsung expects to sell 10m of the things, the vast majority through network operators, company executive Hankil Yoon told …
How is this any different from wishful thinking? 'Projecting' 10m sales. Why not 'project' 100m sales?
It's funny how people always complain about Apple's prices. Whenever the competition tries to catch-up with a ho-hum copycat, their prices always seem to be much higher. Funny that....
As someone else already predicted, the only way for a non-iPad tablet to compete is to be priced at 300 euros or lower, and that doesn't mean with carrier subsidy.
Samsung are really being dumb here. Just because it has better features than the iPad doesn't mean it will sell for more cash. People will choose Apple over Samsung at the same price point - they probably shouldn't, but they will. Samsung are trying to bandwagon, but at a premium. Not a good idea.
These things need to be £300 or less and they will sell by the hat load.
"How is this any different from wishful thinking? 'Projecting' 10m sales. Why not 'project' 100m sales?"
Because in a publicly floated company analysts and shareholders want this information to determine whether to buy or sell your shares, and whether to hold you to account when you don't deliver what you projected. Clearly you have no idea what you're talking about, but that doesn't mean people do these things for a laugh.
"It's funny how people always complain about Apple's prices. Whenever the competition tries to catch-up with a ho-hum copycat, their prices always seem to be much higher. Funny that...."
Err ... right. Care to share any other examples of that happening?
The so-called iPod 'killer' known as the Zune.
Mac Mini - it took over 2 years for an equivalent PC to drop below the mini's price to feature set ratio.
iMac - there still isn't an all-in-one PC that comes close to the iMac in terms of build quality and feature set that is at a lower price.
iPod Touch - name one competing device that has the same or better features (including the OS) that is cheaper.
I have a mobile phone that allows wi-fi tethering so I don't need a 3G tablet.
The default situation for the tablet will be using it at home or in the office through wi-fi. In most instances, out and about, I will prefer carrying my phone. In the case where I want to take my tablet with me, then all I need to do is tether it to my phone.
Samsung need to release a model without the 3G element.
The interesting cost will be the with contract pricing. These could easily sell well even if they cost the same as an iPad simply because you can buy them in instalments (phone contract).
My bet going on vodafones Galaxy S pricing is that these will be something like £30/month for 24 months with the pad free. £720 over two years with a data contract included which is pretty much what you pay for an iPad given that it seems data contracts for it are £10/month.
Not my cup of tea, device looks ok but give it a few more months and there will be something along costing less for the same/more features. Early adopters are always stung after all.
The major difference here is that the data plans for the iPad are (in essence) pay as you go 30 day long deals. They aren't crippling 2 year lock-ins to one provider. Ergo, not only is the Galaxy tab pricing fucking horrendous without a contract, it is also doubly fucking horrendous with one, and you will be locked into the device for 2 years with no chance of upgrading, and no way of getting out of your contract should you break it.
The deals I'm talking about are those that have been floated in the US, which are all 2 year contracts afaict.
Three's (and Vodafone's) are highly unlikely to be for a subsidised Tab, which means that the prices will still be far, far higher than those for an iPad in the long run.
Perhaps it is just me, but a front-facing camera is not going to be enough to make up for that, especially when it ships with a worse OS and apps that aren't even designed for the hardware's format. That, and we can't even be sure how well and how timely Samsung - as with all other Droid manufacturers - will support upgrades to the OS (my guess, given the track record with Android so far is that it will be appallingly badly).
I really liked the iPad when I played with it, but there is just no way I'm paying that amount of money for it, and there is also no way I am paying that amount [or more] for any other tablet either.
I think a couple of hundred could be justified, which is where the competition will be with prices in a year or so. So I'll wait until then.
more features.
Has a camera and can make phone calls. Why should'nt it be more expensive?
I mean, it's not like the iPad is the ultimate Pad or something.
Seems to be a pretty ingenious idea actually, make the retail price more expensive than the iPad (non-techies will assume it has be superior, since it's more expensive) and give a large carrier subsidy.
Android is'nt as crippled as iOS, but i think will skip that one as well. Hopefully the WeTab will live up to it's promises.
I like the Apad at one level because it demonstrates what a ripoff the iPad is. Here is a fully functional Android tablet on sale than $100. Wholesalers can get them for $80 which is frankly an incredible bargain.
On the flip side, there is nothing to write home about the device. What it says to me though is that Samsung, Acer et al could easily produce extremely functional tablets in the $200-350 range and make a lot of money. I think if they jack their prices too high they're going to fail.
My employer acquired several Chinese 7" and 10" tablets when they hit the GuangZhou retail market last December (BEFORE APPLE) and I have spent considerable time testing their functionality and applicability to a number of projects we have underway.
Although the 7" screen might seem to have insufficient real estate, the opposite is, in my experience. actually true.
I have a Taiwanese motor-scooter and I made a touchscreen, using Linux and a small laptop in the luggage compartment to replace the original electronic dash. For the past 2-3 months I have been using a 7" Chinese tablet and even when driving, our speed limits are 50 km in town, the functionality is good and the display is quite sufficient except in direct, overhead, sunshine.
I use it to display all normal functions, along with GPS (Google maps), accessory control, etc. It is secured in a stainless steel frame to make it harder to steal.
When will the clueless OEMs come to understand that non geek consumers DO NOT CARE ABOUT CHECKLIST FEATURES!
<sorry for yelling>
What they want is something that does some things well, is not frustrating to use. I can't tell you the times I've had a play with some new gadget only to wonder how in hell it ever got to market without someone noticing how utterly crappy some part of its user interface is.
If these clowns put half the effort into improving usability and providing after purchase updates and upgrades as they do trying to cram pointless features in to try and outdo their idiot competitors who are doing exactly the same thing then they might have a chance of selling some products.
Just have a look to how they killed the netbook market with this idiot behaviour.
As things stand this device is overpriced from the start and once Samsung moves on to the next big thing with an even bigger feature checklist (because this one clearly flopped because it didn't have enough features natch) this one will be left to wither and die with the credulous fools who purchased one left to wonder what they were thinking when they bought it in the first place.
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