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Tablet wars: The Samsung strikes back

If its anything like their Samsung Tab Tablet, its more like the Phantom Menace than The Empire Strikes Back
 
I especially like the part about it being a total brick that won't power on ;)

The models we saw weren't final -- in fact, they didn't even power on
Click to expand...

But yeah, competition is good for everyone.
 
They actually LOOk good. But those are just shells for a Honeycomb OS. Nothing changes in my mind.
 
It's been said before and will be said again. Other companies can continue to introduce iPad alternatives, but until they can offer a complete eco system that bests iTunes, the App Store, and for an ever increasing number of people, Mac OS itself, these companies offer a standalone product at best. Even with maxed out specs, a standalone product will always be overpriced with fewer features, in comparison to a gateway product that includes the benefits of an entire highly developed ecosystem. For some, a standalone product might be good enough, but as the iPod proved, standalone products will share a small slice of a fringe market at best.

Tablet wars? More like tablet mini salvos.
 
My concern is that they are just playing the "me too" card and that plays right into Apple's hands and is exactly the kind of story they have woven for the iPad 2. Apple is still leading here because they make everyone else appear like copycats. Until a company can make something thinner, faster, cheaper, AND have a great UX (none of this TouchWiz BS) then they will really have some competition.

Also if this comes out 10 months from now it's no good either, this needs to come out while Apple is still trying to get control of iPad 2 supply. Otherwise it's a non-starter (at least for people who aren't lusting for an Android Tablet).

Based on the fact that the prototypes seen don't even turn on yet, I would say this is not pretty far down the road to release and by the time it comes out people will already be talking about what the iPad 3 will do to up the ante.

Still, it is nice to see someone taking competition seriously, lets see if they put their money where their mouth is. So far it's all talk and a lot of TouchWiz.

Update from Engadget:
Samsung came clean with the pricing at its press conference this morning. The WiFi 10.1 will hit on June 8th -- the 16GB version will cost you $499 and the 32GB $599. The 8.9 is $469 and $569 for 16GB and 32GB, respectively.
Click to expand...

Okay that is pretty impressive. June might be a bad date though because Apple will throw iOS 5 out there and get people talking about how amazing that makes the iPad 2. Plus they will likely have iPad 2 supply under control by then. Still, you are doing this right so far Samsung.
 
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Looks damn good...Gotta say. Although, after having the Xoom for a week or so, Honeycomb you can have. Too complicated and no app support. Keeping my iPad 2.
What that will do is kill the Xoom. There will be a Xoom 2 coming real soon..lol.
 
Make no mistake, these are tablet wars. Apple is feeling the heat (early release) and the other manufacturers are feeling the heat (Samsung's redesign to make it thinner).

This is a zero-sum game for a limited market. Developers see these devices as their breadwinners in the future due to the restrictive nature of the software policies enforced on them.

Its not about survival for large companies like Samsung and Apple... it is very much about leverage and market position for when the next big product evolves.

Where would the iphone be without the ipod? Nowhere. Where would the ipad be without the iphone? Nowhere.

Some people are claiming that the iphone is ultimately what led to T-mobile's demise as a standalone carrier.

No one can afford to rest on their laurels unless they LIKE losing millions of dollars.
 
Strikes back?

Okay...

This is why Samsung fails and will fail until these issues are resolved.

1. They don't have apple store like apple to distribute these tablets with better customer experience. With apple, I can go to my local apple store and learn how to use iPad. If I have issues, then apple store will take care of it for me at the spot. Apple is very good with all of these.

2. App store. Until Android catches up with these gaps. No.

3. Samsung sucks with keeping users with the latest software. Galaxy S phones just got updated to 2.2 from 2.1. It took samsung almost 8 months to release that software update. Now, I see that these tablets have skins on them and they will not offer true google honeycomb experience. With skin on them, samsung will take even longer to release newer OS.

4. If this thing runs by tegra chip, then pass... Apple's A5 chip is so much better than Nvidia Tegra 2 chip in Motorola Xoom.

Until these issues are resolved, I am not interested. Pass.
 
Tarzanman said:
check out the link, Samsung has brought their A-game:

Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 and new Galaxy Tab 10.1 hands-on: thinner than the iPad 2, dual-core power, TouchWiz UX
Click to expand...

Shell? Won't power on? Laughable. :p That's like saying you have a car that can beat a Ferrari 599 GTO... Well okay, right now we just have the body. Oh, and I doesn't have an engine yet either. But when we get it... WATCH OUT!

When all these competitors actually start delivering product, maybe, although doubtful, it might be a tablet war. Right now, hardly striking back. More like farting into the wind.
 
I dont think Apple is feeling any serious heat. Whats going on now was expected. I mean it is YEAR 2 of the Tablet. its not like how it was with the iPhone where ONLy Apple had a foundation(iPhone OS) to build a tablet. Android already existed. Google just needed a year to tweak it(for whatever thats worth). AS long as the competition has to overcharge for it devices, Apple has them right where they want them.

The average consumer is not about to pay 800 bucks straight up nor 600 for a contract when they can buy an "APPLE" device for 500 and do pre pay with AT&T. Thats it point blank period
 
Blakjack said:
I dont think Apple is feeling any serious heat. Whats going on now was expected. I mean it is YEAR 2 of the Tablet. AS long as the competition has to overcharge for it devices, Apple has them right where they want them.

The average consumer is not about to pay 800 bucks straight up nor 600 for a contract when they can buy an "APPLE" device for 500 and do pre pay with AT&T. Thats it point blank period
Click to expand...

The WiFi 10.1 will hit on June 8th -- the 16GB version will cost you $499 and the 32GB $599. The 8.9 is $469 and $569 for 16GB and 32GB, respectively.

Samsung isn't playing around here, they aren't that stupid.

At the same time though, like I said, the best time to strike would be while the supply for the iPad 2 is thin. If they could say "hey take your money over to us and we will hook you up" they would be in business, but by the time this comes out in June the iPad 2 will have iOS 5 and it will have plenty in stock (not to mentions multi-millions already sold).
 
dadoftwogirls said:
Shell? Won't power on? Laughable. :p That's like saying you have a car that can beat a Ferrari 599 GTO... Well okay, right now we just have the body. Oh, and I doesn't have an engine yet either. But when we get it... WATCH OUT!

When all these competitors actually start delivering product, maybe, although doubtful, it might be a tablet war. Right now, hardly striking back. More like farting into the wind.
Click to expand...

Watching the video it seems they have working models ty CITA but there are some oddities.. "About phone"? Is this a phone or a Tablet?
 

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even if they make gold stuff on the hardware, the problem is the software. two different companies in one product... sorry
 
WMuntean said:
I haven't read up on the Tegra 2 chip, is this true?
Click to expand...

They both use Dual-core ARM Cortex-A9. Its more about the GPU thats coupled in the soc.

A5 uses PowerVR SGX543MP2, Tegra 2 uses some Geforce GPU...not quite sure.

I don't think its as clear cut...
 
T4R06 said:
even if they make gold stuff on the hardware, the problem is the software. two different companies in one product... sorry
Click to expand...

I can live with that. What I cannot live with is Samsung. This company takes 8-9 months to deliver a simple software update. Sometimes, they just cancel the software update and ask people to buy whole new hardware.

Samsung sucks.
 
Excellent, now if this catches on then eventually Apple's iPad might too become an elitist product.

Or I guess it's too late for that considering this great start. Oh well.
 
That Samsung looks pretty awesome! I'll be in for a wifi 10.1" model as soon as it comes out! I'll compare it to my iPad and decide which one suits me best.
 
GadgetAddict said:
I don't know how good or bad these tablets are but I LOVE the competition.... :D
Click to expand...

Competition, what competition?

What's out there now can barely survive trying to COPY what Apple is doing very very well.

Support those who innovate, not those who copy and knock off others hard work.

Name ONE knock off an original product in which the copy is better.

You can't.

'nuff said.
 
ChazUK said:
Watching the video it seems they have working models ty CITA but there are some oddities.. "About phone"? Is this a phone or a Tablet?
Click to expand...

You can make calls with the Samsung Tabs. I was able to with the current Tab.
 
Tarzanman said:
check out the link, Samsung has brought their A-game:

Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 and new Galaxy Tab 10.1 hands-on: thinner than the iPad 2, dual-core power, TouchWiz UX
Click to expand...

At those price points it's more like Samsung strikes out (again).

No tablet is going to compete w/ Apple unless they can offer value or something consumers want that the iPad lacks. Apple is the premium brand here (b/c of the App Store & the polished iOS GUI). Only Apple haters & Fandroids will be excited to pay as much for a non-iPad.

It's similar to Mac vs. PC back in the early 90s except that Mac had a better GUI. Still Mac software, drivers, & compatible peripherals were not too abundant at brick and mortar stores even as Macs were the same price or more expensive than PCs, so Mac couldn't really compete and became a niche computer.
 
Its about time Tech blogs adopted some standards of journalism.

You cannot have a "hands on" review of a device that doesn't turn on. Its not a product - its a piece of sculpture. Any more than car magazines can't do "test drives" of vehicles that are still clay models.

For pure chutzpah (or whatever the Korean equivalent is) you've gotta hand to the people at Samsung - make sure you tease with a (vaporware) product that promises to be one hundredth of an inch thinner than the iPad 2. Just the sort of item guaranteed to launch a million idiotic "competition is good for everyone" bleats from the technerdocracy.

Remember all the hoopla that surrounded the original Galaxy Tabs (the ones that are gathering dust in the back rooms of a Best Buy near you)?

Yeah, Samsung: Fool us once, shame on you. Fool us twice? I don't think so.
 
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