Samsung finally found a way to beat the iPad 2.

[shandyman]

Aren't those the same non-working mockup/prototype/shells that were not found to be thinner than the iPad 2? I didn't see them turn it during the presentation, did I miss the part they turned it on and showed it working?

THat video was from the official launch at CTIA, why unveil them, showing them off like that if they're not going to release them? you're really not good at just holding your hands up and admitting you're wrong.

here's another article about the unveiling with a picture. http://www.zdnet.co.uk/news/mobile-...s-galaxy-tab-89-and-thinner-101-tab-40092240/

 

[62tele]

Samsung was pretty much forced to debut these tablets before they were ready. Why? Because every consumer in the market right now has either bought or is thinking about buying the iPad 2.

Now that Samsung says their tabs will be ready by June (even if there is a delay), it is just enough press to show the public that there is an alternative to the iPad 2 around the corner and it will keep some people on the fence, until Samsung's tablets are finally released, for them to make a final decision. The new tabs were also announced while many iPad 2 owners were still within their two week return window, so if they had any dissatifications with the iPad, they could now make the decision to wait and see what Samsung has to offer come June.

That's a pretty weak argument. Samsung targeted the release for a two week return period? Really?
Do you think the average consumer is looking for an "alternative to iPad"? Honestly? It's a hot product and Android tablets are not getting much play in the media or perception. These aren't phones!

 

[62tele]

Get your head out of the sand. Most people are going for Android smartphones. It is the thing to have. Most of them aren't yet jumping into the tablet market either. Apple manage to win over a certain amount of early adopters and curiosity seekers toward the end of the iPad1 run and into the hype of iPad2's launch, but this is a fleeting thing.

Right now you have continual shortages of iPad2's in the stores. iPad1's are being heavily discounted but that comes with all the warts of a Gen1 release. So unless Apple can get their models in the stores to sell, they'll lose much quicker to the avalanche of Android clones coming out this summer.

You'll have growth from 2 sectors: the ones who've used an iPad and found inherent deficiencies (i.e. lack of file system, crappy hardware, clunky Win 3.1 style interface) and the fence-sitters who've been using their bohemoth
Android phones while waiting for a decent tablet companion.

The Apps argument is a specious one. After all Android allows Flash which opens the door to web apps. Also don't the Android phone apps scale better for the tablet? Not to mention Android uses widgets allowing multiple apps to share the screen at the same time.

Really given what the competitors have coming this summer I think we'll look back on iPad2 as a softball release unworthy of Apple's marketing brilliance.
There is no excuse for those crappy cameras. And the smart cover is going to lead to a big loss in the resale market due to all the scratched up backs.

My head is clearly above ground and I see perfectly clear. You are either blind or obtuse!
The smartphone market bears little resemblance to the tablet market. Apple is clearly the leader. Everyone else reacts to Apple. Folks like you have been predicting rivals to iPad since last April when iPad was relased. Where are all of those great products? Xoom was touted as a serious challenger. It's practically DOA!
Do you actually believe Apple doesn't have any more enhancements (hardware and iOS) planned? File system? You have heard of the coming of clouds? These are tablets, not PC's!
I suggest, if my head is in the sand then yours is up your....

 

[jmgregory1]

No, a realist. Anyone here who does not see the threat Android poses (or underestimates Apple's concern over it) is being very naive.

No industry insider thinks Apple will retain the lead in this war. There's just too much competition.

Look on the bright side. The more quality hardware/software competitors Apple has the better their upgrades will have to be. No more softballs like the iPad2 small tweaks.

You have got to be kidding, or are simply trying to elicit comments. Your comment that no industry insider thinks that Apple will retain the lead is complete BS. From some "industry insiders" that I have talked to, the comments I get are more akin to the battle between Apple and MS or speak to the iPod vs a spate of non-competitive clones.

Android allows, just like MS allowed with Windows, any piece of hardware made by any manufacturer to get into "the business" - be it smart phone or now tablets.

We are already seeing this play out - sure, you can move a bunch of cheaply made phones running Android, but you are not getting consumers to buy into the whole system the way Apple is and has. The fact that most of these manufacturers are quickly "updating" or discontinuing models speaks to their old pc era thinking - revamp as often as you can by adding whatever new comes out as it comes out.

A good question to ask is what would these other companies be selling now if it weren't for Apples inventions? Android wouldn't have been created if it weren't for Google's presence on Apple's board at the time the iPhone was being created. The tablet market (as we know tablets to be today) has been single handedly created by Apple and every "competitor" is just trying to catch up to where Apple is already.

Will these competitors be creative and add new features that force Apple to adopt? If anyone thinks this is the case, then they don't know Apple very well and they're not paying attention to history. Apple is the one driving innovation here.

 

[Blakjack]

No, a realist. Anyone here who does not see the threat Android poses (or underestimates Apple's concern over it) is being very naive.

No industry insider thinks Apple will retain the lead in this war. There's just too much competition.

Look on the bright side. The more quality hardware/software competitors Apple has the better their upgrades will have to be. No more softballs like the iPad2 small tweaks.

It's about software

When iOS 5 comes out, we will know if Apple is playing softball. I have a feeling iPad 2 + iOS 5 will be a better value than any other tablet and their over emphasized hardware features, much like it is today.

Everybody is offering th same features for the most part when it comes to hardware. There are no surprises there. ITS ALL ABOUT SOFTWARE and anything running on Honeycomb is BULLS*** right now.

My bet is on The Blackberry tablet for anything running Android Apps.

 

[nadaclue]

Xoom is already stopping production

It doesn't appear so.

http://phandroid.com/2011/03/23/motorola-rebuts-xoom-production-will-continue/

 

[SkyStudios]

I have brutally investigated the possibilities of a better tablet and nothing comes close to a ipad 2, if you can find a better tablet out there that feels as solid as a ipad and also comes with decent software ill buy it in a heart beat, i say it will be another few years before all the promises from Samsung become a reality.

 

[Coleman2010]

Samsung caught exaggerating Galaxy Tab thinness, faking fans

Samsung suffered minor embarrassment at the end of CTIA this week after it was caught distorting claims surrounding the Galaxy Tab 8.9 and 10.1. A side-by-side look on Thursday showed the that the updated Galaxy Tab 10.1, which was supposedly slimmed down to 8.6mm just to beat the iPad 2, now appears to still be slightly thicker. A spokesman, after seeing the defeat, didn't explicitly deny to InformationWeek that Samsung had exaggerated the claims but said the official specifications pointed to it being 0.02mm thinner than Apple's despite evidence to the contrary.

Shortly afterwards, an investigation found that Samsung's Galaxy Tab Interview Project, which was supposed to be an series of talks with real people showing their reactions to the Android tablets, was using paid actors. The Technologizer hunt showed that Samsung had given the actors fake titles without even trying to hide their real names. "Freelance travel writer" Joan Hess was a New York City actress by the same name. "Real estate CEO" Joseph Kolinski was also a New York actor. Karl Shefelman was indeed a film director, but one who had also done paid work for Samsung in the past.

Neither discovery has a major practical impact on the usability or quality of the new Galaxy Tabs, but they significantly undermine Samsung's claims that it could trump Apple at its own game. The Korean company was incensed at being outdone and, at CTIA, said it didn't intend to go into a market without the intention of being the leader. The thinness claim is doubly injurious since it not only appears to be inaccurate but won't be realized until June 8, roughly three months after the iPad 2 was already on store shelves.

Insincerely using paid actors isn't a new strategy in technology when a company wants to convey a positive image. Microsoft started off its Laptop Hunters ad campaign with a paid actress that it insisted was authentic in the spot but whose Screen Actors Guild connection cast doubt on the entire project. Samsung's more evident strategy suggested that it wasn't able to or comfortable with finding people in the real world.

http://www.electronista.com/articles/11/03/26/samsung.insists.galaxy.tab.101.still.intact/

 

[Mac.World]

It doesn't appear so.

http://phandroid.com/2011/03/23/motorola-rebuts-xoom-production-will-continue/

Latest Xoom estimates show that Motorola will sell approx 300,000 units this quarter or 1.2 million for the year. Roughly what the iPad sold in 1 day.

This is a huge loss for Motorola and they won't be able to sustain this, hence the cut in production we are seeing, followed by a cancellation of the product we are hearing rumors about. Motorola has no choice but to deny the rumors, or risk losing even more money, but if you notice in the link, very little was said. No defense mounted to reassure customers. Nothing. I'm betting you won't see Xoom sales past Q3, except in the discount bin.

 

[aperry]

There's absolutely no question that the iPad is the best device on the market now (for the large majority of tablet consumers). But let's not be so short sighted. Give it two years and Android will have a competitive market share. Between now and then we'll see plenty of devices worth considering over the iPad. No, I'm not talking about the Xoom, and I have my doubts about Samsung's latest desperation play with the Tab. But those are just the near future. I can't wait to see what will be coming later this year and next.

Some people think this is "different" from the mobile phone wars. I personally don't see why it's so different, but I do know that people expect more from their tablets than they do from their phones and iOS often feels frustrating and limiting. I can't wait to see iOS 5, but I'm not totally sold on the cloud as a file system replacement. Maybe I'll be surprised.

This coming from a generally very happy iPad 2 owner (and iPhone 4 and MBP).

 

[Mac.World]

Some people think this is "different" from the mobile phone wars. I personally don't see why it's so different,

Do you see hardware companies flooding the market with free Android-based tablets? If not, then you now know the difference.

 

[bossxii]

I have brutally investigated the possibilities of a better tablet and nothing comes close to a ipad 2, if you can find a better tablet out there that feels as solid as a ipad and also comes with decent software ill buy it in a heart beat, i say it will be another few years before all the promises from Samsung become a reality.

You clearly haven't spent more than 5 mins in a store using a Xoom. iPad/iPad 2 are great tablets but anyone that can make a true unbiased decision will see the benifits Honeycomb brings to the market, especially for power users and the more technically inclined. iOS is more stable overall, but imo simply has not evolved to be useful beyond a media consumption device.

Honeycomb is not 2.1 or 2.2 you have messed with on an Android phone, it has become a much more responsive, stable and tablet oriented OS.

Is it perfect? No
Does it allow you to do thing iOS doesn't? Yes

I love Apple products and it was no small feat to take an honest look at the Xoom, but Honeycomb makes iOS look antiquated. The benifits of a file system, email with actual attachments, dowloading files directly off the web, support for nearly any video file type and the endless amounts of customization is hopefully where iOS is headed, but I think we all know SJ won't allow it.

Google voice integration is bar none the best available voice control on the market. The options for iOS such as Dragon Dictation feel like beta software by comparison. I've never been a huge fan of on screen keyboards so the ability to speak what I want to find and have it instantly and accurate across all apps is simply amazing. On the topic of web browsing Google Chrome blows Safari away. Full desktop experience (as close as the tablet market has come), tabbed browsing, no checkeboards, no delay swapping tabs and if someone wants Flash its available. I still don't find the need but it is an option that works rather well to my suprise.

I'm not trying to start a flame war but I'm sure one will now happen as the diehard Apple fans will rush to defend a product without ever even experienced what else is available, just like SJ wants them to. Please proceed with the flaming and rants, its always entertaining.

For the record, if iOS 5, or 6 etc.. ever comes to the market with the same type of full integration with voice, email and browsing I have no problem using an iPad. I however do have an issue of making excuses for he past 9 months and dealing with retarded work-arounds that should be available in a tablet OS.

 

[Zelnaga]

Samsung are a joke.

 

[johnc22]

Apple is crushing the competition right now, but only for now. The iPad 2 is the best table "experience" out there right now, and so people who might normally avoid Apple products are buying them. After a year of the original iPad one competent competitive device has appeared with the Xoom.

The number of devices coming this year will be huge, and eventually, for power users, iOS in its current guise will not cut it. iOS5 will be Apple's chance to step up or risk losing a large part of the market that is currently buying the iPad 2 because, for now, it's the best one out there and priced to sell.

 

[bossxii]

Apple is crushing the competition right now, but only for now. The iPad 2 is the best table "experience" out there right now, and so people who might normally avoid Apple products are buying them. After a year of the original iPad one competent competitive device has appeared with the Xoom.

The number of devices coming this year will be huge, and eventually, for power users, iOS in its current guise will not cut it. iOS5 will be Apple's chance to step up or risk losing a large part of the market that is currently buying the iPad 2 because, for now, it's the best one out there and priced to sell.

I"m one such example. I purchased the iPad 2 and while impressed by the new design and speed, it's still the same old iOS and same limitations I've been dealing with on the original iPad for the past 10 months. I want a tether free, no longer bring a laptop "just in case" type of device and Apple is a long ways off from doing that. I still love Apple gear, my iPhone and plan on a new MBP soon, but iOS simply isn't doing it for me anymore.

 

[phpmaven]

Get your head out of the sand. Most people are going for Android smartphones. It is the thing to have. Most of them aren't yet jumping into the tablet market either. Apple manage to win over a certain amount of early adopters and curiosity seekers toward the end of the iPad1 run and into the hype of iPad2's launch, but this is a fleeting thing.

Right now you have continual shortages of iPad2's in the stores. iPad1's are being heavily discounted but that comes with all the warts of a Gen1 release. So unless Apple can get their models in the stores to sell, they'll lose much quicker to the avalanche of Android clones coming out this summer.

You'll have growth from 2 sectors: the ones who've used an iPad and found inherent deficiencies (i.e. lack of file system, crappy hardware, clunky Win 3.1 style interface) and the fence-sitters who've been using their bohemoth Android phones while waiting for a decent tablet companion.

The Apps argument is a specious one. After all Android allows Flash which opens the door to web apps. Also don't the Android phone apps scale better for the tablet? Not to mention Android uses widgets allowing multiple apps to share the screen at the same time.

Really given what the competitors have coming this summer I think we'll look back on iPad2 as a softball release unworthy of Apple's marketing brilliance. There is no excuse for those crappy cameras. And the smart cover is going to lead to a big loss in the resale market due to all the scratched up backs.

"early adopters and curiosity seekers"

That's a good one.

 

[aperry]

Do you see hardware companies flooding the market with free Android-based tablets? If not, then you now know the difference.

Nope. Nor did I see that early on in the mobile market when android first arrived. I saw expensive iPhone competitors like the Nexus One. Over time the cheaper phones arrived, but I also don't buy the argument which seems so popular with Apple fans which is that android's superior market share is made up of cheaper BOGO phones. I have a lot of friends with android phones and not one of them has a cheap BOGO phone. Plenty of Nexus, Evo, and Atrix (all of which were meant to compete with iPhones). I could be wrong, but I haven't seen the proof yet.

 

[bpaluzzi]

Nope. Nor did I see that early on in the mobile market when android first arrived. I saw expensive iPhone competitors like the Nexus One. Over time the cheaper phones arrived, but I also don't buy the argument which seems so popular with Apple fans which is that android's superior market share is made up of cheaper BOGO phones. I have a lot of friends with android phones and not one of them has a cheap BOGO phone. Plenty of Nexus, Evo, and Atrix (all of which were meant to compete with iPhones). I could be wrong, but I haven't seen the proof yet.

They might have been made to compete with the iPhone, but they're not competing. The iPhone is BY FAR the biggest selling single handset. Android wins only by comparing numbers across all handsets, and the bulk of the Android numbers are el-cheapo phones.

 

[paulrbeers]

My opinion is the same as it was when Honeycomb was announced, eventually android will beat the iOS in the tablet realm. However, like the iPhone, it will never have a single device that sells anywhere near the amount that the iPad will. The market will be flooded with cheap and expensive android tablets that will sell with varying success.

 

[aperry]

They might have been made to compete with the iPhone, but they're not competing. The iPhone is BY FAR the biggest selling single handset. Android wins only by comparing numbers across all handsets, and the bulk of the Android numbers are el-cheapo phones.

I could care less whether it's single device or not. My only point was that I see no reason to believe that the tablet market will be any different from the mobile phone market, where android has become the most popular OS.

And where is the proof that the bulk of android phones are el-cheapo? I don't have any proof (except anecdotally) to say they are not, but I certainly haven't seen any data to back up this assertion that android haters are so quick to throw around.

Why are people so reluctant to look at the competitive advantages that make the android OS appealing?

 

[bpaluzzi]

Why are people so reluctant to look at the competitive advantages that make the android OS appealing?

Don't confuse "appealing to geeks" with "competitive advantage".

The only competitive advantage android has with most consumers is that it's cheap.

Which, don't get me wrong, is quite a powerful motivational advantage.

But it's certainly not anything to write home about.

 

[gatearray]

Some people think this is "different" from the mobile phone wars. I personally don't see why it's so different, but I do know that people expect more from their tablets than they do from their phones and iOS often feels frustrating and limiting. I can't wait to see iOS 5, but I'm not totally sold on the cloud as a file system replacement. Maybe I'll be surprised.

You're right, they do expect more from their tablets, namely, a larger screen.

Additionally, it appears that people expect a light, thin, fast, beautifully designed device that has tons of awesome and inexpensive software available. If the company that was selling such a device were to have excellent customer service and post-sales support that would be terrific, too.

 

[Carouser]

I could care less whether it's single device or not. My only point was that I see no reason to believe that the tablet market will be any different from the mobile phone market, where android has become the most popular OS.

And where is the proof that the bulk of android phones are el-cheapo? I don't have any proof (except anecdotally) to say they are not, but I certainly haven't seen any data to back up this assertion that android haters are so quick to throw around.

Why are people so reluctant to look at the competitive advantages that make the android OS appealing?

What do you mean 'you don't care whether it's single device or not'? The link between hardware and software at the point of purchase affects how one interprets market share, whether you care or not. People are not selecting devices at the level of OS alone.

Long story short, the point is that Android's increased market share says nothing about whether people are choosing devices which include Android because of Android, and thus says nothing about whether people prefer Android to iOS. If I buy a red car because of gas mileage, you can't make a claim it's because red cars are appealing. Similarly, if people are buying Android phones because of price, you can't infer it's because Android is appealing, nor because it's more appealing than iOS.

You can understand consumer preferences at the level of what they purchase, and thus unit counts of iPad might be roughly meaningful (i.e. a bazillion iPads sold vs. a dozen Xooms), but Android vs. iPad is comparing apples and oranges. It's utterly stupid, totally useless for evaluating consumer preference in comparative terms.

 

[aperry]

Don't confuse "appealing to geeks" with "competitive advantage".

The only competitive advantage android has with most consumers is that it's cheap.

Which, don't get me wrong, is quite a powerful motivational advantage.

But it's certainly not anything to write home about.

I can't tell if this is a joke or not. Do you really think only "geeks" like cool widgets and animated wallpaper? Pretty sure most people willing to spend the money on a smartphone would like to have things like that. Only "geeks" like to be able to easily add and remove music without dealing with iTunes and tethering their device? Believe it or not, a lot of us iOS owners consider itunes to be a necessary evil. I personally think it's a bloated crappy resource hog that I only reluctantly use for syncing. Only "geeks" like to add attachments to emails without first locating some third party app that can handle the file format? I don't even care about Flash, which is the obvious one that android lovers toss out first in this discussion. Sorry, you are delusional if you really don't think android has certain advantages that are appealing to non-geeks.

 

[Carouser]

Wait, is the iPad bad for power users who need to do Important Things or is it bad for people who spend time looking at waggly wallpaper? I can't figure it out.

EDIT: Also, who e-mails attachments anymore, or does it so much that it's this huge deal? I send links to on-line hosting, duh, or I do a work-around. It's such a small issue that it's obvious why it doesn't affect people's purchasing decisions. It could be improved, but the idea that a device with it therefore trumps the iPad is misguided.

EDIT 2: Complaining that an Apple device requires Apple software (iTunes), I've heard it all. "But I wanna drag and drop MP3s, bawww"