Samsung Galaxy Tab: 1 million shipped, 20,000 sold!

[radiogoober]

OUCH. In 2010 Samsung shipped over 1,000,000 of its Galaxy Tabs. It only sold 20,000 of them.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/sep/02/samsung-galaxy-tab

That means that they sold 2% of the product they produced. That's a major ouch. Now we can see why they are giving away free tablets with TV purchases. (as reported by MacRumors here: link.)

It's also interesting to note that in that article MacRumors wrote this:

Samsung has been the leading competitor to Apple in the tablet market as a number of other companies have faltered in their attempts at launching competing products

So, Apple, who sells millions of iPads per *month*, has their biggest competition from a company that sells 20,000 per *year*. Yikes. We can argue over the use of the word "competition", but we can clearly see no tablet is posing any threat whatsoever to the iPad. TouchPad is essentially dead. PlayBook is dead. GalaxyTab is standing at its already dug grave looking down.

It's pretty crazy how Apple can jump in these markets with a product so damn good that no company on the entire planet can compete with them.

It will be interesting to see how the Amazon tablet does. I read the news on it yesterday. It's a 7-inch tablet. And it's a Kindle tablet. Good access to Amazons infrastructure. I think the 7-inch is fail, and also the best thing about the Kindle was the e-ink technology. In my opinion, if you wanted an absolutely fantastic reading device that was why you bought a Kindle. So they kinda killed off their best feature. Also the storage, etc, is abysmal. ..... But, So many dang people use Amazon.com, and you know their tablet will be on the homepage there. People will definitely be talking about it. Price is nice too.

It's going to be interesting.

 

[gadget123]

Not surprised the first Galaxy tab was smaller and appealed to me as a cheap opinion the new one is too much like an Ipad.

 

[gigapocket1]

Not surprised at all also.. In the past couple of months. I've traveled almost everywhere.. I've only seen 1 xoom, and 1 galaxy tab.. The rest was iPads..

 

[seong]

Apple will keep their brand name FOREVER, unless some company creates more revolutionary device. When we think of tablets, iPads come first. When we think of MP3s, iPods come first. It's no surprise to me that Galaxy Tab was sold less than it was expected.

 

[mkruck]

The source the article quoted is "executive" with Lenovo, who happens to have a competing product launching later this month.

 

[gnasher729]

I think the whole article needs to be read. The "20,000 sold" is a claim of a Samsung competitor. As the article says "if they had been only 20,000 of a million sold, we would have heard loads of complaints from sellers and huge discounts, but that didn't happen". Like Best Buy very loudly asking HP to take 250,000 Touchpads back.

So either Samsung shipped fewer, or sold more, or they have some excellent strategies to keep sellers quiet. We don't know which one right now. But even if they had sold a million, it seems to show that there is little demand for 7" tablets. And all the big names seem to stop offering them.

 

[barefeats]

I was at a Best Buy Mobile store the other day looking at the Galaxy and Xoom side by side to see how they compared to each other as well as to the iPad 2 that I carried into the store. I asked one of the employees to explain the differences from his perspective. He argued that the Asus Eee Pad was the best alternatve to the iPad and better than the other two Android tablets. It certainly appeared to be made of better materials with stiffer structure. It's priced aggressively. I wonder how well the Asus is selling.

Here is Anandtech's review of it:
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4277/asus-eee-pad-transformer-review

 

[radiogoober]

I think the whole article needs to be read. The "20,000 sold" is a claim of a Samsung competitor. As the article says "if they had been only 20,000 of a million sold, we would have heard loads of complaints from sellers and huge discounts, but that didn't happen". Like Best Buy very loudly asking HP to take 250,000 Touchpads back.

So either Samsung shipped fewer, or sold more, or they have some excellent strategies to keep sellers quiet. We don't know which one right now. But even if they had sold a million, it seems to show that there is little demand for 7" tablets. And all the big names seem to stop offering them.

Don't forget that BestBuy was giving away free Galaxy tabs if you bought a Samsung TV. Certainly not something done when something is selling fantastically.

 

[Abazigal]

So few? I know the take-up rate is very low, but I do see people using them around me. 20k seems like a gross underestimate. Should it be closer to 100k instead?

If so, this seems like an even bigger fiasco than the hp touchpad?

 

[palpatine]

maybe. but, consider the source. an unnamed executive at a rival tablet maker has claimed that they only sold 20,000 of the tablets. i guess that is enough for some people, but i think i'd like to see a bit more evidence. after all, you would think if a product was selling so horribly (20,000 in the entire world?) we would have heard about it from the thousands of stores sitting on a mountain of inventory.

 

[jsh1120]

maybe. but, consider the source. an unnamed executive at a rival tablet maker has claimed that they only sold 20,000 of the tablets. i guess that is enough for some people, but i think i'd like to see a bit more evidence. after all, you would think if a product was selling so horribly (20,000 in the entire world?) we would have heard about it from the thousands of stores sitting on a mountain of inventory.

There are some other odd aspects of this story. The Guardian is well-respected source but this story is in need of some editing.

First, of course, is the self-serving (and unsupported) claim of a Lenovo executive. A point noted but buried in the article where other analysts doubt the claim. There's no question that Samsung's original foray into the market with its 7.7" screen didn't turn the tablet world upside down, but that hasn't stopped Samsung from introducing new models with different form factors, including a "new and improved" version of the 7" model. Samsung is not a stupid company. If their situation were as bleak as claimed, it's at least odd if not unbelievable that they would be on track with the introduction of several new models.

Furthermore, note that there is no indication in the article that Samsung was asked about the statement by the Lenovo executive. Strange, to say the least.

Second, the claim that "the Galaxy Tab 10.1,... is currently banned in Germany and Australia due to ongoing litigation with Apple," while technically true, is set for a hearing on September 8 and has already been struck down for the rest of the EU by a Dutch judge. Time will tell if the ban sticks even in Germany and Australia. And developments in that area are ongoing.

Third, the statement that "Lenovo announced its own entry into the Android tablet market at the IFA technology show in Berlin on Thursday, with the IdeaPad K1" is strange, to say the least. That consumer level tablet has been for sale (at least in the US) for several months. It's not an especially impressive device, but it's not the Lenovo flagship tablet, either.

On the other hand, the claim that "Lenovo also has a business-oriented ThinkPad Tablet which is already available through IT suppliers across western Europe. That device is slightly pricier than the K1 due to its enterprise features, and is not being positioned a direct competitor to the iPad and the many consumer-oriented Android contenders" is also odd.

The ThinkPad Tablet has been available (at least in the US) for only a week. And contrary to the impression conveyed by the writer, its features including USB and micro-SD storage, pressure sensitive stylus support, handwriting recognition, etc. etc. are not just "enterprise features" and the ThinkPad Tablet is certainly a "direct competitor to the iPad."

In short, it's an atrociously written article based on an unsupported claim by a competitor that contains no indication of a response from Samsung and a number of claims that are at least factually doubtful if not just plain wrong. I'm surprised to see it in the Guardian. Both the writer and his editor deserve a flogging.

 

[palpatine]

There are some other odd aspects of this story. The Guardian is well-respected source but this story is in need of some editing.

First, of course, is the self-serving (and unsupported) claim of a Lenovo executive. A point noted but buried in the article where other analysts doubt the claim. There's no question that Samsung's original foray into the market with its 7.7" screen didn't turn the tablet world upside down, but that hasn't stopped Samsung from introducing new models with different form factors, including a "new and improved" version of the 7" model. Samsung is not a stupid company. If their situation were as bleak as claimed, it's at least odd if not unbelievable that they would be on track with the introduction of several new models.

Furthermore, note that there is no indication in the article that Samsung was asked about the statement by the Lenovo executive. Strange, to say the least.

Second, the claim that "the Galaxy Tab 10.1,... is currently banned in Germany and Australia due to ongoing litigation with Apple," while technically true, is set for a hearing on September 8 and has already been struck down for the rest of the EU by a Dutch judge. Time will tell if the ban sticks even in Germany and Australia. And developments in that area are ongoing.

Third, the statement that "Lenovo announced its own entry into the Android tablet market at the IFA technology show in Berlin on Thursday, with the IdeaPad K1" is strange, to say the least. That consumer level tablet has been for sale (at least in the US) for several months. It's not an especially impressive device, but it's not the Lenovo flagship tablet, either.

On the other hand, the claim that "Lenovo also has a business-oriented ThinkPad Tablet which is already available through IT suppliers across western Europe. That device is slightly pricier than the K1 due to its enterprise features, and is not being positioned a direct competitor to the iPad and the many consumer-oriented Android contenders" is also odd.

The ThinkPad Tablet has been available (at least in the US) for only a week. And contrary to the impression conveyed by the writer, its features including USB and micro-SD storage, pressure sensitive stylus support, handwriting recognition, etc. etc. are not just "enterprise features" and the ThinkPad Tablet is certainly a "direct competitor to the iPad."

In short, it's an atrociously written article based on an unsupported claim by a competitor that contains no indication of a response from Samsung and a number of claims that are at least factually doubtful if not just plain wrong. I'm surprised to see it in the Guardian. Both the writer and his editor deserve a flogging.

well-said. this thread should also be read with a similar critical eye. we all know some members' penchant for overstating the strength of ipads, and understating that of its competitors. a more objective and balanced sifting of the rumors is needed.

 

[The Admiral]

This would be disappointing news if it were confirmed... the 7" form factor is far and away my own preference for a tablet, and the other OEMs now seem to just be following whatever Apple does. I recall that Jobs was very negative about the smaller size in the past, but I hope that in his absence they will decide to compete in the 7" market.

Comparing the original Galaxy Tab to the original Ipad was a shocking difference. Not only is it just the right size to hold in portrait orientation and type with two thumbs, it's much lighter and holding it in one hand at chest height is much more comfortable.

I eventually settled on an Acer 7" model recently, mainly because they shipped it with a recent OS (something Samsung seems chronically incapable of). This was my first exposure to Android, but as an advanced Linux user it wasn't really hard to master. The size and weight are phenomenal; trying to use the Ipad 1 I share at work with the other sysadmins is like picking up some gigantic heavy relic from the stone age now. The Ipad is perfectly portable but the 7" tablet is far more mobile.

I think it's pretty clear that Apple's touchscreen glass, touchscreen electronics, case material & machining, and onscreen keyboard are much better than the equivalents provided by Acer and Android. I make far, far fewer errors in typing, dragging, or tapping on the Ipad or on my Iphone 4. The 7" form factor is right in the middle between those devices -- about double the display surface area of the Iphone, and about half the area of the Ipad.

If Apple decide to compete with 7" tablets by releasing one of their own, I'll jump at the chance to switch. But the fact is that right now, they are not even in this market.

 

[palpatine]

This would be disappointing news if it were confirmed... the 7" form factor is far and away my own preference for a tablet, and the other OEMs now seem to just be following whatever Apple does. I recall that Jobs was very negative about the smaller size in the past, but I hope that in his absence they will decide to compete in the 7" market.

Comparing the original Galaxy Tab to the original Ipad was a shocking difference. Not only is it just the right size to hold in portrait orientation and type with two thumbs, it's much lighter and holding it in one hand at chest height is much more comfortable.

I eventually settled on an Acer 7" model recently, mainly because they shipped it with a recent OS (something Samsung seems chronically incapable of). This was my first exposure to Android, but as an advanced Linux user it wasn't really hard to master. The size and weight are phenomenal; trying to use the Ipad 1 I share at work with the other sysadmins is like picking up some gigantic heavy relic from the stone age now. The Ipad is perfectly portable but the 7" tablet is far more mobie

I think it's pretty clear that Apple's touchscreen glass, touchscreen electronics, case material & machining, and onscreen keyboard are much better than the equivalents provided by Acer and Android. I make far, far fewer errors in typing, dragging, or tapping on the Ipad or on my Iphone 4. The 7" form factor is right in the middle between those devices -- about double the display surface area of the Iphone, and about half the area of the Ipad.

If Apple decide to compete with 7" tablets by releasing one of their own, I'll jump at the chance to switch. But the fact is that right now, they are not even in this market.

due to display issues (ensuring that apps display properly at this size would be a nightmare), i doubt apple will ever enter the 7" market. i have no desire for such a device myself, because i use the ipad as an ereader and enjoy the near native pdf display size, but i understand its appeal.

as for the news, i doubt it.

 

[The Admiral]

due to display issues (ensuring that apps display properly at this size would be a nightmare), i doubt apple will ever enter the 7" market. i have no desire for such a device myself, because i use the ipad as an ereader and enjoy the near native pdf display size, but i understand its appeal.

as for the news, i doubt it.

Getting apps to display properly really is not an issue. A 7" display at 1024x768 would work just fine, and that's not even close to retina display pixel density.

 

[Mac.World]

The 7 inch form factor does not sell. It is a niche Market and one every company is trying to exploit since Apple is not in it. I have yet to see any significant sales data that would tell any company that moving into this area would be cost effective. Apple simply won't do it.

Sony's S1, or whatever it is called, round tube that opens up into a split screen will be listed as a massive joke by the end of the year and I'll be surprised if Samsung continues past 2012 Q2 with their 7" version.

 

[palpatine]

Getting apps to display properly really is not an issue. A 7" display at 1024x768 would work just fine, and that's not even close to retina display pixel density.

my understanding is that scaling an ipod app to ipad size results in a rather unpleasant experience, so many developers had to optimize their apps for the ipad. if you scaled ipod apps to a 7" display or tried to scale ipad apps to a 7" display, i doubt it would look very good. by introducing a 7" device, apple would basically be asking developers to redo it all again, right?

as for the resolution, i think that is a separate issue, and it would be fine. i was talking about fragmentation of the experience in the google app market that apple is probably trying to avoid by having fewer display options.

 

[416049]

The Ipad is a difficult competition, however they probably still have sold more than 20000 devices.

 

[The Admiral]

my understanding is that scaling an ipod app to ipad size results in a rather unpleasant experience, so many developers had to optimize their apps for the ipad. if you scaled ipod apps to a 7" display or tried to scale ipad apps to a 7" display, i doubt it would look very good. by introducing a 7" device, apple would basically be asking developers to redo it all again, right?

as for the resolution, i think that is a separate issue, and it would be fine. i was talking about fragmentation of the experience in the google app market that apple is probably trying to avoid by having fewer display options.

I thought there might be something to this myself, actually, so I experimented a bit last night. I set my Android browser's user-agent to spoof Safari on an Ipad, and logged into Twitter's Ipad site, and *gasp* it works basically fine... even though I'm giving it a display of the wrong aspect ratio. The jury is still out on the Financial Times HTML5 app, but that's mainly because it makes some assumptions about Safari's Javascript interpreter that aren't true for V8 so I haven't got it to run.

 

[palpatine]

The Ipad is a difficult competition and they will have to step up their game as this article just proves this.

the article proves nothing. it is based entirely on an anonymous source from a competing company. this isn't reporting. it is just spreading a rumor. as an earlier poster in this thread noted, they didn't even try to call and verify any of the information.

personally, i find it rather doubtful that only 20,000 people in the entire world own this device.

----------

I thought there might be something to this myself, actually, so I experimented a bit last night. I set my Android browser's user-agent to spoof Safari on an Ipad, and logged into Twitter's Ipad site, and *gasp* it works basically fine... even though I'm giving it a display of the wrong aspect ratio. The jury is still out on the Financial Times HTML5 app, but that's mainly because it makes some assumptions about Safari's Javascript interpreter that aren't true for V8 so I haven't got it to run.

i'm sorry, but i didn't understand your post. i was talking about apps in apple's store and not about the display through safari of html5 sites. but, this discussion has suddenly leaped far above my level of understanding, so i will have to bow out. if you say the 7" would work fine with all of the apps, then i guess there must be another reason why apple refuses to produce ipads in that size.

 

[The Admiral]

i'm sorry, but i didn't understand your post. i was talking about apps in apple's store and not about the display through safari of html5 sites. but, this discussion has suddenly leaped far above my level of understanding, so i will have to bow out. if you say the 7" would work fine with all of the apps, then i guess there must be another reason why apple refuses to produce ipads in that size.

Strictly talking about the difficulty of translating a 10" tablet UI to a 7" device -- and I don't think there's any difficulty at all. It's close enough in size that it just works. And the fact that smartphone apps look a little less like total crap when they're scaled up is just a bonus.

Apple have always preferred having a smaller, more refined product line over a huge diverse one that doesn't work as well, so it really doesn't surprise me that they've held off on introducing another size of Ipad.

 

[jsh1120]

I've had an interest in the whole form factor issue for a long time. I watched phones shrink from the first brick-like Motorola I had to devices that I couldn't find in my pocket and then grow again to sizes that have now surpassed cigarette packs. (A size that largely determined the size and shape of shirt pockets for many decades and is now more and more irrelevant.)

IMHO, Apple hit the sweet spot with their 9.7" screen for most consumers. Large enough for boomers with failing eyesight to read easily; small enough to carry easily. And not coincidentally just a bit too small for multiple windows to be useful; a convenient excuse to reject demands for more comprehensive multi-tasking than Apple wants to provide.

On the other hand, while 7" tablets haven't been a big hit, a form factor of almost exactly that size has been a huge hit among eReader buyers. I have a suspicion that fact is not lost on Amazon in the design of their forthcoming tablet.

Furthermore, while Skype-like workarounds enable iPad owners to use their devices as phones, it's pretty obvious that consumers don't want 10" smartphones. On the other hand, the jury's out on whether a combo tabphone (phablet? phoblet?) with a five inch screen would be a hit. Samsung looks ready to test that market with a new device that's larger than the largest smartphone but with camera phone features and just large enough to be a comfortable media consumption and messaging device. Too big for a pocket but easily used in one hand.

 

[radiogoober]

well-said. this thread should also be read with a similar critical eye. we all know some members' penchant for overstating the strength of ipads, and understating that of its competitors. a more objective and balanced sifting of the rumors is needed.

That's so true. We also know about some member's penchant for understating the strength of ipads and overstating that of its competitors, despite having absolute zero evidence to support their claims.

 

[The Admiral]

Furthermore, while Skype-like workarounds enable iPad owners to use their devices as phones, it's pretty obvious that consumers don't want 10" smartphones.

Oh, come on, that's just not fair. Taking a call on an Ipad is no problem at all, it's just a little hard to hear!

 

[radiogoober]

On the other hand, while 7" tablets haven't been a big hit, a form factor of almost exactly that size has been a huge hit among eReader buyers. I have a suspicion that fact is not lost on Amazon in the design of their forthcoming tablet.

I called Amazon's tablet a fail earlier because of it's 7" screen. But I think you may be right about 7" being a sweet spot for eReaders. Perhaps Amazon's goal is to have a really badass Kindle, that can do some decent tablet functions on the side. The only sucky thing for Amazon is that they killed the only advantage that Kindle had: eInk.