Google Nexus 7 seen as threat to Microsoft Surface, not Apple's iPad - Page 2

New day, same ole BS. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by matrix07 

People want access to Google Play? Why?

Apps.  You have a Fire, you get access to a very limited amount of apps that only work on the fire and an older version, albeit modified version, of Android 2.3.

This is the exact reason why Apple's tight integration between HW & SW will win out over practically anything brought to market. While the other tablets need horsepower to drive the SW, translating into higher component costs, Apple optimizes the SW to the HW, and vice versa, which allows the user experience to be way better than anything else. This keeps the consumer happy and maximizes profits for Apple. The former makes me happy and extremely satisfied as a user and the latter makes me elated as a shareholder. A win-win for me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by AppleInsider 

He also believes Google's aggressive pricing could also spell trouble for Microsoft's recently unveiled Surface tablets, set to launch later this year.
If Microsoft prices its ARM-based Surface tablet above the $399 entry price of Apple's iPad 2, Wu thinks it would be a "disastrous move."

Well, now that iPad and Nexus 7 pricing has been explicitly announced, what are you waiting for, Ballmer?  

Time to announce Surface pricing.  Oh wait.  Yeah, I see what you're doing there.  You're trying to pretend that 

you weren't waiting for Google to announce their pad and its price.  So yeah, wait a week or two, then announce Surface pricing.

Need a little help?  Here ya go: $399 for the ARM-based Surface.  Because pricing it lower than last year's iPad would devalue it 

in consumers' eyes.  "Just another cheapo iPad copy," they'd think.  Correctly.  They've already seen PlayBooks in the $99

bargain bin.  And $399 just might allow a razor-thin profit margin. Could actually be Microsoft's first hardware device to be profitable

from day 1 of sales.  (Except for Microsoft's best hardware product ever: the Microsoft Keyboard.)

And don't go anywhere near $499.  Because if you do, poor little Surface will be up against the Retina iPad.

Surface Pro pricing?  Listen up, Ballmer.  It's designed for Pro users, so you can charge them Sucker, er, Pro prices.  Because

it's all tax deductible as a business expense.  Just crank the base model pricing up to $999.  You can do that because Ultrabooks failed.

The Ultrabook makers simply couldn't build a MacBook Air clone (that anyone actually wanted to actually buy) for $1000.

Now it's time to kill off the Ultrabook Initiative once and for all.  Save that carbon footprint.  Greenpeace might give you a medal.

Quote:

Originally Posted by AppleInsider 

... undercutting Apple's iPad could make it impossible for its third-party hardware partners to compete and remain profitable.

 

Compete?  Nearly impossible.  Remain profitable?  Forget it.

 

Microsoft wants to charge third-party hardware partners $85 per copy of Windows RT.  Google's "free but adspammy software" model could actually work here.

 

 

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by AppleInsider 

As for the Nexus 7, unveiled by Google on Wednesday, Wu's take is shared by Brian White of Topeka Capital Markets, who declared that the Nexus 7 is "just another Android-based tablet" that won't pose a threat to Apple's iPad.

Just another one for the pile.  The huge, burning pile of iPad wannabes.

After watching the Surface debut and Google I/O announcements, I'm convinced neither has a clue how to beat Apple in the marketplace.  

As for the Nexus 7 targeting the Surface, unless Microsoft was really going to try to aggressively undercut the iPad and price itself in the Kindle Fire range, that assumption makes zero sense.  Meanwhile, Apple has locked up a lot of the suppliers in the industry and still has difficulty meeting current sales demands.

Besides Microsoft already ticking off OEMs by getting into the computer hardware business (ex. see Acer VP Exec's statements), now it looks like Google is doing the same (Building the Nexus was "torture" according to Asus CEO).  That doesn't bode well, especially since Google hasn't even started to use Motorola to put out self-branded hardware; Samsung will appreciate it, I'm sure.  If Google is looking to irritate its partners and drive them to competing platforms (such as by forking Android away from Google's official version and jettisoning Google services), they are well on their way.

Somewhere, Tim Cook must be looking at this train wreck shaking his head.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Smiles77 

Here's the thing. Obviously at least the Intel version of the Microsoft Surface is aimed at the iPad market, with creation-type software and peripherals. However, if it's priced at >$899 then it'll likely lose out.

 

The RT version, however, will only run Metro apps (+Office) and so will likely turn out to be used a lot more for consumption (at least initially). Even if it's priced at $399 (and I think $499-599 is much more likely), I don't see it as competing well vs. the Fire and Nexus 7 due to their rock-bottom pricing.

 

I honestly don't see much of a win anywhere here for Microsoft since $999 for the "good" surface is the price of a MacBook Air or other Ultrabooks which seem much better suited for most business professional's needs.

 

I don't see the Google Nexus 7 competing at all with the Surface, really.

I disagree.  I think the ARM version (Microsoft Surface for Windows RT) is the iPad competitor.    The Intel version (Microsoft Surface for Windows 8) is being pushed as a competitor to UltraBooks - which are supposed to be priced somewhere between the iPad and Air.    Personally, I see the Intel version as strictly oriented towards businesses.   Its sole claim to fame is its ability to be managed with the same tools already in place for managing desktops (System Center, etc.).   It's quite a bit larger, heavier and produces more heat.   I can't imagine anybody buying the Intel version for personal use.   Are you really going to buy an Intel version of a tablet, just so that you can still run all your legacy Windows apps?   I can't imagine so.  If you're buying a tablet, you're really buying into Metro.  Otherwise, just get a laptop.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jragosta 

 Other than very light content creation (Facebook pages, etc) which even Surface RT will be able to do, only a very tiny number of iPad users use it for serious content creation.

That would also accurately describe the vast majority of desktop and laptop PC users, to be quite honest.

Make no mistake about it, the Fandroid crowd sees this as the long awaited iPad killer. It IS about Apple and always has been. The Nexus 7 and the Surface are both aimed directly at the iPad no matter what some analysts says. The entire tech universe is about dethroning Apple using whatever means necessary. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by hobBIT 

Do people realize that the Nexus 7 could be a real threat to the iPod touch?

I think Google knows it cannot dethrone the iPad 3 any time soon, but it can eat up Apple's market share from the bottom up.

FOr $199 the Nexus 7 has the same 8GB memory as the iPod touch but offers an SD expansion.
It also has a much larger screen, and offers an IPS panel which is superior to the iPod's current display.  And the Nexus has a quad-core CPU with Tegra 3 GPU, which at least on paper sound better than what the iPod touch offers for that price.

 

I am sure the casual gamer who might consider an iPod touch could be persuaded to go with a Nexus 7 instead.   Why would people go for an iPod touch if they can have so much more for the same price?

 

This I think is also a reason why the Nexus does not come with an 3G/4G option.
It is intended to compete with the iPod, which does not offer that either.

These are very good points.  Had not thought about that.  I know my daughter has pretty much given up on her touch since she got her Fire.  Of course I had to root the fire and install ICS on it to make it more enjoyable for her but same concept.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jragosta 


Your comments don't make sense.
You can leave the keyboard at home and use it as a tablet. Or you can use the keyboard that comes with it. That's better for many people than the option of buying an external keyboard (along with buying and replacing batteries in your wireless iPad keyboard).

No.  The keyboard doesn't "come with it" (at least they haven't said that), it's a cover.  Besides which, what I actually said was that regardless of whether it "comes in the box," the Surface Pro only "has a keyboard" in the same sense that all the other tablets "have a keyboard" (option).  

Pretty much every tablet has the option of using a bluetooth keyboard with it.  Most of these crappykeyboards are part of the case for the tablet like this one is (and thus suffer from usability problems).  The Surface Pro is actually a convertible laptop in the same sense as ASUS's offerings, but the keyboard is arguably much worse and less usable (based on what we've seen so far).

It's unreasonable IMO to refer to the Surface Pro as being really any different from the other convertible laptops out there already and the implication that it's a tablet that "finally has a keyboard," even more so.   

It's either a tablet that has a crappy bluetooth keyboard option just like every other tablet, or it's a convertible laptop with a very sub-standard keyboard.  

How are PC Ultrabook sales?  I never see anyone looking at them when I'm at Best Buy.  And even the ones that look halfway decent are ruined with all the MS/Intel/Ultrabook stickers. :lol:
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by jragosta 


Your comments don't make sense.
You can leave the keyboard at home and use it as a tablet. Or you can use the keyboard that comes with it. That's better for many people than the option of buying an external keyboard (along with buying and replacing batteries in your wireless iPad keyboard).

Agree.  I am literally in the market for a ultra portable because on the road I need more than my iPad.  At home if I need more I have my desktop but for the most part I use my iPad for consumption.  The thought of having two devices is a pain.  The surface is a viable option if MS gets it right.

Quote:

Originally Posted by zbarsky 

No one wants a Microsoft Tablet, except Paul Thurrot and MJ Foley.

 

People trust Apple to deliver a good product. The millions of people who bought and experienced iPods, this has developed well earned customer trust and loyalty. People now know what to expect and what they will get with an Apple product.

 

With a Windows product, the consumer knows that you can guarantee some kind of serious trouble.

I'm actually interested.  So Paul, Mary Jo and me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaHarder 

FACT: Apple (currently) has absolutely nothing remotely in the same category as either the MS Surface Pro nor the Google Nexus 7.

Nor did Apple offer anything in the netbook category. And we all know how that market is doing these days.

Quote:

Originally Posted by digitalclips 


I'd agree. The product looks like it was designed by a committee. The Courier also springs to mind. Meanwhile I'm waiting for some developer to emulate Metro just for laughs rather like this does for the Courier. http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-57405317-75/the-ipad-app-that-will-remind-you-of-microsofts-old-courier-project/

Ha! i just bought the app and played with it for a little bit. It Is a very interesting concept.

I had a few problems - that may have been my lack of knowledge or that I'm running the developer version of iOS 6.

It seems to work quite smoothly. In some situations, it is very useful to have two apps open in side-by-side window.

There are some concepts here that Apple could incorporate into iOS.

Finally, sometime around October of this year I expect that Microsoft will release Sinofski instead of the Surface!

Dictated on my iPad

Quote:

Originally Posted by lkrupp 

Make no mistake about it, the Fandroid crowd sees this as the long awaited iPad killer. It IS about Apple and always has been. The Nexus 7 and the Surface are both aimed directly at the iPad no matter what some analysts says. The entire tech universe is about dethroning Apple using whatever means necessary. 

in a word, no.

at $200 and 7", the Nexus 7 is clearly aimed at the "mass low end" tablet market. semi-disposable products when you want something basic and cheap. and it's also clearly a "loss leader" product, like the Kindle Fire too, intended to recruit millions of buyers into the overall Google ecosystem instead of making any profit itself.

sure, Google probably hopes to eventually take on the iPad directly with a 10" version once it has built up a base of 10 million+ Nexus 7 users - like next year. but right now it wants first to push Amazon to the side - and the Nexus 7 is clearly superior in almost every way to last year's Fire. Amazon is going to have to come out with a much improved new model or fade quickly.

MS Windows 8 RT tablet is intended, tho, as competition to the iPad, yes. and it has more features than the Nexus 7. but it's problem is price. it has no chance to break into the market big time unless it is at least $100 cheaper than the corresponding iPad. will MS join the "loss leader" game? we'll see ... (never mind the MS Intel Surface, it's a DOA notebook competitor no one needs).

Quote:

Originally Posted by lkrupp 

Make no mistake about it, the Fandroid crowd sees this as the long awaited iPad killer. It IS about Apple and always has been. The Nexus 7 and the Surface are both aimed directly at the iPad no matter what some analysts says. The entire tech universe is about dethroning Apple using whatever means necessary. 

Again, I disagree.   I don't think the Nexus 7 is aimed at any particular device.  It's simply about getting a low cost device into your hands so that you'll provide them with the data that they need to sell you to advertisers.   It's about creating a device in which you'll constantly be logged on with your Google credentials.   Everything you do on your device will be monitored, packaged and sold.   That's the Google business plan.   You are the product.  You are what's being sold to advertisers.    Oh and additionally, if they can get you to consume content from their online store, they'll happily take the money.

Quote:

Originally Posted by logandigges 

You're right. Nexus tablet will hurt Surface because they both suck and are going to go down together.

Surface and nexus 7 are in not even in the same category so i dont know why they think this is a 'threat' to the surface. the biggest threat to the surface is the surface itself.

nexus 7 is a threat to kindle fire (which amazon has already responded with the announcement of the metal clad 7" fire and a 10" too). 

nexus 7 has potential to do very well if google markets it right. the product itself looks very good considering what you get for the price. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by lkrupp 

Make no mistake about it, the Fandroid crowd sees this as the long awaited iPad killer. It IS about Apple and always has been. The Nexus 7 and the Surface are both aimed directly at the iPad no matter what some analysts says. The entire tech universe is about dethroning Apple using whatever means necessary. 

i don't think so. i think most android fans have moved past the 'this is the ipad killer' mentality. at this point the ipad really doesn't matter to us android fans. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alfiejr 

in a word, no.

 

at $200 and 7", the Nexus 7 is clearly aimed at the "mass low end" tablet market. semi-disposable products when you want something basic and cheap. and it's also clearly a "loss leader" product, like the Kindle Fire too, intended to recruit millions of buyers into the overall Google ecosystem instead of making any profit itself.

 

sure, Google probably hopes to eventually take on the iPad directly with a 10" version once it has built up a base of 10 million+ Nexus 7 users - like next year. but right now it wants first to push Amazon to the side - and the Nexus 7 is clearly superior in almost every way to last year's Fire. Amazon is going to have to come out with a much improved new model or fade quickly.

 

MS Windows 8 RT tablet is intended, tho, as competition to the iPad, yes. and it has more features than the Nexus 7. but it's problem is price. it has no chance to break into the market big time unless it is at least $100 cheaper than the corresponding iPad. will MS join the "loss leader" game? we'll see ... (never mind the MS Intel Surface, it's a DOA notebook competitor no one needs).

I agree with your assessment of the Intel version of the Surface tablet.   Unless businesses buy it in droves, it's doomed.   But I think consumers might like the ARM version.   I'm certainly going to take a good look at it when it arrives.

If Apple was as stupid as Microsoft, instead of creating the iPad, they would have issued this :

Built from a unique enclosure conversion kit, the Modbook Pro incorporates and completely encases the original hardware of a new Apple® MacBook® Pro 13.3-inch base system. Its Wacom® digitizer delivers 512 levels of pen pressure sensitivity — more than any other tablet computer on the market. And its ForceGlass™ screen provides an etched, paper-emulating drawing surface.......

Quote:

Originally Posted by screamingfist 

i don't think so. i think most android fans have moved past the 'this is the ipad killer' mentality. at this point the ipad really doesn't matter to us android fans. 

If you've totally dismissed the iPad, then you're really no better than the Apple fanboys that dismiss everything non-Apple.   You really need to consider all products.   Forget the holy wars and buy the best product.   Of course, "best" means different things to different people.

FACT: Neither the MS Surface RT nor the MS Surface Pro exist in the marketplace today.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gazoobee 

The Surface pro is a convertible laptop more than it is a tablet and it does therefore have a (detachable, bluetooth) keyboard.  The way people keep describing this as (paraphrased) "finally a tablet with a keyboard!" is just crazy IMO in that the Surface Pro "has a keyboard" in exactly the same sense that the iPad "has a keyboard" or any other tablet "has a keyboard." 

 

One can argue about inclusion in the box or price, but practically every tablet, and certainly every convertible laptop, "has a keyboard" in this same sense.  

 

We don't know how good the Surface Pro's keyboard is (or even if it really exists in fact), and everything we know about it seems to indicate it will actually be one of the worst keyboards out there.  

 

In that light, it's really extra-specially ironic that the keyboard is being touted as the central feature of this POS.

Microsoft is doubling down on their idea that what people really want is a laptop that can sometimes be used as a tablet.

- the keyboard can only be used in landscape (laptop) orientation

- the camera is tilted up 22 degrees so that it isn't pointing down to the table. Again, only in horizontal orientation. In vertical that means its pointed 22 degrees to the side.

- If you do want to use it as a tablet, then flipping the keyboard-case around the back means that you're fingers are holding on to the keyboard surface. And if you take the cover off, you have an unprotected tablet and now an unattached keyboard laying around. So the point of not just carrying a small bluetooth keyboard was... what again?

In light of that, this magnetic keyboard ends up being the worst of all worlds because its going to be sub-par, and its going to be badly attached and resulting in a multi-component device.

If I wanted a laptop, I'd just get an Air or one of the Windows Air clones.

MS just doesn't get that a tablet is a separate kind of device. (One, incidentally, that I've come to use far more than I do my Mac.)

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaHarder 

FACT: Upon release, the MS Surface RT WILL compete in the exact same market as Apple's iPad.
FACT: Apple (currently) has absolutely nothing remotely in the same category as either the MS Surface Pro nor the Google Nexus 7.

Quote:

Originally Posted by island hermit 

 

FACT: Neither the MS Surface RT nor the MS Surface Pro exist in the marketplace today.

Perhaps you missed the "Upon release" bit of his statement?    Not that your own statement doesn't raise questions about the Surface tablets.   Microsoft has given very few details about these devices - especially price and release date.  Perhaps you could have talked about that instead of just taking a dig at DaHarder.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Curmudgeon 

 

 

 

 

Perhaps you missed the "Upon release" bit of his statement?    Not that your own statement doesn't raise questions about the Surface tablets.   Microsoft has given very few details about these devices - especially price and release date.  Perhaps you could have talked about that instead of just taking a dig at DaHarder.

 

 

 

 

 

Who gives a rat's ass about his statement. I was just pointing out another fact... or do you know otherwise.

A dig at DaHarder? Do you see his name in my statement? Defending DaHarder... how cute.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Curmudgeon 

 

If you've totally dismissed the iPad, then you're really no better than the Apple fanboys that dismiss everything non-Apple.   You really need to consider all products.   Forget the holy wars and buy the best product.   Of course, "best" means different things to different people.

well if you want to throw away app purchases and all the things you have setup just to move to one or the other because its 'better' then more power to you. i am not dismissing the ipad, just that android has reached a point (4.x) where it and the hardware options are satisfactory and fun. Apple has great hardware designs but lousy cloud options. google has great cloud options and decent hardware now.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaHarder 

FACT: Upon release, the MS Surface RT WILL compete in the exact same market as Apple's iPad.
FACT: Apple (currently) has absolutely nothing remotely in the same category as either the MS Surface Pro nor the Google Nexus 7.

Very true.  The WinRT model is the iPad competitor.  

The Pro model is better than the iPad in many significant respects.  Better enough that it is a different product altogether.  It is not a product that uses a cell phone OS, but instead, a product that uses a regular computer OS.

Quote:

Originally Posted by aaarrrgggh 


...which is precisely why they don't really want to make a lot of them, or invest particularly heavily in them. If MS uses them to kick-start the market and OEMs, they sell more licenses. If Google kick-starts the Android Tablet market, they aren't completely stuck with competitors that squeeze out their margins-- Amazon with ~everything, and Apple potentially with iAd.
I never thought I would say this... but Microsoft's strategy makes more sense than Google's!

Yes, because they have more to lose... this isn't about 'tablets' -  its about  EULA's for 'Windows' and 'Office' being signed and paid for.  Google can play every market.  Microsoft's strategy is to get every computer maker to ship windows for $50 and Office preinstalled for $80... and then MS makes about 80 total on that.   You can't make that up in Bing ad impressions, so they need to establish a competitor to get to the high ground of the high growth market... consumer portable computing devices.  (formerly cheap laptops, now... iPads).

Microsoft must succeed... Google only has to 'try' hard;-)

Apple on the other hand... really isn't in the equation... if in 7 years they get 25% market share (oh... let's say that at 30% margin of EVERY PHONE, LAPTOP, TABLET, and  TV(!?!?!?!?)... sold in the world...my back of the spreadsheet calculation is about 132Billion a year in profits;-)... For just a quarter of the market.... for just hardware  Toss in a bit for the iCloud/AppStore/iTunes...  Oh and AppleCare... Apple could be a $150Billion a year profit company by 2020  (at current P/E... that's 2020 stock price) ... and NOT be the market leader in any category.

what everyone is missing so far is how the Nexus 7 competes, not with the iPad, but with the iPod Touch (Apple's true "mini-tablet"). the $200 price for the 8G model of each is exactly the same. and crucially, both are fully integrated into their respective ecosystems. 

what the Nexus 7 offers of course is a bigger screen, while the much smaller iPod Touch has a retina display. one fits in your pocket, the other doesn't. but otherwise, the most notably difference is the iPod touch has a decent camera for casual photo/video use, while the Nexus 7 has no such camera, just a basic video chat camera, which both have.

which would your kid want for Xmas? i think the camera would be the deciding factor.

IMO, Apple's smart move would be to add a new 5.5" model of the iPod touch this Fall for $250. with the same resolution on a bigger screen, it would no longer be retina quality, but iPhone apps would still look good and work well, even as a camera. and it would still be pocket size. just right size for games too. kids would love it. (it would also kill the Sony Vita and Nintendo 3DS, btw).

OTOH, i think it would be a bad mistake for Apple to come out with a smaller 8" "me too" smaller iPad, as rumored often. iPad apps would not look good nor work well on it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JerrySwitched26 

 

 

V

 

The Pro model is better than the iPad in many significant respects. 

And worse in many others.

Frankly the only ways Windows RT is marginally 'better' are in ways that I no longer care about... i.e. munging spreadsheets, building databases from scratch and coding.

The ways that the iPad is better are ways that I really use. Location, portability, touch, photo, orientation, instant access, convenience, etc.

I bow to no one in my identification as a 'power user', and frankly have left desktops and laptops behind for 99% of my use.

And I create LOTS of content.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alfiejr 

what everyone is missing so far is how the Nexus 7 competes, not with the iPad, but with the iPod Touch (Apple's true "mini-tablet"). the $200 price for the 8G model of each is exactly the same. and crucially, both are fully integrated into their respective ecosystems. 

 

Most often a product only competes against a similarly marketed item. If Apple started to market the iPod Touch as the iPad Mini (or somesuch) then people would view the Touch as a tablet and compare the Nexus to the iPad Mini. Presently I don't think anyone even thinks of the iPod Touch as a device in the tablet market.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GQB 

 

Microsoft is doubling down on their idea that what people really want is a laptop that can sometimes be used as a tablet.

- the keyboard can only be used in landscape (laptop) orientation

- the camera is tilted up 22 degrees so that it isn't pointing down to the table. Again, only in horizontal orientation. In vertical that means its pointed 22 degrees to the side.

- If you do want to use it as a tablet, then flipping the keyboard-case around the back means that you're fingers are holding on to the keyboard surface. And if you take the cover off, you have an unprotected tablet and now an unattached keyboard laying around. So the point of not just carrying a small bluetooth keyboard was... what again?

 

In light of that, this magnetic keyboard ends up being the worst of all worlds because its going to be sub-par, and its going to be badly attached and resulting in a multi-component device.

 

If I wanted a laptop, I'd just get an Air or one of the Windows Air clones.

 

MS just doesn't get that a tablet is a separate kind of device. (One, incidentally, that I've come to use far more than I do my Mac.)

I mentioned before that Apple probably also looked at a keyboard cover... but FAIL was written all over it.

I've also said that Microsoft wants to drag us kicking and screaming into the past.

Google at least understands the tablet space. Whether they actually understand their core business is becoming more questionable every day.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MacBook Pro 

I think Apple could make things very interesting with the introduction of iPad 4th generation in 1Q2013.
Should we expect iPad 2 at USD $299 with iPad 3rd generation at USD $399 and iPad 4th generation at USD $499?
For that matter what will the specifications of the iPad 4th generation be?
Better CPU? Apple A6 dual-core CPU (ARM Cortex A15) 32 nm process? This is arguably the best thing Apple could do to improve the new iPad.
Better GPU? PowerVR G6200? Quad-core? The Rogue series is said to approach the 1 T FLOP range.
Better Display? Not likely.
Better Camera? Possible. Maybe probable but this isn't the best form factor for a high end camera?
NFC for use as a POS terminal? Seems possible. Perhaps a very strategic move to give NFC the kick-in-the-pants needed.
HDMI? Never.
MicroSD? Never.
802.11ac? Possible. Maybe probable.
Apple is rapidly approaching a saturation point for features and functions in both the iPad and iPhone product lines.
A flooded market favors the product with the most brand recognition and brand capital as well as the greatest number of retail outlets. We know who has the most brand recognition and brand capital.

I agree with much of what you say, except:  "Apple is rapidly approaching a saturation point for features and functions in both the iPad and iPhone product lines.".

Especially, for the large form factor of the iPad.  I was just playing around with the Taposé app which allows two apps to run in side-by-side windows -- quite useful for many situations, like dragging and dropping from one app to another. I think the iPad 3 may have enough power to run apps like FCP X.  There are problems that need to be addressed and I suspect some new UI paradigms need to be developed.

However, I believe that Apple has barely scratched the surface of iPad possibilities [pun intended].

Quote:

Originally Posted by island hermit 

 

Most often a product only competes against a similarly marketed item. If Apple started to market the iPod Touch as the iPad Mini (or somesuch) then people would view the Touch as a tablet and compare the Nexus to the iPad Mini. Presently I don't think anyone even thinks of the iPod Touch as a device in the tablet market.

right. Apple never calls the Touch a tablet because it wanted to capitalize on - and extend - the iPod's success.

but you didn't answer my crucial question: which will your kid want for Xmas? that's where the markets collide.

and Apple can't permanently give away every kind of market there is for any kind of tablet-like device between 3.5" and 10".