Doubts cast on success of Amazon tablet, Android Ice Cream Sandwich vs. iPad
The likelihood of success for both the impending Amazon tablet and Google's forthcoming Android update, dubbed "Ice Cream Sandwich," against the iPad has reportedly been called into question by industry insiders.
After seeing major companies like Research in Motion, Motorola and Hewlett-Packard struggle in the tablet market against the iPad, notebook vendors are "backing away from the tablet PC bandwagon," according to DigiTimes. In a report issued Thursday, it was said that notebook makers are "turning pessimistic" about the tablet market outside of the iPad.
Those hardware makers reportedly believe that Google's forthcoming update for its Android mobile operating system, Ice Cream Sandwich, will not help them overcome the market dominance seen by Apple's iPad.
"The sources pointed out that non-Apple players may need to wait until the Android version after Ice Cream Sandwich or Windows 8 hit the market to fight back against Apple," the report said.
Still others in the industry expect that demand for tablets will drop significantly, much like the bottom fell out on the netbook market, taking with it hardware makers like Acer. They believe the "traditional" notebook industry will rebound once consumer interest in tablets wanes.
In a separate story, DigiTimes also reported Thursday that Amazon's own tablet, expected to be released in the fourth quarter of 2011, has a questionable future ahead of it, according to industry insiders. Specifically, sources in the supply chain for Amazon's tablet reportedly question whether the retailer is wise for releasing a 7-inch model when Apple has found success with a 9.7-inch display on the iPad.
Beyond the iPad and among other tablets, the 10-inch form factor has still performed 7-inch devices. Last year, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs slammed tablets with smaller 7-inch screens, and said that his company's extensive user testing found that screen size was too small for users.
Supply chain sources have also expressed doubt that Amazon will be able to meet an internal shipment goal of 4 million units by the end of 2011. They also question whether Amazon can replicate the success it has had with its e-ink based Kindle on a multimedia tablet with a full color display.
After seeing major companies like Research in Motion, Motorola and Hewlett-Packard struggle in the tablet market against the iPad, notebook vendors are "backing away from the tablet PC bandwagon," according to DigiTimes. In a report issued Thursday, it was said that notebook makers are "turning pessimistic" about the tablet market outside of the iPad.
Those hardware makers reportedly believe that Google's forthcoming update for its Android mobile operating system, Ice Cream Sandwich, will not help them overcome the market dominance seen by Apple's iPad.
"The sources pointed out that non-Apple players may need to wait until the Android version after Ice Cream Sandwich or Windows 8 hit the market to fight back against Apple," the report said.
Still others in the industry expect that demand for tablets will drop significantly, much like the bottom fell out on the netbook market, taking with it hardware makers like Acer. They believe the "traditional" notebook industry will rebound once consumer interest in tablets wanes.
In a separate story, DigiTimes also reported Thursday that Amazon's own tablet, expected to be released in the fourth quarter of 2011, has a questionable future ahead of it, according to industry insiders. Specifically, sources in the supply chain for Amazon's tablet reportedly question whether the retailer is wise for releasing a 7-inch model when Apple has found success with a 9.7-inch display on the iPad.
Beyond the iPad and among other tablets, the 10-inch form factor has still performed 7-inch devices. Last year, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs slammed tablets with smaller 7-inch screens, and said that his company's extensive user testing found that screen size was too small for users.
Supply chain sources have also expressed doubt that Amazon will be able to meet an internal shipment goal of 4 million units by the end of 2011. They also question whether Amazon can replicate the success it has had with its e-ink based Kindle on a multimedia tablet with a full color display.
Comments
Still others in the industry expect that demand for tablets will drop significantly, much like the bottom fell out on the netbook market, taking with it hardware makers like Acer. They believe the "traditional" notebook industry will rebound once consumer interest in tablets wanes.
Eh, didn't the netbook market drop pretty much BECAUSE of the iPad?
That being said, Amazon will have the only tablet that will come anywhere close to "competing" with the iPad with any success. They have the ability to price it realistically, the infrastructure to sell it and provide a market place for apps, and a dedicated user base from Kindle.
It will be successful for them, far surpassing any other competing tablets, but still pale in comparison to Ipad's success.
That's my humble opinion.
ICS will solve one problem on Android tablet: the app, but i'm still not convinced on what's the benefit you'll get from choosing Android tablet.
It's all about what flavor someone prefers. GET IT? Ok bad joke
Nothing will be able to overtake the iPad.
Similar things were said about Android phones. Now they outsell iOS phones.
Time will tell. Nobody knows the future.
Nothing will be able to overtake the iPad.
That being said, Amazon will have the only tablet that will come anywhere close to "competing" with the iPad with any success. They have the ability to price it realistically, the infrastructure to sell it and provide a market place for apps, and a dedicated user base from Kindle.
It will be successful for them, far surpassing any other competing tablets, but still pale in comparison to Ipad's success.
That's my humble opinion.
Interesting. We'll see. I haven't paid any attention to it until now literally
Similar things were said about Android phones. Now they outsell iOS phones.
Time will tell. Nobody knows the future.
Kind of a misleading argument. Android phones have gotten to the point where you can see buy-one-get-one-free deals, or even pay-nothing with new contract deals. I've never seen that for iphone.
I mean hell, my Fascinate, which is a pretty decent Android phone, can be had for free through Amazon last I checked.
Analysts are not paid to "predict" the future, they are paid to publicly manipulate the stock market with their reports. The average AppleInsider reader could come up with better predictions since they have no financial interest invested in the outcome!
Anyway, my take is that the Amazon tablet will do well because it'll be a) cheap b) have content to sell you and c) have an easy to use interface three things no Honeycomb tablet does very well. For some reason Android has a UI dominated with black, and that's never been appealing to me.
Price point is the key! If the Amazon tablet is cheap they will fly off the shelves! Not sure the OS will make a difference to the average consumer, I still think if they cost the same as the iPad then they will still purchase an iPad!
Yes, price is everything here. It was hilarious watching the other tablet wannabes attempt to peddle tablets that cost MORE than the iPads. Idiots. Only Amazon seems to have realized that the opportunity lies in making a profitable product that can be sold for significantly less than an iPad, even if it's of lesser quality. Apple cannot address that market segment at this point because it's all they can do to get their existing product (iPad of course) out. It's the same thing that happened at the beginning of the iPod product cycle - there were no cheaper iPods, no Nanos or Minis.
The field for cheaper tablets is wide open right now. In a year or two or maybe three - when it can get its arms around it - Apple will slam that door shut. Even now, they're being very clever about it - witness their program to give used original iPad models away to schoolchildren for free. Philanthropic, certainly, but also no one can compete with free, so no one can get their foot in that particular door.
Kind of a misleading argument. Android phones have gotten to the point where you can see buy-one-get-one-free deals, or even pay-nothing with new contract deals. I've never seen that for iphone.
I mean hell, my Fascinate, which is a pretty decent Android phone, can be had for free through Amazon last I checked.
Correct.
Android's marketshare growth has been driven by the race to the bottom. It's actually more prevalent in southeast Asia where cheapo no-frills Android phones are being shoveled out. They aren't really being used like smartphones. They end up being used more like touchscreen feature phones: voice calls, texting, e-mail, maybe viewing the occasional web page.
There are massive numbers of Android phone users who aren't downloading apps, etc.
Analysts are not paid to "predict" the future, they are paid to publicly manipulate the stock market with their reports. The average AppleInsider reader could come up with better predictions since they have no financial interest invested in the outcome!
Which is why amateur Apple finance bloggers blow doors on professional analysts in predicting Apple's performance.
Quoting professional financial analysts is really a disservice to tech media readers. These guys are really inaccurate. The ones most often quoted: Shaw Wu, Gene Munster, and Katy Huberty are amongst the worst predictors of Apple's behavior. It's quite pathetic, to be honest that educated human beings are forced to confront their garbage in print.
Similar things were said about Android phones. Now they outsell iOS phones.
Time will tell. Nobody knows the future.
No Android phone comes anywhere close to beating the iPhone. The sum of ALL phones sold that happen to have Android as an OS may be greater than the number of iPhones sold. But that is not really a valid or fair comparison. If you want to compare on that level, you should add all iOS devices, iPod touch, iPad, etc, and then you will have a bit different picture.
I stand by my prediction, and that it will hold for the next couple of years at least.
Kind of a misleading argument. Android phones have gotten to the point where you can see buy-one-get-one-free deals, or even pay-nothing with new contract deals. I've never seen that for iphone.
I mean hell, my Fascinate, which is a pretty decent Android phone, can be had for free through Amazon last I checked.
Facts are facts.
Fact: Many here predicted that Android phones would never do well. Fact: Android phones now outsell iOS phones.
Fact: Many here predict that Android tablets will never do well.
Conjecture: Maybe yes, maybe no.
Fact: Nobody knows the future.
Amazon's tablet will do ok, I think. They have an ecosystem, it will be easy for people to spend money on/via it (existing credit card details, 1-click etc), it just comes down to how much the initial outlay will be.
Indeed. The Amazon tablet is a completely different value proposition from the Android tablets and aimed at a different market altogether.
The fact that these "analysts" don't seem to see the difference casts more doubt on their predictions more than anything else they say.
Or should they take past performance, current information, and their collective experience to make educated guesses in the hopes of guiding others who don't have the time and resources to do such homework?
Correct.
Android's marketshare growth has been driven by the race to the bottom.
Your statements seem to be factually incorrect, according to this:
http://blendblogger.com/2011/09/05/t...d-cell-phones/
According to the article, the best sellers are some of the most expensive models on the market, and not the bottom tier phones.
Kind of a misleading argument. Android phones have gotten to the point where you can see buy-one-get-one-free deals, or even pay-nothing with new contract deals. I've never seen that for iphone.
I mean hell, my Fascinate, which is a pretty decent Android phone, can be had for free through Amazon last I checked.
Actually there's been a few "free iPhone" deals with contract outside the US. IIRC there was one recently in North America as well. One of the higher profile examples is in Japan where the iPhone carrier has had an ongoing "free iPhone with contract" offer since back in 2009. Yet Android still manages to outsell the iPhone nearly 2:1 in Japan. I don't think it's all about the money all the time.
http://techcrunch.com/2009/02/26/iph...able-for-free/
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/02/free-iphones-al/