With iPad, Apple gave birth to a whole new segment of mobile computing. It was bigger than a smart-phone and way more portable than any laptop. As a result iPad has been a runaway hit. In its third generation the Apple iPad rules the tablet market with no formidable competitor. Many tablets have been launched by manufacturers like Samsung,Acer, Asus etc with most of them running different versions Android. HP also tried to capture the market with its WebOS but it never really picked up. So with no competition, the iPad has been ringing in the cash bells for Apple.
But all that might change as Google Inc. plans to unveil a $199 tablet co-branded with Taiwan’s Asutek Computer Inc at its developer conference this week.The 7-in tablet is expected to be showcased at the Google I/O conference starting this Wednesday in Sans Francisco.The tablet will sport a processor from Nvidia Corp. Also on cards is the demonstration of some new features in Android OS.
Though Google’s Android has captured more than half the smartphone market, tablets with the same OS have failed to capture even half the iPad’s share. With tablet sales expected to touch 118.9 million units this year forecasted by Gartner Inc ,Google is desperately finding new ways to fuel sales of its tablets.
Android tablets are already available from companies like Samsung, Htc and Motorola Mobility which was recently acquired by Google. Still the Search Giant is keen to use its brandname to woo consumers as it did with Nexus Smartphones. Google plans to launch a sleekr tablet armed with the latest software and priced lower than Apple’s iPad which starts from $499.
The Nexus designation is given by Google to smartphones which feature the latest hardware specs and also latest Android software. Moreover the Nexus phones have the vanilla Android OS without the OEM theming etc and are the first to get software updates directly from Google.
With Microsoft entering the tablet market with Surface, and Google’s Nexus 7 the tablet warfare is certianly going to heat up. According to Gartner Apple is going to lose a certain market share but will still reamin at the No. 1 spot.