The tablet market seem to have taken a U turn. What started with the mega sized Apple pushing a new offering in the consumer electronics market and setting the standards of the size, processing power and offering on the table; we know see the giant getting hit by the Amazon Kindles and Samsung Galaxy tabs which come cheaper, handy and a slap-of-Android make the newbies feel there isn’t enough steam to pump the dollars the design giant demands.
You now see Apple understanding and accepting that the 7 inch hold-your-tab-in-your-hand market is quite big to forget and reinventing the iconic iPad in a mini version. As the trade pundits joke the iPhone is growing day by day and the iPad is shrinking with public demand. It would be exciting to see where these gadgets converge in the next few rounds. Until then lets talk about the contenders one on one – The iPad Mini, Kindle Fire and Samsung Galaxy Tab2.
The Kindle Fire was announced by Amazon in September 2011 and exactly after a year Apple launches the iPad mini variant. Apple started the race with a one stop shop providing the hardware, software and an uber cool app platform. Amazon knew that people enjoy the end solution, to which content played a crucial role. Taking cues from this understanding Amazon completely customized the Amazon Kindle Fire standing out from the likes of Samsung and tightly integrated the complete content offering. While there were naysayers but Amazon clearly proved they understand the market.
Samsung galaxy Tab 2, on the other hand is something the geeks love the most. Keep rooting your tablet, customize with the apps and keep beefing up the hardware. Looking at this Samsung to me doesn’t look like a horse who will be in the race for a long run. Not because Apple and Amazon poses a challenge but the slew of cheap Chinese tablets which is attacking the same market which has grown price conscious and can’t clearly understand whats new with Samsung.
A look at the specs clearly resonates with the demand supply adjustment. Apple is always known for offering the best of what can be made available. But this time folks Retina display won’t grace the iPad mini. The math behind this is simple. Apple for most is an aspirational brand and the pricing has to be such, that forces a buyer to rethink before they move on to the Amazon and Samsung basket.
We will soon be delving into the spec fight of these three brands to understand who will fit the best in the hand of the consumer…
While we can go yada yada about comparing the thought process about all these three tablets, there are some questions that time will tell
- Is keeping resolution a good move? Will people enjoy the same resolution on a smaller variant?
- Are people ready to shell that little bit extra on an Apple iPad Mini or will Apple be forced to slash prices too!
- Was this a wrong move to shrink the tablet size and getting into the Android rat race?
- Are Apples hay days as trend setter done
- What is the next level of differentiation after Hardware, Software, App Store and Content
- Will other me-too androids die a slow death or will these behemoths get bullied by the cheap alternatives?
- Will monetizing tablets change in the near term and the likes of Amazon who sell at a loss emerge
There is too much to debate and who laughs the last is something to wait and watch…