While the verdict is still out with regard to consumer appetites for a 3rd portable computing device, PC makers are betting the farm on consumer interest in tablets that fill the gap between small-screened smartphones and bulky (by comparison) netbooks/laptops. We've already seen an uptick in tablet devices on display at the big
CES and
CeBIT trade shows, now tablet and MID device vendors look ready to blow out Computex when it kicks off on June 1st in Taipei. According to Roy Chen, ARM's ODM manager for worldwide mobile computing, more than 50 ARM-based tablet PCs will launch in 2010 starting in Q2 with "a lot more" landing in the third quarter -- a date that just happens to line up with the most optimistic
Chrome OS launch schedule. ARM's seeing so much interest that it had to rent additional floor space to show off the devices. Chen said that many of the tablets are slated for China although all of the world's top 10 carriers have signed up as well. ARM was showing off two Android based tablets at the press event, including the
7-inch Compal device (pictured above) we gave a whirl at CES. Let's just hope that tablet makers have plans for some compelling
content and
service hook-ups with a focus on the
user experience -- 50 near-identical slabs of touchscreen computing won't generate much enthusiasm around here.
posted March 10th 2010 5:38AM
@Kelmon
It's not about the state of art of hardware, it about platform/market.
Why linux can't take away any cheese from windows in normal user? because the market is dominate by windows.
The same situation is on mp3 player, the Apple totally control the market.
In the mobile phone market is almost going the same trend to Apple except this time the big guy - Google - take a quick action, but I still don't see the trend is going to reverse, maybe slow down a bit.
Because unlike Google, Apple really care about their ecosystem to app store developer instead Google only care about their user base/data(which only good for geek and nerd but bad for business).
I smell the same thing in the iPad market, the HP slate is stupidly aim their market to Flash technology by telling people there are many free
stuff on the windows/flash platform and still no good market strategy for business. They just want sell hardware. And many Apple hater talk about freedom are basic same as what private bay do.
Don't know what's going on ? Just see the gaming console market you will see why. iPad is basically game console in Internet surfing. Why PC has better hardware but cannot replace TV console ? Because there is no good ecosystem for game company live except big one like EA which they can take care them self.
Enough arguments, just let market tell.
@zetman Good analysis dude.
This actually fits right into Sony's portfolio. They've always (or at least recently) painted themselves as a "home" devices company. The PS3 does great as a media center. Vaio's are awesome computes. And they've had a lot of good ideas like the UMPC or Mylo. These are things that should be used at home. Personally, I can't imagine carrying around a laptop and tablet in my backpack. Therefore, These things can be slightly heavier if the weight goes to good use.
As long as the OS on these things isn't half baked or not Android (haha) I don't see why these things can't go far. All they need is flash and maybe half the battery life of the iPad.
@Jeff
Edit: I need to clarify the last sentence. IF this is a home device, then I would expect one to have it near a charger most of the day. And you surely wouldn't use it for 10 hours straight. (Even Avatar isn't that long.)
if tegra based ones all price near or over $500, most of them will fail.
And yet, all of them are bound to be overshadowed by the iPad on tech sites, and all of them will be called "iPad Killers" until the term is so overused we will want to kill someone.
@Nitesh It's already overused, it's bad enough to apply it to a not-yet shipping product (iPad), but even worse when 99% of the "killers" don't even have announced release dates!
@cherryboom
Exactly my thoughts. Whether you love or hate a Apple, whether you think tablets are useful or not, and whether you like specs and features instead of a gated application ecosystem that is tightly controlled by a company with tactics you may or may not like, it all doesn't matter. If there's any tablet device becoming a success it will be because of all these properties, not in spite of it. I see only 2 contenders that have their act together in preparation of the rise or failure of tablet computers in general: Apple with iPhone OS or Intel+Nokia with MeeGo (which still has a long way to go, but at least they appear to be on the right track).
And of course the only clear winner in the tablet wars is the ARM Corporation.
Monkey see monkey do.
@SCXFAN
Monkey seas full of monkey doo.
If they're all going to China, then why would I care? It's just like one big tease...
Skip the Android and go straight to ChromeOS. It'll be a much better experience for non-techie end-users.
All of those companies that introduced e-readers at CES, are all scrambling to make tablets now.
Chrome OS, nah I'll pass
I had a Pocked PC back in 2002. I loved the wi-fi and usefulness, but felt it could be improved for multimedia applications. I see UMPCs/tablets as the evolution of these devices.
WEBOS!! WEBOS!! WEBOS!! WEBOS!! WEBOS!!
Just give me one that's x86-based with a copy of Windows 7 Home Premium on it and I'll start paying attention here...
@kenny goo x86-based? No, short batterylife and underpowered. Look at netbooks.
Windows (7 home premium)? No, to heavy OS and not designed/optimized for a tablet and what can it do more than this android tablets?
@MaTdg
Because every netbook on the market has a terrible battery life right? Wrong. Because Windows 7 didn't have a large part of its development dedicated to multi-touch technology and can't be fitted and customized for a sub 10" touch screen right? Wrong.
You're starting to sound like the iPad fanboys. Get a grip. There's a market for both types of tablets. The HP Slate has a very good chance at proving that. At the end of the day a tablet with an Atom CPU, NVIDIA Ion chipset with Optimus, 1GB of memory, and a fully functioning desktop operating system that allows the customization and capability an Android OS can't possibly meet can and will prove to be successful in its own market, separate from these ARM based machines.
@kenny goo Yes, batterylife of netbooks isn't that great compared to what some ARM-based tablets are capable off. An ARM cpu is much more energy efficient than an atom.
Multitouch? Never said that, don't even know if these android tablets have multitouch enabled by default. No, the reason why it's not optimized for a tablet is because... it's a desktop OS. It's just to heavy for the tasks you want to do with a tablet. Again, what do u want to do with it that android can't?
Yes, there will be a market for windows tablets but only for those who think they can't do anything if they can't install the programs they are used to on their desktops/laptops and the people who don't see the advantages and disadvantages of both x86 and ARM based devices. I bet some people would slam an atom 1.6Ghz, intel gma 5xx chipset and a 160GB conventional harddrive in their phones and run W7 on it if they could.
@MaTdg
Again I say, does that mean all netbooks have terrible battery lives? No. Relativity is just that: relative. The Kindle has a great battery life, but it can't stack up to the capabilities of an iPad. Likewise, the iPad battery life may be competent, but it won't be able to stack up to the capabilities of a Win7 tablet.
I was simply talking about touch capabilities as a whole, and the fact that Win7 had a lot of time dedicated to being used with touch screens, specifically multi-touch and capacitive screens, makes Win7 much more capable then Vista or XP when it comes to a tablet interface. The back end is there, but the front end needs to be tweaked and customized depending on the device. Just because it's based as a desktop OS doesn't mean it has to stay as a non-mobile OS.
Not sure you're actually responding to what I'm trying to say here. I never said an ARM based machine wouldn't have a better battery life, and I didn't say that Win7 was optimized for mobile use or touch screen use. Neither point means that a good Win7 tablet can't be made. I don't want an Android tablet. That's what I have my phone for. Likewise I wouldn't wanna run Win7 on my phone.
When these tablets get to a good place that balances quality, price, and battery life, I'll seriously consider getting one to replace my laptop, not my cell phone. That's what I want a tablet for. Not so I can have some shitty, low powered, oversized MID.
@kenny goo Yes, there pretty bad. 3-6hours for the average netbook is not enough for me. I need 8 at least. The Lenovo thinkpad laptops my college used could manage that.
A kindle is a different device: different purpose (reading ebooks as the only one) and different technology (e-ink screen). It's not fair/right to compaire a kindle with a tablet. But what capabilities of a win7 tablet? Running al your .exe's? Photoshop and such? I'd like to know what important capabilities does win7 offer on a tablet that these guys don't?
Look at the joojoo: it's an atom/ion based tablet and manages 5 hours of battery life and it's not even running a full windows but a lightweight browser based OS like chrome OS.
@MaTdg
It may not be enough for *you*, but you don't define the marketplace. Realize that. Some people are fine with that battery life. It's as simple as that.
Again, you're arguing something I'm not disagreeing with, and you're completely missing the point. Obviously the Kindle and the iPad are different devices. That's the fucking point. Likewise you can't compare an Android tablet with the HP Slate. They have different levels of capabilities and likewise have different battery lives.
And you keep asking me the same question like I haven't indirectly answered it more then once. If I want something that's gonna be able to replace a lower end laptop, a mobile OS wont do it. You have apps, but you don't have programs. You can't flip between full featured web browsers, media players and messaging programs like you can on a PC.
Not to mention the simple things we take for granted like being able to download anything and everything on the internet, save them in a customized file system, and drop it on anything with a USB port and some storage on it. There's a very large cut off between a mobile OS and a desktop OS in what you can do.
Honestly, even a Linux based OS like Chromium would be an improvement over Android, but personally I'd just like a Windows tablet.
Hmm, I wonder if Google would make a device that dual boots Android and Chrome...( I know Google doesn't actually make the devices, but just consider it... HTC!)