Tablet Makers Start Bailing On Android
Acer. Motorola, RIM and other tablet manufacturers are reportedly bailing out of the Android tablet sector and heading back to their smartphones.
A number of unnamed sources within the Taiwanese manufacturing industry supply chain claim that Android smartphone manufacturers who have recently released Android-based tablets are now giving up. Instead of producing the high-dollar tablet devices, they will instead reallocate their previous tablet research and development back into high-end smartphones with 4 to 5-inch touch screens.
According to the sources, the competition with Apple's iPad tablet family has been rough, thus sales of competing tablets from Acer, HTC, LG, Motorola and RIM have been "flat." Samsung is reportedly the only manufacturer to have gained any ground after entering the tablet sector, claiming 10-percent of the market with its Galaxy Tab devices.
There's a theory that Android tablet sales are flat because consumers already have an Android-based smartphone and don't see any extra value in a larger tablet given that their phones have most of the same features. There's also speculation that – unlike iOS consumers who purchase music, movies and apps within iTunes – Android owners just aren't willing to spend the extra money on multimedia and apps.
This latter theory is somewhat inaccurate – Android consumers simply don't have a "central hub" like iTunes, and are thus forced to gather digital content from multiple venues. This process is annoying and inconvenient, and probably one of Android's biggest drawbacks. Like Apple, Google needs an iTunes clone for Android users, but that in itself may undermine carriers and their own multimedia "shops."
Another problem Android tablets have faced is that manufacturers rushed "me too" products to the market without waiting for the tablet-oriented Android 3.0 "Honeycomb" OS. Instead, they used older Android versions, some of which were not sanctioned by Google and thus not allowed to feature Google services like the Android Market. Somehow Samsung's 7-inch Froyo-packed Galaxy Tab tablet overcame the failures of its competitors to the point where Samsung felt confident enough to release a larger, 10.1-inch Galaxy Tab sporting the proper Android 3.0 tablet OS.
The unnamed sources said that other Android tablet manufacturers will continue to produce the devices, as they've been successful in convincing customers that tablets are the perfect bridge between smartphones and notebooks.
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Part of the failure is due to the fact that an Apple tablet competitor better be cheaper than Apple!
Some (MOTOROLA!) failed miserably at this in addition to have an unstable product.
As for an iTunes like interface.......DoubleTwist
The reason I haven't bought one yet has been money and the models available. I hadn't seen any models I wanted to buy until the Galaxy 10.1 came out. That one looks sweet, and I really want one, which can't be said of any previous Android tablet. I will be getting one as soon as I get the money together. I just got a promotion and (substantial) raise at work, and I should be able to afford one in a couple months. As the economy improves, opportunities for selling Android tablets should increase substantially. It's just a matter of the President getting out of the way and letting the economy improve.
iPad is just a better overall product and experience, even with its shortcomings.
I use iOS and Android devices... I just recently purchased the Asus Transformer with 3.1 on it. I love the product. Then again everyone knows Asus makes great stuff
When W8 tablets hit Android tablets are done.
In fact, without the "central hub" is the advantage of Android.
iTunes, IMO, is the annoying pest that puts regulation on the user. Uploading your own music to iphone is just a pain in the @ss, because you have to deal with the sync. That's inconvenient!
I wonder who wrote this one-sided opinion article??
I dont understand the point of tablets or the people willing to waste $$ on them.... We pretty much all have smartphones and computers now, so i dont understand where a tablet for $600 fits in. there are soooooo many other things i need besides a device that is "the perfect bridge between smartphones and notebooks". I'd even rather take that cash and spend it on a better laptop.
When W8 tablets hit Android tablets are done.
Hi kind of agree, but with reservations.
When Windows start to run on smaller devices like a tablets, I think we'll definitely see a jump in sales of the tablet market. The reason is that a lot of people do not need the computing power of a massive desktop for day to day work. And when you start interfacing monitors, keyboards, and mouse to the tablets, then the desktop sales might take a hit.
In Soviet Russia, a tablet bails on you.
I dont understand the point of tablets or the people willing to waste $$ on them.... We pretty much all have smartphones and computers now, so i dont understand where a tablet for $600 fits in. there are soooooo many other things i need besides a device that is "the perfect bridge between smartphones and notebooks". I'd even rather take that cash and spend it on a better laptop.
I'll let you in on the thought process:
1. I'd like to read internet news, political and techie, in some way other than on my computer screen, preferably without the keyboard getting in the way. I hate newspapers and magazines because they produce so much trash. My phone's screen is far too small for that. So, this leaves a tablet. Also, it could be presented in a format similar to a magazine where my phone or computer could not.
2. I like the handheld games like Gem Miner and Angry Birds, but my phone screen isn't very good for that. My fingers are just too thick, and I often misclick things. A tablet would be good for this.
3. laptops, while nice for their uses, are too bulky for sitting on the couch and doing things like this. a tablet would be nice for this.
4. I'm hoping future apps for tablets will include things like remote controlling my HTPC so I can adjust volume, rewind, pause, and select things to watch from my tablet, along with tools for troubleshooting and administering PCs and servers (I'm in server support) without having to hook up a monitor and keyboard, and perhaps even hacking tools for resetting a server password. (I frequently have to deal with this on test servers, where a previous tested reset a password and doesn't remember what it was.) I would also like a tablet where I could hook up a USB to serial connector so I could administer FC and network switches and headless servers, but that would be a pretty narrow market. (The app could show the command line interface and have components of macros off to one side to avoid having to type everything out all the time.)
5. It would also be nice to hook up and watch Hulu shows while waiting at a mechanic or government office. Those places get so boring.
I could go on with lower priority uses, but these are my main ones. They really do have some good uses.
The reason why Apple won is because of its simple to use software. Perhaps when Microsoft start shipping Windows 8 for ARM, maybe they can compete with Apple.
I have a Acer Iconia A500 for the Wife and she LOVES it. It is the most feature packed tablet and one of the cheaper ones. Hell, you can even plug in a USB keyboard and it works on the spot! But, I still need my trusty old desktop to get real work done.
The way I see it is Tablets are unpopular and the only reason people get an Ipad is to use their own invested apps/media/music on a bigger screen. PERIOD. Apple offers the iPad at a cheaper price (other than the fact that Apple bulk buys the same product materials for all their products) because its a gimmick to make sales for more media. Like a gambler loosing all his money and trying to win it back - Apple reels you in and then rips out the hook.
"people" always complain there's no competition, yet when there is, they complain there's no "central hub" -single-vendor-like place to go to? dooh!
Uhh...RIM isn't in the Android tablet sector....
Agree that Motorola screwed up hugely...it was buggy as hell, felt chunky instead of sleek, and had nearly zero apps support because they didn't seed developers w/ tablets to help them get apps onto them (their virtual emulator sucks)-:
The way I see it a getting a tablet is the same as getting a big screen TV.
Do you need a Big Screen TV? No.
What do you use a TV for? To entertain you.
You don't get a TV to do work on, because it's not made for that. The same is true for a tablet. Just because you can hook a computer up to a TV, doesn't mean it'll replace the Desktop for everything. Watching movies, playing games sure. Writing a Essay? Good luck with that.
All the above holds true with tablets also. The facts are that not everyone uses computers to work. Would you rather be stuck behind a desktop screen watching a movie, or sitting on your couch?
Why don't Google just provide a FREE central point
where everyone can find those unrestricted Android stores?
Maybe some of them could be "Apple-like"
I don't believe this article...without sources this article doesn't ring accurate. Acer Iconia tablet sales are very strong and I don't believe manufacturers are going to leave the market to Apple and RIM uncontested.
The biggest reason Android Tablet sales are weak, is the price. If these companies really wanted tablets to boom they need to be priced to eat the netbook market, but instead they tried to price their products similar to the iPad. Why would anyone spend $500+ on a 10" or smaller tablet, when they could spend $500 on a 15" laptop with much more power, capacity, and compatibility?
I bought the Nook. GREAT no-frills tablet. Let's me surf the web with Flash, check email and read books. Doesn't cost $500+ with a monthly 3G plan. Just a simple tablet for cheap.
Only Apple's mindslave's seem capable of wasting $600 on a tablet with a phone OS. Android needs to aim for $300-400 pricing.
I'll let you in on the thought process:1. I'd like to read internet news, political and techie, in some way other than on my computer screen, preferably without the keyboard getting in the way. I hate newspapers and magazines because they produce so much trash. My phone's screen is far too small for that. So, this leaves a tablet. Also, it could be presented in a format similar to a magazine where my phone or computer could not.2. I like the handheld games like Gem Miner and Angry Birds, but my phone screen isn't very good for that. My fingers are just too thick, and I often misclick things. A tablet would be good for this. 3. laptops, while nice for their uses, are too bulky for sitting on the couch and doing things like this. a tablet would be nice for this.4. I'm hoping future apps for tablets will include things like remote controlling my HTPC so I can adjust volume, rewind, pause, and select things to watch from my tablet, along with tools for troubleshooting and administering PCs and servers (I'm in server support) without having to hook up a monitor and keyboard, and perhaps even hacking tools for resetting a server password. (I frequently have to deal with this on test servers, where a previous tested reset a password and doesn't remember what it was.) I would also like a tablet where I could hook up a USB to serial connector so I could administer FC and network switches and headless servers, but that would be a pretty narrow market. (The app could show the command line interface and have components of macros off to one side to avoid having to type everything out all the time.)5. It would also be nice to hook up and watch Hulu shows while waiting at a mechanic or government office. Those places get so boring.I could go on with lower priority uses, but these are my main ones. They really do have some good uses.
You said it better than I would have. I will be getting an ipad2 soon.
Having tried some Andriod tablet, I decided iPad2 would be my best option. Sadly...
I've got an Acer Iconia A500 as well. The wife and I both use frequently. She likes Angry Birds and I like to surf while on the sofa, watching TV. We have an iPod Touch, but it's just to small of a screen for surfing.
And I don't understand the article, my A500 has the latest Honeycomb 3.1, it has working USB, mini-USB, HDMI, and MicroSD card slots.
Just wish I could print from it and stream my media from my PC... can't seem to find a decent app that I like.
I don't see why this is really big news?
If you read the article you see that many joined the fray before the right OS was out, so naturally their sales were weak. 'Somehow' one of the tablets is going to make it, and soon get the 'right OS'.
This is like any new product that comes out, then competitors come out of the woodwork to get in on the action. With every product I can think of, the original market is jam packed with products competiting for market share, but eventually a few mature companies are left (auto industry, aircraft manufacturing, TV companies, etc.).
I don't believe this article...without sources this article doesn't ring accurate. Acer Iconia tablet sales are very strong and I don't believe manufacturers are going to leave the market to Apple and RIM uncontested.
I agree msi widows 7 tablets sells so fast there is no stock, also many of us are holding out for the tegra quad core tablets so you can play any game out there on it why waste money on old tech.
Also sandybridge tablets will show up soon why get android when so many things are designed to run on windows.
you can play starcraft 2 on the win7 tablet from msi you can't on ipad or android.
actually the reason is pretty straight forward, Apple sales are driven by marketing and hype, Android is driven by logical reasoning, and there is no logical reason why anyone would want to spend that much money on a device that doesn't do very much
There is no tablet market. Get that in your heads manufacturers. The market is for APPLE TABLETS. Period.
Apple is a manufacturer that has a rabid fan-base. If they produced turd flavored lollipops and stuck a glowing apple symbol on it, Apple fans would deem the product an ABSOLUTE MUST HAVE and they'd sell billions in a week. Two weeks later Apple would elongate the stick and make the packaging shinier and another set of billions would be sold just say people could say "look at me, I got the LATEST turd flavored lollipop, I'm better than you."
It's like fashion made in the Italian China Town in Italy. You paid 250 dollars for an Italian shirt.. Yeah, sure it says "Made in Italy" and you feel all superior but in reality it was made using materials imported from China; sewed by a Chinese laborer being paid next to nothing for 18 hours a day and sleeping in the factory during off hours. The manufacturer deals in cash and pays zero taxes. But yeah, you bought Italian and you feel awesome.
I have an Asus EEE Pad Transformer. It has got to be the best tablet on the market. I've test drove a few and this one is just awesome, almost never leaves my side. When I compare it to the iPad 2 that my friend has...forget it. I'll stick to my Android tab. Right now iPad has a lot more apps but that comes with a lot of "hand holding" and restrictions. Once the apps start rolling on the Android market and become more centralised I couldn't see why I would get an iPad.
Right now, as I see it. iPads are for the "simpletons" and I don't mean that in a bad way. It's just simple, smooth, and you got big brother Apple looking over your shoulder making sure you don't do anything naughty.
Android tabs via HC 3.1 (updated earlier this month) can do so much more with almost no restrictions, no hand holding, no BS marketing, and the market is exploding rapidly.
If Apple continues to be closed minded and closed source just like they were in the old Mac days when the PC took them over.....well....they'll eventually lose to Android. Android based phones are outselling iPhones already and have been for a while. Tablets won't be any different.
And when Nvidia releases the Tegra 3 processor......wow. Might as well toss the Laptops cause the tablet will have more than enough power to match or surpass even Alienware equiviland brands.
Did the writer just say, Androids biggest drawback was it didnt have ITunes? That in itself is a plus for Android. ITunes is horrible and trys to be your evil step dad....
thats funny, Apples biggest annoyance and drawback is ITunes...
I'm hoping future apps for tablets will include things like remote controlling my HTPC so I can adjust volume, rewind, pause, and select things to watch from my tablet
What media center software are you using?
There are apps that do exactly that for XBMC, PLEX and BOXEE.