Outside the tech world a delay of a few weeks for a product launch is nothing to write home about. Unfortunately when it comes to smartphones and tablets, weeks carry the weight of months and months age like years. This is particularly true in a crowded space such as the world of Android Honeycomb tablets where even the smallest manufacturer has come out of the woodwork to offer a tablet. Are supply constraints or the fierce competition from the crowded Honeycomb market to blame for the Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 delay?
Despite a delay not all is lost with the smaller Galaxy Tab. To Samsung’s credit, an 8.9-inch Galaxy Tab would fit right between the 7-inch HTC Flyer and Samsung’s own Tab 10.1. The slightly smaller form factor could be the breath of fresh air the tablet market so desperately needs. Honeycomb apps still number less than 300 and the slow adoption of Android tablets has done little to motivate developers. At 8.9-inches, the upcoming Galaxy Tab could fit inside a purse like the HTC Flyer, but offers the latest build of Honeycomb, a thinner design and improved specs.
There’s two leading theories to why Samsung has delayed the launch of the Tab 8.9: supply constraints and overwhelming competition. Since the 8.9-inch form factor requires a new display, manufacturing setbacks as a result of the earthquake in Japan is certainly a possibility. Even if the quake was not the culprit, Apple’s white iPhone 4 release has proven what seems like a subtle change. like going from 10.1 to 8.9-inches, may be a tremendous pain. A manufacturing delay is the odds on favorite.
CES 2011 was a trade show dominated by Android tablets. Though sales might be falling short of expectations there’s no shortage of choices for consumers. In addition to Android tablets, the Galaxy Tab 8.9 must compete with the BlackBerry PlayBook, HP TouchPad and Apple iPad 2. The unique 8.9-inch display should go a long way in helping differentiate the device, but this might just be another case of stage fright. Following the iPad 2 announcement, Samsung decided to re-invent the Galaxy Tab 10.1 by making it both thinner and lighter. It’s entirely possible Samsung is cooking up some last minute change for the Tab 8.9.
If last minute changes were to blame for the delay of the Galaxy Tab 8.9 and not manufacturing issues or supply constraints, what changes would you like to see? Let us know what you would do to change the Galaxy Tab 8.9.
