Unlike the world of smartphones where Android quickly became the dominant force, the tablet market remains a notch under Apple’s belt. HP and RIM have attempted to capture a share of this market, but have yet to be considered serious threats to Cupertino’s slate. After seeing a Windows 8 tablet concept during the Worldwide Partner Conference 2011 presentation yesterday, Microsoft might be in the best position to challenge Apple. Are Windows 8 tablets the sleeping giant in the tablet wars?
Tagged ‘Apple iPad’
The first quarter of 2011 was a rough patch for tablet sales. Following strong sales over the 2010 holiday season, the start of 2011 was very much a polar opposite. According to IDC, first quarter tablet shipments were down 28 percent sequentially, largely due to iPad shipments that were “well below expectations.” Is this the first sign we’re facing a tablet bubble or was Q1 2011 just a bump in the road?
The iPad has been available for less than two years, but at least one analyst from J.P. Morgan believes an “increasing risk of a bubble burst” to the tablet market awaits in the second half of 2011. Based on exaggerated build plans from tablet makers and a lack of a high-volume tablet competitor to the iPad, the firm has slashes its tablet sales forecasts for 2011 by 20 percent to a 65 million unit estimate. Are we sitting on a tablet bubble, ready to burst later this year?
Let’s face it, the world loves the iPad. With 15 million units sold in 2010, 2011 looks to be bigger than ever. Industry insider DigiTimes reported on Friday that Apple is still on track to produce and ship roughly 40 million tablets in 2011. With first quarter estimates in the neighborhood of 6.5 million iPads, let’s take a look at their complete forecast.
We’re bringing the heat this morning with your daily dose of tech. In today’s US Update we uncover the latest forecasts on mobile Adobe on Flash Player installs, look at the new iPhone 5 prototype with a hardware keyboard, check out the upcoming quad-core Snapdragon processors and more.
LG is taking off the gloves, ready to battle the Apple iPad with their own wonder tablet, the Android-powered, dual-core Optimus Pad. In a fresh new video authored by the manufacturer, the two minute clip shows off the specs and brings a side-by-side comparison for you to decide a champion. Ready to wage war?