With the Amazon Kindle Fire arguably the fastest selling Android tablet at the moment, as well as Google appearing set to launch its 7-inch Android Ice Cream Sandwich tablet at a price point to match the Kindle Fire, it finally looks like Android may have found a way to compete against the iPad.
Amazon Kindle Fire doing well on the market thanks to price, fabled Google tablet may try to match it
While whatever gains they may have this year would seem minute when compared to the whopping 95 percent tablet marketshare lead that Apple’s iPad holds, once the ball gets rolling there’s no saying how far it will go.
So what’s the strategy behind these Android tablets that would give them a better chance against the New iPad 3? Price and size. With a price tag below $200, you could get two for the price of one iPad and still have money left. Furthermore, while the 9.7-inch form factor of the iPad 3 is good, some folks would prefer a 7-inch screen as it offers better portability and is easier to use (if you’ve tried holding an iPad for long periods at a time, you will feel its weight and find that you need to frequently swap hands while using it).
Why Apple should release an iPad Mini
The popular gaming website Kotaku recently translated a report from China regarding a smaller $249 to $299 iPad going into production and was set to be released in the third quarter of this year. Dubbed the ‘iPad mini’, while Steve Jobs considered the 7-inch form factor DOA (dead on arrival), it would make business sense to launch one just to shut down the competition.
With Windows 8 tablets also rumored to be coming with a 7-inch form factor by the end of the year,a 7.85-inch iPad mini with a lower price tag will certainly help Apple retain its stranglehold on the tablet market. Wouldn’t you agree?
