Apple is in no rush to launch its third tablet, analyst says

Sep 16, 2011 13:15 GMT  ·  By

As competitors launch flop after flop in the tablet industry, Apple has no reason to rush the launch of a new iPad, one analyst has opined recently.

Analyst Mark Moskowitz with J.P. Morgan said today that he has been in contact with a number of industry insiders who allegedly briefed him on Apple’s plans with the next iPad.

He reportedly learned it will not be available until sometime in 2012. Nevertheless, there are prototypes already circling in the supply chain, he said.

"In our view, Apple should be in no rush," he said. "The other tablet entrants have stumbled so far, and that trend-line could persist deep into 2012."

And we’d have to agree with Mr. Moskowitz knowing that most tablets out there don’t even live up to the standards of the original Apple iPad, let alone the second generation device which boasts a dual core processor, cameras, and other enhancements.

Elaborating on the lack of competition from other hardware vendors, Moskowitz said the iPad’s next victim will be an upcoming Sony tablet.

The analyst reviewed the hardware and determined it was inferior.

"To us, Sony's tablet lacks the refined, sleek feel of the iPad and its bezel-like back is not user-friendly," he said. "Lastly, the Sony tablet runs on the Android O/S, which has failed to garner as much interest in tablets as it has in smartphones."

One company that has a shot at disrupting some of Apple’s dominance in the tablet industry is Amazon, Moskowitz believes.

But he says even that’s a long shot since Amazon tablets are basically just e-readers.

"Amazon's Kindle may not be a harbinger of the company's future success in tablets, in our view," he said.

The company who has a true shot at barging Apple is Microsoft with their Windows 8 operating system that will also run on tablets.

"Until we see how Amazon fares, we think the next potential threat to Apple's tablet dominance is not until late 2012 when Windows 8-based tablets could hit the market," he said.