14 DAY TRIAL // Yet again, analysts have spoken, or written as the case may be, their mind in regard to the likeliest evolutionary direction that the tablet market will follow.
Digitimes research believes that the so-called tablet PC competition has changed quite a bit compared to the same period of 2011.
For those who don't remember, Apple essentially gave the green light to the tablet market when it released the first iPad.
After that, naturally, smartphone makers and notebook brands tried their hand. Some succeeded, some dragged themselves forward and some backed out in time.
Now, the fight has supposedly changed, in that it is no longer being fought between Apple and smartphone/PC players.
Instead, four major companies will represent the segment: Apple, Microsoft, Google and Amazon.
Digitimes Research expects this quartet to ship 49.18 million units in the second half of the year. Of those, 38.5 million (77%) will come from the brands mentioned above.
Apple will soon unleash an IGZO panel-based 9.7-inch model, as well as a 7.85-inch iPad for those who don't care much for size.
Amazon has been known to be working on a new 7-inch Kindle Fire for a long time as well, one that will have a $199 / 161 Euro price and a screen with 1280 by 800 pixels resolution. As if that weren’t enough, an even cheaper one, with a 1,024 x 600 screen, is in the pipeline too. More information will be available in September.
As for Microsoft, it is determined to promote the Surface tablet, even though it will alienate some OEMs by trying to steal their turf.
All in all, 88.69 million tablets will be shipped before the year is over. Not quite the figure some were expecting, but still significant. Tablets running Microsoft's Windows 8/RT OS may or may not be successful enough to raise expectations in the fourth quarter.