14 DAY TRIAL // Not all plans progress as smoothly as IT companies might hope, and notebook vendors are presumably learning, or re-learning, this particular lesson now that Google seems unable to handle all of their requests at once.
Since Google is the company developing the Android operating system, it, naturally, has a major say on when devices based on each new version of the OS come out.
Android 3.0, being the latest incarnation of the software, is, of course, something that all makers of ARM slates want on their devices.
Granted, many slates already exist or will debut soon enough, some running the Android 2.2 or even 2.3, but the 3.0 versions are, understandably, quite highly anticipated.
Unfortunately, even though there are quite a few notebook makers that have Android 3.0 slates in their roadmaps, they may be faced with delays.
As a recent Digitimes report has it, Google is giving smartphone makers priority, those being the likes of Motorola, Samsung, LG, HTC and Nokia.
These companies should succeed in launching new mobile phones or tablet PCs starting in the second half of February, 2011.
That said, makers of mobile personal computers will have to put their Android 3.0 tablet plans on hold until March.
Since this will inevitably give the former a head start, Digitmes' sources estimate that the latter are already under pressure, so to speak.
Demand for netbooks is dropping, partially because of tablets, and even notebooks and all-in-one systems are proving weaker than expected, marketing-wise, those on the entry-level segment at least.
This inevitably led to a greater reliance on media tablet PCs, and the delay in the arrival of Android 3.0 models may spell trouble, especially with how Wintel- or Android 2.2 units aren't expected to perform exceptionally well.
What remains to be seen is how, if at all, notebook vendors will make up for the smartphone makers' head start.