14 DAY TRIAL // Even though IT players expected Apple's iPad 2 only in the second quarter, its launch at CeBIT more or less jumbled other companies' plans, to the point where Samsung reached the conclusion its own slate will have its work cut out for it.
Ever since the iPad was released last year, PC makers and mobile device developers alike have seen clearly that consumers definitely like the form factor.
That said, the 2011 edition of MWC (Mobile World Congress), and even during this CeBIT, quite a few tablets have been released, most loaded with Android 3.0 (Honeycomb).
Up to the end of February, IT players and consumers alike had enough cause to assume the big showdown would be between the various holders of such devices.
Apparently, Apple had something to say about that, as its announcement issued just days ago made it more than clear.
Simply put, Apple has launched the iPad 2 and also dropped the price of the original iPad by about $100.
With the new iPad selling for roughly $500 to start with, one may say that the plans of many other companies will have to go through serious revisions.
Now, it was reported that Samsung took the time to make a comparison between its Galaxy Tab 10.1 and the aforementioned iPad 2.
"We will have to improve the parts that are inadequate," Lee Don-joo, executive vice president of Samsung's mobile division, told Yonhap News Agency. "Apple made it very thin."
"The 10-inch (tablet) was to be priced higher than the 7-inch (tablet) but we will have to think that over," Lee added.
Basically, Samsung's tablet need a price revision if it is to stand against the new Apple product. What this means for the company's finances and the actual profitability of dealing in slates is something that remains to be seen.