Round-Up: Tablet Computers for 2010

Although it isn't even on sale yet, Apple's iPad has managed to create a massive buzz in the hi-tech world.  Nobody's sure whether it's a smartphone, an e-book reader, a netbook or a combination of all three, but everybody wants to try one. 

This year looks set to see the arrival of the first popular tablet computers.  But right now, there's a lot of uncertainty about what these machines can do, just like there was when netbooks first arrived a few years ago.  Manufacturers seem just as unclear about how to market them.  But do they have a role in the ever-expanding mobile Internet?  What can we expect in the coming months?

'If anybody tells you they know exactly what's going to happen here, they're either Apple, or they're smoking dope.'  This ever-so-slightly tongue-in-cheek comment comes from John Thode, Dell’s vice president in charge of mobile devices in an interview with the Wall Street Journal.  At least he's honest about something that about a lot of people have been thinking for a long time: tablet computers are for the time being UFOs: unidentified flat objets!

Beyond the hype



It's hard to know whether tablets will be as popular as netbooks, which unexpectedly drove sales for both hardware manufacturers and mobile operators.  Although laptops of all shapes and sizes keep on flying off the shelves, and the market is worth as much as it ever has been, development has begun to stagnate.  Could the tablet be the solution?  A lot of questions remain unanswered, but a few specialist analysts have begun to offer an opinion.  Anselme Laubier, head of the PC division at GfK, thinks that 'it won't be easy to launch a product in a market that's already crowded with lots of very cheap notebooks and then more powerful ultraportable laptops for just £400.'  He feels that any new products 'still have to prove their relevance.'  That's a nice way of saying that neither the hype that has surrounded the launch of the iPad nor Steve Ballmer's enthusiasm about the HP Slate will be enough to actually make either product a hit.

You might think that for a product to be successful and a real sucess with consumers, it should be able to do things that no other product is capable of.  But if that were the case, there would be no need for marketing, and companies wouldn't rely on ad agencies to give consumers the impression that they want, or even need, a particular product.  Things aren't like that though: Apple, the king of marketing, reigns supreme, and users seem more than ready to have multiple connected devices.

The road ahead: steady as she goes

The Marvell Moby: $100?

So computer manufacturers are going to try and reach into another area of our lives, and the production lines are ramping up already.  A few big names have already announced their plans (see our round-up below), but given how quickly the mobile computing market moves, we could well see new names arriving, as we did when netbooks took off.  For some players, like HP, the aim is to push sales of laptop computers to new markets, while for others, like Archos, the success of the tablet could well be a magic bullet for their balance sheet.  And what about Mervell, whose prototypes have been popping up all of the web and which could sell for under $100?



Chandra Rathakrishnan, CEO of Fusion Garage, whose JooJoo will be an entirely web-based tablet that retails for $500, 'Pre-orders have exceeded our expectations.  We think the market is big enough for both Apple and us.'  Is that proof that the public is ready to try the tablet?

Right now, even if we don't know whether or not consumers will see tablet PCs as desirable gadgets that fill a need in their lives, but they are already gaining plenty of attention from interested parties.  According to Gartner, as many as 10.5 million of these new products could be sold worldwide within a year, while analysts GfK predict sales of closer to 6 million.  To put those numbers in context, when the iPad became available for pre-order in the US, 120 000 were sold in the first day alone. 

Content and player: a winning formula

So does the iPad have a real chance of creating a new niche in mobile computing?  It will set you back more than a smartphone, a netbook or most ultraportable computers, and a lot of people have dismissed it as an 'oversized iPod touch'.  Apple is promoting its portability, but others have pointed to connectivity that make it more suitable for use at home.  However it ends up being used, though, the iPad has a secret weapon that none of its competitors can match: the AppStore.  It's not inconceivable to think that today's consumers will choose a device based on what content is available on it, rather than the other way round.  That's something that GfK underlines: 'Apple is great at selling high-end products, and can easily justify an expensive price tag because it has the content to back it up.'  Asus, which is also ready to start manufacturing its own tablet, won't actually start the production line rolling until it has found a reliable content partner.  At the CES, the world's sixth-largest laptop manufacturer unveiled a prototype netbook-tablet hybrid which was a big hit--but the content platform won't be ready until the summer.

In the meantime, the iPad has been launched at what for Apple is a reasonable price point of $499 in the US.  Still, even at that price, many think that the iPad is likely to run into some resistance: 'the average price for a multifunction device is under £400; things get tougher beyond that.' If they pull it off, it won't be the first risk taken in Cupertino that ends up as a roaring success …

Finally, later this year, a new element could catalyse the growth of tablet PCs.  Chrome OS, from Google, has been designed to work well on large, touchscreen devices.  Looking at how the search giant's mobile OS, Android, has performed, it's easy to imagine that they too could manage another coup.


Apple iPad
Where it all started (again)

What's left to say about Apple's tablet?  Due out in the US on April 3,  and then in Europe 'at the end of the month', it's clear that this product is at the heart of the sudden interest surrounding tablet computing.  Apple, pushed on by hype from the media which is all too easy to obtain, still has a couple of hurdles to overcome. As soon as it was first announced, critics were keen to slam the iPad: it's not much more than an oversized iPod touch and isn't a real touchscreen computer they said.  The pitch isn't clear either: is this a mobile device or not?

The tech specs point to some rather limited hardware, which inspired criticism from certain experts.  There's no webcam, the battery is fixed, you can't upgrade the memory using a microSD card, the display has a glossy finish--the list goes on and on … Everybody seems to want to have a go at the iPad, and even the look wasn't been spared.

Without a doubt, its greatest strength is the AppStore.  With plenty of apps ready for download from some heavyweight media names, users will have plenty of things to do with their iPad.

Two versions are available: one is WiFi only while the other adds 3G for an extra fee.  With a 9.7'' capacitive multitouch display, 680 g on the scales and a launch price that starts at $499 (or £500?), will it be a hit?  We'll need to wait for the first tests to bring you a definitive answer ...

Microsoft Courier
The other iPad

Can one IT giant take on another?  Along with the iPad, this is the biggest news in the world of tablet PCs.  Quietly announced last September, Microsoft's Courier was first spotted in March of this year.  It's hard to claim that it isn't a bold project.  With a book form factor, that measures less than 20 cm long and two multitouch displays, a stylus for making annotations and navigating more accurately, the whole thing runs on an interface borrowed from the Zune HD, Microsoft's MP3 player.

Redmond seems to have gained confidence from its experience with Windows Phone 7 and is ready to unite its different mobile products around a single concept.  It's a coherent strategy that will allow it to take on Apple's iPhone and iPad at the same time.

Very small when it's closed, according to Engadget, the Courier will only be an inch thick and weigh 450 g.  In its tech specs, there's a Tegra2 processor instead of an Atom.  It's set to launch at the end of 2010.

HP Slate
Hand in hand with Microsoft

Microsoft's big man, Steve Ballmer, used the HP Slate to show off the touchscreen capabilities of Windows 7 at the CES.  The firm wants to make its own tablet a real competitor to the iPad, and it certainly looks quite similar from the outside; the multitouch experience should also work in much the same way. It has a 10'' display, with an Atom processor on the inside.  There's an SD card slot, as well as a USB port and a camera (though we don't know what it's like).  HP has confirmed that its browser will support Flash.

The choice of an Atom processor poses some important questions about the battery life of the Slate.  HP hasn't said a lot about this, but we're sure everybody will need to rival the reported ten hours of battery life promised by Apple's A4.  The use of Windows 7, which Microsoft has kept away from its own tablet, the Courier, could also count against it.  The Slate will be available in September for around £400, or even a little less.


Archos7 Home Tablet / Archos 9
Agressive pricing

Archos was the first manufacturer to bring out a next-generation Internet tablet with its Archos9 and Archos5 Internet Tablets, and it's trying to do what it can to stay afloat.  There's been very little buzz about either product, and instead the manufacturer has suffered from lots of supply problems and low sales figures despite the good quality. These tablets, which run Android without any extra visual frills, will soon be be joined by a new range with the Archos Home Tablet 7.

Once again relying on Android, it will include a 600 MHz ARM9 CPU powering a 7'' 800 x 480 pixel screen.  With WiFi, and SD slot, 350 g on the scales and just 12 mm thick, Archos is hoping that its attractive pricing will pay off, with the 2 GB version costing £150 and the 8 GB costing £180.

With battery life claimed to reach seven hours and plenty of apps available in the Android Market, Archos' latest gadget seems to be a reliable entry-level option, and a logical extension of the brand's MP3 players.

Dell Streak
£1000?

It might be closer in size to a mobile internet device, but Dell is billing its Streak as a tablet.  With a powerful marketing effort, an easy-to use interface and a choice of bright designs, Dell clearly has ordinary consumers in its sights.  On the outside, it has a 5'' display, while the inside is running Android 2.1.  At the back, there's a 5 Megapixel camera, with autofocus and flash.  There's also a forward-facing camera, probably for placing video calls. The Streak will be able to rely on software from the Android Market, as well as an agreement with Amazon.  That's why it includes an e-book app that supports Kindle content, as well as VOD and music services like Amazon Video Streams and Amazon MP3.

And the rumours ...
Sony, Samsung, LG ... who else?

We already know that other manufacturers are keen to join Apple in this new segment.  Alongside the definitive announcements we've covered so far, there are plenty of rumours.  Leaked photos from Sony suggested it is ready to get into the tablet market, and according to what we've seen, the Japanese manufacturer's version will be inspired by its portable console, the PSP.  It will probably be ready at the end of 2010.

Rumours--even those that appear in the Wall Street Journal--should always be taken with a pinch of salt, but with Samsung already said to be working on its own tablet and LG already making mobile internet devices like the GW900, it's hard to imagine Sony leaving two such important competitors free rein in this sector.  

Samsung's tablet PC, the Q1, should be ready for the summer.