Tablets: The Scramble to Be Second
1. Introduction
Tablets are a type of computer that has been increasing in popularity in recent years. They are portable, have a touchscreen interface, and usually offer a variety of apps and features. Many different companies have released tablets, but so far, Apple’s iPad has been the most successful. In 2010, Samsung released the Galaxy Tab, which was the first Android-based tablet. Since then, many other companies have released Android tablets, including Asus, Acer, Lenovo, and HTC. Dell and HP have also released Windows-based tablets.
2. Edwards and Burrows’s “Tablets: The Scramble to Be Second”
In their article “Tablets: The Scramble to Be Second”, Cliff Edwards and Peter Burrows provide an overview of the tablet market and the various strategies that companies are using to try to compete with Apple’s iPad. They note that so far, no company has been able to match the success of the iPad. They attribute this to the fact that Apple has been able to control the Tablet market by creating an ecosystem of hardware and software that works together seamlessly. Other companies have tried to copy this model, but have not been as successful.
3. The First Tablet
The first tablet that Edwards and Burrows discuss is Samsung’s Galaxy Tab. They note that Samsung was late to enter the tablet market and that their tablet was not as well-received as they had hoped. One reason for this is that Samsung did not develop their own operating system for the Galaxy Tab, but instead used Google’s Android operating system. This meant that they were not able to control the software on the device in the same way that Apple controls the software on the iPad. Another reason why the Galaxy Tab was not as successful asSamsung had hoped is because it was more expensive than other tablets on the market at the time.
4. The Second Tablet
The second tablet that Edwards and Burrows discuss is Asus’s Transformer Prime. Unlike Samsung, Asus did develop their own operating system for the Transformer Prime, called Android 3.0 Honeycomb. However, Edwards and Burrows note that this operating system was not as user-friendly as Apple’s iOS operating system on the iPad. They also point out that Asus did not include some features on the Transformer Prime that are available on other tablets, such as a front-facing camera and GPS. As a result, they conclude that Asus has not been able to match the success of Apple’s iPad with their own tablet offerings.
5. HP’s TouchPad
The third and final tablet that Edwards and Burrows discuss is HP’s TouchPad. They note that HP was one of the first companies to enter the tablet market and that their TouchPad was released shortly after the iPad. However, they point out that the TouchPad was not as successful as HP had hoped. One reason for this is that the TouchPad ran on the Palm operating system, which was not as user-friendly as Apple’s iOS or Google’s Android operating system. In addition, the TouchPad was more expensive than other tablets on the market at the time. As a result, HP was not able to compete successfully with Apple’s iPad.
6. Conclusion
In conclusion, Edwards and Burrows provide an overview of the tablet market and the various strategies that companies are using to try to compete with Apple’s iPad. They note that so far, no company has been able to match the success of the iPad. They attribute this to the fact that Apple has been able to control the Tablet market by creating an ecosystem of hardware and software that works together seamlessly. Other companies have tried to copy this model, but have not been as successful.