Big screens, small screens, with and without Windows, some with keyboards, and everything in between. Here's a sneak peek at the diverse batch of tablets expected this fall. Season Of The Slates
Tablets of all shapes and sizes are expected to debut this fall, many featuring Microsoft's Windows RT and Windows 8 operating systems, others running a variant of Android. Each has the challenging task of luring consumer and business customers away from Apple's iPad, which dominates the tablet market by a sizable margin.
Just how popular is the iPad? According to new data from market research firm IDC, tablet manufacturers shipped 25 million slates in the first quarter or 2012. Now here's the jaw-dropper: 17 million of those slates were iPads, giving Apple more than 68% of the global market. Samsung came in second with a 9.6% share, and Amazon was third with 5%.
The iPad, of course, has no lock on the nascent tablet space, particularly when businesses and consumers are still figuring out what tasks the devices do best. The recent debut of the Google Nexus 7, a sturdy 7-inch slate with surprisingly good specs for a $199 device, is forcing tablet makers to pick up their game. Amazon, for instance, is expected to launch a new Kindle Fire this fall, one with a better build (i.e., less plastic) and a higher screen resolution.
Apple, meanwhile, hasn't been blind to the growing popularity of 7-inch tablets, devices the company's executives once dismissed as being too small for practical use. Rumor has it that Apple is readying a small tablet with a 7- to 8-inch screen to battle the likes of the Kindle Fire, Nexus 7, and Barnes & Noble Nook Tablet. This "iPad mini" could arrive as early as mid-September, but the device's specs and price remain a mystery.
Samsung is coming on strong in the global tablet market as well, more than doubling its second quarter shipments from a year ago, IDC said. The company is currently banned--at least temporarily--from selling its Galaxy 10.1 in the U.S., pending the outcome of the Apple-Samsung patent infringement trial. However, nothing is keeping Samsung from designing new 10-inch slates that, well, look a little less like the iPad.
The most intriguing character in the tablet race is Microsoft, a mobile also-ran that's not only launching the touch-friendly Windows 8 OS in October, but also is introducing two tablets of its own: The consumer-oriented Surface RT, and the enterprise-friendly Surface for Windows 8 Professional.
Kindle Fire: The Sequel
If Amazon follows its launch schedule from last year, the new Kindle Fire will debut just as the holiday season kicks off. Whispers of a second-generation Fire have circulated for months, and the chatter has grown louder since Google unveiled its Nexus 7, a superior tablet that matches the Kindle Fire's aggressive $199 price.
What can we expect from the Kindle Fire 2? A recent AllThingsD report, citing inside sources, describes a next-gen Fire with a sharper display, possibly with a new 1.60 aspect ratio and 1280-by-800-pixel resolution. (Other 7-inch slates, including the Nexus 7, Toshiba Thrive, and T-Mobile Springboard, are also 1280-by-800.) A thinner and lighter build is expected, as is a front-facing camera for video chatting. Some reports claim Amazon might offer larger tablets, too, including 8.9- and 10-inch models.
Mini iPad?
Never mind the Nexus 7 or Kindle Fire. The hottest 7-inch tablet among holiday shoppers might very well be a 7-inch version of the iPad. Sure, Steve Jobs infamously dissed 7-inch slates long ago, but Apple knows a market opportunity when it sees one. And consumers seem to want a mobile device that's larger than a smartphone but smaller and lighter than the 9.7-inch iPad.
Apple supposedly will announce its new iPhone on September 12--a month earlier than expected--and perhaps even a smaller iPad at the same event. The iPad Mini or iPad Nano--take your pick--might actually be somewhat longer and wider that most 7-inch slates, with a 7.85-inch screen and 1024-by-768-pixel resolution. What will it cost? Some say $299 is the sweet spot.
Nook's 'Revolutionary' Screen
Barnes & Noble's 7-inch Nook Tablet is due for a refresh. Critics have praised the crispness and clarity of its VividView color touchscreen, but its 1024-by-600 resolution is last year's news. Indeed, the Nook Tablet's biggest challenge its distinguishing itself among a growing throng of competitors. CNET reported that B&N's next 7-inch slate, expected to arrive this fall, will feature "revolutionary screen technology." The usual anonymous sources have revealed few details, other than that the new Nook display was developed in-house by Barnes & Noble and a third party. Given the bookseller's recently announced partnership with Microsoft, might that third party be based in Redmond?
Perhaps B&N will debut a hybrid screen, one similar to Qualcom's mirasol, which combines the best features of LCD and e-ink technologies. A mirasol screen doesn't have a backlight, but rather uses microscopic mirrors to reflect ambient light, making the color display easy to read both indoors and out.
Microsoft Surface RT
There's a lot to like about Microsoft's consumer-oriented RT tablet. There is its touch-friendly Metro UI, a slim-yet-sturdy build, a built-in kickstand, the relatively large 10.6-inch display, Microsoft Office Home and Student 2013 bundled software, and, of course, the clever magnetic cover that doubles as a keyboard. Due to Microsoft's recent SEC filing, we know the Surface RT should be available by October 26. And the price? Thankfully, one report of the RT (not the higher-end Pro model) costing about $1,000 turned out to be bogus. Microsoft says it'll reveal prices closer to launch.
Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1
At the moment, Samsung is banned from selling its Galaxy 10.1 tablet in the U.S. The judge in the Apple-Samsung patent trial imposed the ban in April, and Samsung's efforts to appeal the ruling have failed thus far. Apple claims that Samsung is guilty of ripping off its patented tablet and smartphone designs. The case is expected to drag on for months.
If Samsung does manage to get the ban lifted, its Galaxy 10.1 could prove a holiday hit, particularly with Android smartphone users who want a similar look-and-feel across their mobile devices. Another possibility is that Samsung launches a larger slate with an 11.8-inch display with 2560-by-1600 resolution--one presumably that looks a little less like the iPad.
Sony's Case-Keyboard Combo
It looks like Microsoft isn't the only tablet maker to see the advantages of a cover-keyboard combo. German tech news site Mobiflip has uncovered what appears to be marketing slides for an upcoming Sony tablet with a slim, 8.8-mm thick aluminum body, as well as a cover/keyboard that wraps around the device and also functions as a stand. Called the Xperia Sony Tablet--well, in the slides, anyway--the unannounced slate reportedly will run Android 4.0 or later and have a Tegra 3 processor, 3G connectivity, a rear-facing 8-megapixel camera, and a 1-MP camera on the front.
An Ultrabook In Tablet's Clothing
Microsoft's two new tablets, the Surface RT and the Surface for Windows 8 Professional, might look similar on the outside, but they're different beasts on the inside. The former is a consumer tablet with an ARM processor, the latter an enterprise-oriented slate that's really an ultrabook in disguise.
Featuring a third-generation Intel Core i5 CPU, the Surface Pro is a full-fledged Windows PC capable of running demanding desktop apps such as Adobe Photoshop. It has other business-friendly features as well, including digital ink for pen input, 1080p graphics, and a magnetic-charging connector for a stylus. It's 4 millimeters thicker than the Surface RT and 227 grams (8 ounces) heavier. No wonder Microsoft says the Surface Pro will be priced on par with high-end ultrabooks--which sounds like code for "more than $1,000." Slated to ship three months after the Surface RT launches, the Pro model probably won't arrive until January at the earliest.
ThinkPad Tablet 2
Someone is leaking photos and specs of Lenovo's upcoming ThinkPad Tablet 2 to tech blogs. Both The Verge and Australia's Techin5, for instance, recently posted internal Lenovo documents that detail the manufacturer's upcoming Windows 8 slate.
Like Microsoft's Surface for Windows 8 Professional, the ThinkPad Tablet 2 is clearly aimed at the enterprise. Featuring an Intel Clover Trail dual-core Atom chip, a 10.1-inch IPS display with 1,366-by-768 resolution, an 8-MP rear camera, and a 2-MP front camera, the new ThinkPad is a full-fledged PC. It's 9.8-mm thick--slightly fatter than the iPad.
Other business-friendly features include a dock with a keyboard, near-field communications (NFC) capability, a fingerprint reader, pen input, and optional LTE/HSPA+ broadband. Pricing is unknown at this point, but Lenovo's recent FCC filings suggest the ThinkPad Tablet 2 might be ready in time for Windows 8's Oct. 26 launch.
4G LTE BlackBerry PlayBook
Research In Motion's BlackBerry PlayBook tablet has been a bust thus far, but that hasn't caused RIM to give up hope. The just-announced 4G LTE BlackBerry PlayBook adds LTE connectivity and automatically switches to HSPA+ when LTE isn't available. Available first in Canada, the 4G PlayBook comes with a 1.5-GHz dual-core processor, 32 GB of storage, HDMI out, stereo speakers, a 5-MP rear camera and a 3-MP front camera, and a 7-inch (1024-by-600) screen. Cellular carriers in other regions, including the U.S., Europe, South Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean, will get the 4G PlayBook in "the coming months," said RIM. The big question: Will the 4G PlayBook make RIM a player in the tablet market, or is it too late?
Samsung Galaxy Note 2
Is it a phone, a tablet, or a "phablet"? The Samsung Galaxy Note, with its stylus and gargantuan 5.3-inch display, walks the tightrope between smartphone and slate. Whatever you call it, the Galaxy Note is a hit with consumers worldwide. So what's next? Samsung has an announcement scheduled for Aug. 29 at IFA 2012 in Berlin, and rumor has it that the second-generation Galaxy Note will debut at the show. The new phablet's screen is expected to be larger than ever at 5.5 inches, but the device itself might be slimmer than the original monster phone.
