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Apple's new iPad is riding high in the tablet market right now, but that's at least partly due to the relative paucity of competitors. When Google, HP and others unveil their offerings, they will surely have a few things that are noticeably missing in the iPad -- among them, support for Flash technology. Could Apple's intransigent position on Flash cause the iPad to lose its place in the sun?
Right now, Apple's iPad rules the tablet PC market. With few, if any, viable competitors in the space, how could it not -- even if it didn't have the added allure of its app and developer ecosystem?
However, Apple won't have the tablet computer market to itself for very long. Its entrance into this space has revived interest in this form factor, and several companies are expected to unveil their own offerings in the short to medium term.
Google will soon begin selling an Android tablet PC, according to The New York Times, which reported that Google CEO Eric Schmidt reportedly told a few friends about the device at a recent party.
Another recent entrant is German company Neofonie, which has announced that its forthcoming tablet device, the WePad, will have a bigger screen than the iPad -- plus a few features that are missing on the Apple device, including a webcam and USB ports.
No Flash for You
The most likely main competitor to the iPad, though, will be HP, which has announced plans to roll out a Slate tablet PC device that will run Windows 7 -- as well as Adobe Flash and Air, two other features that can't be found on the iPad.
While it is a safe bet that later iterations of the iPad will likely come with USB ports and a webcam, it is almost a certainty that Apple is not going to support Flash. Ever.
To be sure, this is hurting Adobe now -- if not in actual sales, then by the general perception that its software is somehow not up to Apple's standards.
In the intermediate term, though, it may be that Apple finds the tables turned; that is, as more tablet-style devices come to market supporting Flash, Apple's disdain of the technology could cost it marketshare.
How the iPad Is Used
Much will depend on how consumers use the iPad, which is still unclear, Bob O'Donnell, an analyst with IDC, told MacNewsWorld. "I am not sure if people will use it to surf the Web, quite frankly. I think people will gravitate towards the apps and leave it at that."
It could be an issue, though, if more people come to view the tablet form factor as a viable alternative to netbooks or laptops, which tend to be used for multitasking. Then, the lack of Flash will be a challenge for Apple, said O'Donnell.
Strong Differentiator
Eventually, Flash will become a strong differentiator in the tablet PC market, maintained Charles King, principal with Pund-IT.
Simply put, Flash is a ubiquitous technology, and developing around or without it can be a hassle, he told MacNewsWorld.
"By deciding not to support Flash, Apple has left itself open to criticism that it is not the ideal Web content consumption tool," King said.
For the most part Apple has been able to control the dialogue about the iPad with its steady drip-drip of information, he noted. Now that it is out, though, it can't stop its customers from talking about it -- or comparing it to other competing products. "So, as new devices come out -- from HP's new device to next generation Android devices -- we will see more people talking about what works well and what doesn't."