iPad versus Eee Pad?
Last week we wrote that the days of the e-reader are numbered, with the sub-sector facing strong competition from a wide range of consumer devices. As the Computex trade show kicked off in Taipei, Taiwan on Tuesday, local vendor Asus gave that prophecy credence with the unveiling of two tablet-type devices.
First up is the Eee Tablet – an e-reader that doubles as an electronic note taking device and also features a camera, micro SD slot and USB connection and is positioned to go up against the Kindle and the Nook. While directly taking on the Apple iPad, in name as well as capability, is the Eee Pad.
The Eee Pad is a Windows 7-based touchscreen device that will come in ten inch and 12 in versions and is powered by an Intel Core 2 Duo chipset. The tablet is expected to retail for less than $500 and will be available in early 2011. What’s not clear is whether the device will support 3G as well as wifi.
In related news, San Diego-based Qualcomm said on Tuesday that it has sampled its first dual-CPU Snapdragon chipsets, with the MSM8260 and MSM8660 running at up to 1.2GHz. Making waves in the smartphone, netbook and tablet sectors, the MSM8x60 chipsets represent the third generation of the company’s Snapdragon platform.
What’s amazing is that Apple has done it again. No-one else is even close to bringing a tablet to market. This Asus announcement talks about “early 2011” – so it could be as much as a year off.
In this world of increasing component commoditization, where tech companies are all using the same basic components, how has Apple been able to do the?
The Ipad wasn’t the first tablet ever build, don’t forget that. And there will be Android tablets pretty soon.
The thing that I hate is that everyone is already talking about “an ipad killer”, which is ridiculous. Even if it is superior, there is no chance to beat the Ipad, as Apple advertising power and reputation makes it nearly invulnerable at the moment.
Nevertheless, why the ipad for me is just a shiny toy, a tablet with enough power which could host a optimised Windows 7 platform is more then interesting, as I would love to be able to use all the software out there instead of being forced to use the Apple store and to customise my interface as much as I like.