Plan B
We were quick to highlight the megalomaniacal aspects of Steve Jobs' appearance at the launch of the iPad 2 on Wednesday, but that doesn't mean much of his taunting wasn't justified.
Already today we've seen one would-be tablet competitor get its stock spanked after analysts downgraded its prospects in the light of the launch. Now it's the turn of Samsung itself to have a rethink.
Tech blog Engadget relayed a report from the Korean Yonhap news agency that Samsung Mobile EVP - Lee Don-joo - has been surprisingly candid about the effect of the iPad 2 launch on Samsung's tablet strategy. "We will have to improve the parts that are inadequate," Lee told Yonhap. "Apple made it very thin."
Here at mobile-device.biz we're surprised at how many double-takes there seem to be at Apple's announcement. The dual-core A5 chip was broadly anticipated, as were the cameras, and did anyone really expect the iPad 2 to be more expensive? The thinness is a good effort, but again we expect Apple to improve its industrial design with each iteration.
Most people's strongest reservations about the rival tablets was their price; why would anyone go for a less-proven product that cost more? If that was the case before the iPad 2 launch, it was only ever going to be even more so after.
"The 10-inch (tablet) was to be priced higher than the 7-inch (tablet) but we will have to think that over," Lee added in his Yonhap interview. A quick look around reveals the Samsung Galaxy Tab going for £449 standalone at Tesco. We expect the cheapest iPad 2 to match, if not beat, this price, so the pressure is definitely on Samsung and the rest of the chasing pack to compete.
