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Wednesday, 23 March 2011 13:55

Android's Disruptive Advance: Technology Refresh Cycles Previously Measured In Years Are Now Measured By Weeks?

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Two weeks ago, Samsung's VP made tech rag headlines, stating that he felt his company's tablet offerings were not adequate in light of Apple's new iPad 2. He insinuated that Apple had come out with more product than he had expected with a thinner form factor and lower price points. Not many VPs will admit defeat in such a manner. It is now obvious that he wasn't admitting defeat, but simply making astute, empirical and logical observations with which he would us to quickly reposition his product line. This is the product that was to be the 10 inch Samsung Galaxy Tab as of two weeks ago.

As excerpted from Endgadget:

Whether you love or loathe Apple, you have to be happy with the company's aggressive upgrade of the iPad. It has led to Samsung, purveyor of an Android 3.0 tablet by the name of Galaxy Tab 10.1, to look more closely at its own hardware and pricing model and, according to executive VP Lee Don-Joo, "improve the parts that are inadequate." We don't know what those are, specifically, however he notes that "Apple made [the iPad 2] very thin" and also goes on to say that Samsung will be rethinking its pricing strategy with the Tab 10.1. It was originally going to cost more than the 7-inch Galaxy Tab, but in light of Apple's new product, Samsung might have to cut into its profit margins... or maybe even forgo profits altogether to make its new Tab a success.

As all of my readers and subscribers know, I have clearly shown how Android has compressed development cycle years into development cycle months, while at the same time slashing prices and margins across the board. Well, Samsung has just proved said theory to the n+1^th degree. Yesterday they released the new, revamped Galaxy Tab to compete with Apple's iPad 2. It appears to be SUPERIOR in practically EVERY aspect, and matches the iPad 2 in the few categories that it doesn't best it - all for the same or LOWER price points. In addition, Samsung now offers a complete portfolio of these devices in 7, 8.9 and 10.1 inch sizes. No more one size fits all. The posts regarding margin compression in this space are as prescient and salient as ever:

Below is a comparison chart annotated and modified bu BoomBustBlog, originally found in GSM Arena...

gsmarena 001 Apple iPad 2 vs. Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 vs Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9gsmarena 001 Apple iPad 2 vs. Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 vs Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9


	IPAD 2	GALAXY TAB 10.1	GALAXY TAB 8.9	GALAXY TAB 10.1	GALAXY TAB 8.9
OS	iOS 4.3	Android 3.0	Android 3.0	OS specifically designed for tablet use	OS specifically designed for tablet use
Display	9.7-inch LED-backlit IPS LCD	10.1-inch PLS LCD	8.9-inch PLS LCD	Larger Screen than iPad 2	Smaller screen/form factor than iPAd 2
Resolution	1024 x 768	1280 x 800	1280 x 800	Higher Resolution Scrren	Higher Resolution Scrren
Height Width Thickness	241.2mm 185.7mm 8.8mm	256.6mm 172.9mm 8.6mm	230.9mm 157.8mm 8.6mm	Similar dimensions and even thinner	Materially smaller than iPad 2 & thinner, particularly given proximity in screen size
Weight	601 grams	595 grams	470 grams	Similar in weight, slightly lighter	Much lighter than the iPad 2
Processor	900Mhz dual-core Cortex-A9 processor	1Ghz dual-core Cortex-A9 processor	1Ghz dual-core Cortex-A9 processor	Faster Processor	Faster Processor
Storage	16GB / 32GB / 64GB	16GB / 32GB / 64GB	16GB / 32GB / 64GB
microSD card slot	no	yes, up to 32GB	yes, up to 32GB	Expandable, standards based memory	Expandable, standards based memory
Front camera	0.3MP VGA	2.0MP	2.0MP	Higher resolution front facing camera, presumably increase video conference quality	Higher resolution front facing camera, presumably increase video conference quality
Rear camera	0.7MP Fixed-Focus 720p video	3.0MP Auto-Focus with LED Flash (720p)	3.0MP Auto-Focus with LED Flash (720p)	Higher resolution rear camera	Higher resolution rear camera
Wi-Fi	802.11 a/b/g/n	802.11 a/b/g/n	802.11 a/b/g/n
Network	UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA 850, 900, 1900, 2100GSM/EDGE 850, 900, 1800, 1900	HSPA+ 21Mbps850/900/1900/2100 EDGE/GPRS850/900/1800/1900	HSPA+ 21Mbps850/900/1900/2100 EDGE/GPRS850/900/1800/1900	Superior radio capabilities	Superior radio capabilities
USB	USB 2.0 (Host with Adapter)	USB 2.0 (Host with Adapter)	USB 2.0 (Host with Adapter)
Bluetooth	2.1 + EDR	2.1 + EDR	3.0		Highest speed bluetooth available
Battery	25Wh (~6750mAh @ 3.7V)	6800mAh	6000mAh	Slightly higher battery capacity	Although lower than both devices, smaller screen may require less juice
Price (Wi-Fi only)	$499 (16GB) $599 (32GB) $699 (64GB)	$499 (16GB) $599 (32GB) $??? (64GB)	$469 (16GB) $569 (32GB) $??? (64GB)	On par	$30 less at each price point!
Availability	Currently available	June 8	Early summer
Sensors	Gyroscope, Accelerometer, Digital Compass, Ambient Light Sensor	Gyroscope, Accelerometer, Digital Compass, Ambient Light Sensor	Gyroscope, Accelerometer, Digital Compass, Ambient Light Sensor
Ecosystem/App store	App sore - 300k apps, not all are fully supported			Active developer community with about 150k apps, some may not be fully compatible. Amazon supported	Active developer community with about 150k apps, some may not be fully compatible. Amazon supported

Many media outlets state that Honeycomb tablets do not have any apps of significance ready to run on it yet. This is simply not true. I hacked Honeycomb on a $190 nook and it ran most of the apps available in the Google Marketplace. There are relatively few apps available that have been "optimized" for the Honeycomb form factor and experience, but that is quite different from "no apps". Build quality between the two appears to be at parity, with the iPad doing aluminum and the Samsung going aluminum and composites - a matter of preference, but the composites appear to allow for less weight. Display quality may go to the Samsung device due PLS technology, but that will have to be tested in person to confirm. With the advent of Amazon now becoming a full fledged Android marketplace in and of itself and Android now becoming the world leader in installed instances AND user growth (see links below), be prepared for a big push into a deeper, broader, curated app market that will go far in attracting higher quality development talent.

Remain cognizant that what you are witnessing here is the compression of annual refresh cycles into a MATTER OF WEEKS!!! It was only two weeks ago that Samsung stated it was unhappy with its offering in relation to Apple's iPad 2 and had to go back to the drawing board. Well, they are to the drawing board and back - 2 weeks later. This is only the 2nd true (Honeycomb) Android tablet to be launched (the first was the Motorola Xoom) and the official launch has not happened yet. There are over 4 dozen other tablets in the line-up. If this is the level of competition at 2 of 48 (number 1 was no slouch either, and was bested by 2), then we have a hell of a competitive war coming up. Look for LG, Dell, Asus and HTC to light things up.

Subscribers take note of the common features of all of these devices. The company featured in File Icon Long candidate #1 - Hardware: The Mobile Computing Wars stands to benefit regardless of who wins these battles, and has levered into the game with additional offerings. I will be discussing this as well as the four other companies detailed in Mobile Computing Vendor Long List Note WIP in an upcoming post.