iPad has a rival: Will it float?

[acidspew]

I just wanted to get people's thoughts on this new tablet PC Tegatech has come up with to rival the iPad: http://www.arnnet.com.au/article/338431/tegatech_launches_tablet_rival_apple_ipad/?fp=16&fpid=1

Do you guys reckon it stands a chance against the iPad? I'm just really curious! =)

With all negative fuss about the iPad, I'm not sure what to think anymore =/

 

[niuniu]

Doesn't matter how good the rivals are - they don't have the Apple brand.

 

[Chupa Chupa]

It's not the Apple Brand that has cache with consumers, but rather the easy of use that is attributed to the Apple Brand. That is why most tablets will fail against the iPad, even if they have a longer, richer, feature use.

I know it's shocking blasphemy, but most consumers don't appreciate overly complicated gadgets in their personal life. Even if a company could make an intuitive tablet to compete they still don't have Apple's iTMS back end. That is the iPads 2 lap advantage. No company has yet caught up to the iPod, and I doubt they'll ever be able to catch up to the iPad.

 

[Macpowered]

Do you guys reckon it stands a chance against the iPad?

Short answer: No.

 

[niuniu]

It's not the Apple Brand that has cache with consumers, but rather the easy of use that is attributed to the Apple Brand.

 

[Chupa Chupa]

Cute but, logically makes zero sense. A poor and confused analogy if that is what you were trying to make. Then again maybe you just felt like posting a pic of a dog chasing its tail.

 

[4DThinker]

No photos of the Tegatech? I see the potential for a better tablet than the iPad, but it will take great aesthetic design, great ergonomic design, and a great touch UI. Follow with a source of apps, great media playback support, a great internet experience, and a great price. As far as I can tell, no one has all the greats lined up.

 

[Cloudane]

Seems like a good enough excuse

iPad has a rival: Will it float?

Throw it in a pond and find out

 

[eawmp1]

Blackberry vs. iPhone
Dell vs. Mac

It's not whether a device has more RAM, processing power, graphics, etc. It is the user experience and the integration of applications/OS/device/input. The iPad will succeed b/c Apple knows how to make a novice user feel proficient with its devices out of the box. And as the iPad doeswhat MOST computer users spend MOST of their time doing (in an attractive, portable device),it will float. A tablet with full Windows 7...might tread water for awhile but will likely sink.

 

[Sydde]

No photos of the Tegatech? I see the potential for a better tablet than the iPad, but it will take great aesthetic design, great ergonomic design, and a great touch UI. Follow with a source of apps, great media playback support, a great internet experience, and a great price. As far as I can tell, no one has all the greats lined up.

10" model

12" "TabletKiosk" outdoor model

Six more similar images on this page - all Atom/160Gb HD/1 or 2 Gb RAM/Windows 7 (except one w/no OS). No price, weight or physical dimensions given.

Clearly the iPad killer

 

[vini-vidi-vici]

short answer - no.

long answer... they think its about the hardware. That's only a small part of the product. Mostly it's about the software, and the 'ecosystem' built around the device. They're building a "tablet PC", that's not what the iPad is.

Plus, I would gather this company hasn't a clue about how to market & distribute their "rival tablet" effectively. Apple are masters at this. People might downplay good marketing, but it's critical to the success of consumer products like this. Even if this tablet computer was whiz-bang cool, without good marketing & distribution, it won't be a success. I guess we'll see.

 

[MacBoobsPro]

The iPad is very much like the iPhone and that is that it is not the hardware it is the software that will make it a success. This is why a lot of people are criticizing the iPad as they don't fully understand the concept.

Once the iPad software environment is established it will really begin to take off much like the iPhone and the app store. This is why Apple were pushing developers to get developing and offering 'front page' promotions for the first iPad apps.

Most 'rivals' will fail regardless of better hardware unless they can create a software eco system to match Apples.

 

[MikeDTyke]

As long as the UI is based predominantly on a pointer arrow interface which windows 7 still is, it'll fail.

As long as MS limits the best of its multitouch technology to overpriced tables and Windows phone series 7 (gawd thats a mouthful) they'll have nothing to challenge the iPad.

Courier as a concept seems cool, but it's UI paradigm was only partially complete.

Apple does really get the strength of a coherent platform on which to build on, and the OSX/ARM one is a thing of beauty. 140K apps on day one (BOOM!), and i'll bet at least the top 10% will have iPad modes within a month of it's release.

M.

 

[Geoffrois]

I'd bet a hundred dollar that this thread is the first and last time I hear about this "Tegatech" tablet.

Apple should be scared.

 

[4DThinker]

Clearly the iPad killer

If it was only $499 or less, maybe. The prices I noticed were over 1k.

If I was Apple, I'd be more afraid of Archos' 7" Home tablet. $179, Android, and memory expandable.

 

[WytRaven]

Resistive touch...not even Wacom "penabled". Little bit last decade wouldn't you say?

 

[MacRy]

No price, weight or physical dimensions given.

RRP $1,187.98 for the 10"
RRP $3,637.63 for the Kiosk

Totally different market i'm thinking.

 

[j26]

If I was Apple, I'd be more afraid of Archos' 7" Home tablet. $179, Android, and memory expandable.

I'm waiting to see what that turns out like. It might be ideal for my needs. And the price is fantastic. The only thing that concerns me is app availability.

 

[4DThinker]

I'm waiting to see what that turns out like. It might be ideal for my needs. And the price is fantastic. The only thing that concerns me is app availability.

The Android market is actually getting a huge amount of attention and apps from developers. The main reason Apple is suing HTC is because android devices are the biggest threat against the iPhone. They are the biggest threat because they can compete with apps as well as other features. Apple was positive no manufacturer could compete in that game, and then came Google/Android.

 

[j26]

The Android market is actually getting a huge amount of attention and apps from developers. The main reason Apple is suing HTC is because android devices are the biggest threat against the iPhone. They are the biggest threat because they can compete with apps as well as other features. Apple was positive no manufacturer could compete in that game, and then came Google/Android.

The trouble is that the Archos tablets don't fall within spec for the Android Store (no compass, etc) , so they are limited to a bastardised version. I gather there is a hack to allow the Android app store to function, but I'd like to see if official support comes.

There are a few key apps I want, and they don't seem to the in the AppsLib store yet.

 

[flyguy206]

The Android market is actually getting a huge amount of attention and apps from developers. The main reason Apple is suing HTC is because android devices are the biggest threat against the iPhone. They are the biggest threat because they can compete with apps as well as other features. Apple was positive no manufacturer could compete in that game, and then came Google/Android.

android is not on iphone softwares level. I have a nexus one and it is good but it is a copy of the iphone it is nothing new.

 

[4DThinker]

Android is not on par with the iPhone for software. I have a Nexus phone and it is good.

True. No one needs 140,000 apps though. The competition is getting closer quickly as the Android app store grows.

We don't know the final specs of the Archos 7-Home yet. Any app needing GPS or Compass isn't needed on a home appliance. The Accelerometer may yet be added, but not having one isn't a deal breaker for me. You can always get the iPad for 2.7 times the cash. That should cover the difference in hardware a few times over.

 

[bossxii]

The Android market is actually getting a huge amount of attention and apps from developers. The main reason Apple is suing HTC is because android devices are the biggest threat against the iPhone. They are the biggest threat because they can compete with apps as well as other features. Apple was positive no manufacturer could compete in that game, and then came Google/Android.

While I think the Android market has way more potential than stuffing Win7 on netbook spec'd tablets... The common theme I keep reading about from dev's for Android is how impossible it is to keep up with all the variations and versions on different devices. The marketplace is so fragmented it appears to be rather difficult and time consuming to even get an app that will work on "all" or "most" Android devices at once.

I'm not against the "open" concept but without some sort of standardization across platforms I don't see this going well. The "closed garden" approach Apple has chosen, may be seen as evil and controlling but they have 75 million devices that can all run the same apps without dev's coding it for all the versions of the OS. Yes I realize some apps don't work if someone "choses" not to update to the latest OS version. However on Android those using a particular hardware brand may not have that "choice" at all. Which makes it rather ironic that buying a device with what is considered the most "open" OS of the three (iPhone OS, WinMo, Android) your choice is in fact limited at times.

Taking a response from a recent blog about Sprint bring 2.1 to some phones, this user sums up pretty well what current state of Androids OS is.

Source: Endgadget

"JONNNathannn Posted Feb 16th 2010 12:40PMHIGHEST RANKED
This is my issue with Android. Google needs to lay down some more rules to make it a good experience for the user. Android was supposed to be the OS that makes life for consumers and developers easier, simply working and running on a large amount of phones, but instead it's one of the most divided and confusing OSes I've ever come across or used.

I had a HTC Hero, which I presume is stuck on 1.5 right now. Google releases some new stuff, like Google Goggles. I couldn't get it then, and I still wouldn't be able to download it now.

By the time this update rolls out, who's to say we won't be far off from another Android update...and at what point with carriers and manufacturers decide it's ok to stop dragging your phone along?

It's very messy, and the exact opposite of what we were told Android would be."

 

[j26]

While I think the Android market has way more potential than stuffing Win7 on netbook spec'd tablets... The common theme I keep reading about from dev's for Android is how impossible it is to keep up with all the variations and versions on different devices. The marketplace is so fragmented it appears to be rather difficult and time consuming to even get an app that will work on "all" or "most" Android devices at once.

Ovi Store works fine because it allows you to select your phone and it will only show you apps that will work on your phone. I've no experience of the Market, but I'd say a similar system will develop in Android. For example, if your device doesn't have gps, it just won't show you satnav apps, or if it requires 2.1 it won't show for your 1.6 phone. Apps requiring an 800 x 480 resolution won't show for a 480 x 320 phone etc. Netbooks and tablets would just be another set of standards within the store.

As far as fragmentation goes, Android sales have shot up in the past few months since 2.0 (and the Droid) came out. While there may be fragmentation in the earlier phones, I reckon the main body of Android users by the end of this year will be on 2.0 or higher, and on phones that have at least a certain basic spec level. A wee bit of market research will tell a developer what the most common spec list is, and they can develop for that. Once that starts happening, manufacturers will begin to converge around those de facto standards.