Android tablet makers shifting focus back to cell phones, report claims

By on Jun 17, 2011 at 10:34 AM
Tablets June 17, 2011

Cell phone makers that have entered the emerging consumer tablet market over the past year are now backing off according to a report from DigiTimes on Friday. Thus far only Samsung has been able to make a real dent in Apple’s stronghold on this new market, capturing a 10% share with its Galaxy Tab Android-powered tablet. Samsung’s triumph was due mainly to the Galaxy Tab’s widespread distribution, and other entrants into the market have not been able to capture the same success. While 250,000 XOOM tablets shipped in two months and 500,000 PlayBooks shipped last quarter are respectable figures, it’s hard to call those products a success when Apple has sold 25 million iPads in just 14 months. As a result, companies that planned to attack the tablet market aggressively may now be pulling back some of that investment to focus on another new market: supersized smartphones. Android phones with displays sized between four and five inches have become increasingly popular since the launch of Sprint’s HTC EVO 4G, and it looks like handset makers may be better served to focus on that space while the market figures out whether or not if even wants consumer tablets.

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  • DonRSD aka PSN DonVCorleone

    only people who dont want an ipad, and are interested in tables, are people who just HATE apple for whatever dumb reason.

    its your money, do what you want.
    but dont come in here claiming that you want an android and ARE the masses, when clearly the masses have spoken.
    people lie but numbers dont :)

    • Anonymous

      Numbers dont lie…  2008 Android =0, and now 2011 Android = king of the world…

      Tablets are next…

      • ConcernedCitizen

        Mass flooding of low end, free, or discounted phones = Android is king of marketshare. While Apple is making the most profit, iOS devs are making the most profit, iOS customers are getting apps first and usually higher quality, etc. Marketshare doesn’t really mean too much, Nokia/Symbian? Numbers don’t lie, but some numbers have more meaning then others. I could care less if one OS had 99% marketshare or 99% profit, I would pick the one that provided the best experience for me, which we should all do.

      • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_GP2WYAHXS6CRUREISWBGPUSUGE Michael

        ” I would pick the one that provided the best experience for me, which we should all do. ”

        Then why are you preaching about iOS?

      • Anonymous

        Haha. Well, I don’t think anyone can argue with that airtight, scientific accounting you’ve presented. Kudos.

  • Anonymous

    What??  BGR has an anti Android tablet story on the launch day of the Galaxy Tab 10.1??  Shocking…

    By the way, the line at my local best buy was decent this morning at opening time… And yes, all waiting to drop 500 to 600 bucks on something NOT made by Apple..  Funny how some people just want their own thing, no matter how much BGR wants them to buy Apple

  • http://twitter.com/bragzter Bradley Larcher

    apple has built a brilliant iOS ecosystem. the iPhone and iPad both run it, they both just work. its not that Honeycomb isn’t good, is just that it doesn’t have as many apps, and that’s whats selling iPads. apps, apps, apps.

  • Anonymous

    I think people forget tablets including the iPad are still a niche. Despite the millions of iPads and few Android tablets they are all just hobby right now in in terms of mobile devices sold and in use.  If market share and number of units sold were the only variables deciding who was the best at any point in time then today everyone in the phone market not making Android devices would quit.  Dumb, I know.
    People do “want iPads and not tablets” because that is the hot toy.  It doesn’t delivery anything you can’t do on another more capable device for less money.  It’s riding the cool factor in the consumer market.  In the business market it is just a cheaper alternative to Windows based slabs since you don’t have to manage the OS and it can get on Citrix and/or VMware.  Enterprise businesses aren’t using (or allowing) iPad for the iOS “user experience” or apps, they use/allow it as a portable thin terminal to gain access to a virtualized environmental.  As a bonus they don’t need to push Windows updates or policies to them.
    Just remember at some point in the phone market Nokia, BB and Apple were predicted to be on top. Android is the current market share champ but history will tell us that won’t last forever.
    If all else fails just remember there’s about a zero percent chance anything you say will convince a fanboy they are wrong so just relax.

    • Booboolala2000

      Funny that the ipad was supposed to be about media consumption, which is its glaring flaw. And also where Honeycomb succeeds. Now like with the iphone, apple falls back on developers and Apps. Always letting someone else do the heavy lifting. Apps will come to Honeycomb and as with the smartphone market, the tab market will be dominated by Android. Plus, it just works. Everything synced wirelessly. Browsing the web and web Apps are where the future is anyway.

  • Anonymous

    Whether or not it wants consumer tablets? Um, the iPad is proof! You can’t blame the failure of other tablets on consumers not being ready to invest. Rather, the consumers don’t want to invest in half-assed tablets with a poor ecosystem. I’m not going to plunk down $600+ for a tablet with a buggy os, meager app store, and questionable future support. 

  • Anonymous

    the HP Touchpad is going to be the only true competitor to the iPad. HP plans on really flexing its muscle this time, as it takes on both enterprise and consumer markets.

  • Arod3388

    People are scared to spend the necessary advertising money. Android market share did not blow up until verizon started pumping out money for commercials creating the droid moniker. Xoom was released with just about the stupidest price point of any computing device the last 5 years.
    Until someone puts out the advertising money for their product and releases it a good price point ipad will continue to flourish. While easily besting the ipad in just about every category samsung will have to do something major to make sure android tablets becomes a household name. A lower price point would have been smart… I have yet to see a single advertisement for the galaxy tab 10.1.

    Anyone mentioning apps or carrier exclusivity as any relation to tablet market needs their head examined.

  • latheryin

    I have used the Ipad and I have to admit I was not impressed at all. Nothing more then a toy for my kids to play with. Not to mention everything that is done on it is stored on Apple servers and let me think about that for a min…….yeah Not a chance in hell.

  • Anonymous

    Simple fact is. Android HC is not complete.  Much like Android itself when it first came out.  I think it needs a bit more time to develop and mature.  At for the Tablets themselves, Motorola was stupid to price the Xoom so high.  That was an instant turn off.  

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