By Carl Laron on December 20, 2010 in
According to numerous reports, tablet computers are here to stay -- and they're poised to give traditional computers a serious run for their money. As outlined in our recently updated report on tablet computers, the iPad remains the "apple" of just about everyone's eye. However, despite some initially chilly reviews, the Android-powered Samsung Galaxy Tab is also heating up -- so much so that Samsung says that more than a million were sold in the first month. But, if research from Goldman Sachs is on target, all of that will pale compared to what's still to come. In fact, if the investment firm is correct, one out of every three computers sold will soon be a tablet computer.
Will 2011 be the year of the tablet?
According to an article published in InformationWeek, Goldman Sachs analysts see 2011 as being huge for tablet PCs, with sales jumping 500 percent. Given that, it's no surprise that next month's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas is expected to be the coming out party for a slew of new slates. But will any of these be able to dethrone the iPad as the Best Reviewed tablet, as named in our report?
Microsoft is set to lead the charge with a host of tablets from several manufacturers, including Samsung and Dell, The New York Times reports. These won't be the first Win7 slates; that honor goes to the HP Slate 500. Long anticipated, but derailed somewhat by the introduction of the iPad, the Slate 500 quietly debuted this fall as a tablet marketed to professional users -- with a price to match ($800). Reviews, such as those at eWeek and Technologizer.com, are mixed. It's expected (or hoped) that what will be announced at CES will be something completely different (the wraps are still on), but some critics aren't sure it will be different enough to make the new Microsoft slates that competitive with the iPad, let alone the iPad 2, whatever that turns out to be and whenever that actually sees the light of day (see below).
Also on the horizon is a new generation of slates powered by a version of Android designed specifically for tablet computers (the Galaxy Tab uses a version of Android originally developed for smartphones). Dubbed Honeycomb, a Motorola tablet offered via Verizon will be the first out the door with the operating system, but a lot more are sure to follow. Toshiba, for example, is showing an Android-powered tablet at CES, and most assume that it will use Honeycomb. (The company is also reportedly showing off two additional tablets, one running Windows, the other running Google Chrome OS.) By the way, though some reports earlier this fall said that the Samsung Galaxy Tab could be upgraded to Honeycomb when that version of the operating system is released, most, such as PCMag.com's Sascha Segan, say that the ability to upgrade is doubtful.
Lots of other slates are in store as well. Examples include HP's webOS powered tablet. Expected to be called the PalmPad, it uses the same operating system as the Palm Pre smartphone (HP bought Palm earlier this year). The RIM BlackBerry PlayBook is also set to debut. You can see technical details here.
Then there's the anticipated release of the Apple iPad 2. There's abundant conjecture about Apple's next-generation iPad. We won't rehash that here because, as PCMag.com notes, given Apple's penchant for secrecy, most such rumors are based more on guesswork than actual facts. That said, we do expect the iPad 2 early next year, setting things up for an "interesting" 2011 for those considering a tablet computer.