Samsung Unveils The Galaxy Tab. Will It Outsell The iPad?

Posted by The Marksman at 7 September, at 11 : 26 AM Print

On the heels of their successful Samsung Galaxy S Android powered smart phone, Samsung has also chosen to enter the tablet market and compete with the Apple Ipad. It’s actually a tab not a tablet, and it might be because its 2 inches smaller in screen size and about 10 ounces lighter than the iPad.

Let’s start with the raw specifications of this device.

Hardware specs

Android 2.2 running TouchWiz 3.0
7-inch TFT LCD with 1024 x 600 resolution (WSVGA)
Weighs 380 grams
1GHz Cortex A8 processor
16GB or 32GB internal storage
microSD expansion for up to 32GB additional storage
Front-facing 1.3 megapixel camera and rear 3 megapixel camera with flash
4,000mAh battery
3G data / voice (there’s a speakerphone and Bluetooth for phone calls, but no earpiece)
5GHz dual-band 802.11n WiFi
Standard back color is white, carriers might offer different colors
Full HD video playback
There’s a 30-pin dock connector on the bottom that allows for HDMI, USB, and docking accessories (a car dock at least is planned)

(Specifications borrowed from www.engadget.com)

While the iPad has zero cameras the Galaxy Tab will have two. One 3.2MP on the back, and another 1.3MP front-facing camera, that can be used for face-to-face video chatting. The Andorid operating system has the largest market share for mobile phones surpassing Apple’s iPhone OS, but it is unclear how well Android will run on a tablet. There will have to be a fair amount of customization by Samsung to make this ready for use on a larger screen and tablet friendly.

It seems that the strengths of the Galaxy Tab are specifically targeted at the weaknesses of the iPad. The Galaxy Tab has a smaller form factor which will make it much more portable than the iPad, and the galaxy can also be used as a phone to make and receive calls. Add in the two cameras which the iPad lacks and you have device that is aimed to make a run at Apple.

Even with all of that the Galaxy Tab will have it’s share of challenges, and it will be difficult to sway Apple enthusiasts to the product no matter how great it is. Their best bet is to try and grab the people who have not yet thought of how to integrate a tablet into their life because they were not impressed with the iPad, and the market of people who shop based on price. Overall the device looks promising and it is rumored that it will come in several flavors, but it remains unclear if the device will surpass the iPad hold on this market niche.