So it appears that the new Samsung Galaxy Tab may be the first “real” tablet of any significance to hit the market. It’s an interesting device that runs on the Android Operating System. Here we show you a little bit more about the Galaxy Tab and then we compare it to the iPad.
The Galaxy Tab is significant for two reasons. It is the first major competitor to the iPad to come to market and it is also the first Android tablet to hit the market. The Dell Streak was released this year as well but it’s more in the “smartphone” category than the tablet category.
The Samsung Galaxy is a 7″ tablet that runs the Android Operating System. It is lighter, smaller and it also has two cameras. There is a rear camera and a front-facing one. The RAM is double that of the iPad and this particular tablet supports expandable storage. Samsung is also claiming up to 7 hours of video, while the iPad can do about 10 hours.
As far as the software goes, Android 2.2 offers full multitasking, support for Adobe Flash, and unrestricted access to all applications. This differs from the iPad since it does not yet have multitasking or support for Flash. However, iOS 4.2 for the iPad, set to drop in November does offer up the multitasking component.
The Galaxy is set to launch in Europe within the next few weeks and then the U.S. shortly after that. There is no official pricing or carrier information but rumors suggest the Galaxy could end up on Verizon and will retail for about the same price as a base iPad.
I think there will be a lot of hype around this first tablet. It will definitely be claimed as the first true “iPad Killer” by the mainstream media due to the fact that is has features which the current iPad lacks. The addition of the cameras, Flash support, and the open app market will all be keys to its initial success. I think these are definitely compelling features and there is no doubt that Apple already has their iPad Version 2 pretty much done which will include these as well.
The question which remains open and valid in my mind is, “Will people wait around for the second generation iPad, or will they abandon what they have and get the Galaxy Tab?” Will this have a significant impact on the iPad? I think we just have to wait and see. The Galaxy Tab could also find itself in trouble if the addition of all those extra features means increased instability and decreased battery life.
What do you think? Are you waiting for the first Android tablet? Would you get rid of your iPad for this one? If so, why or why not? Let’s continue this really great discussion in the comments.
| Apple iPad | Samsung Galaxy Tab | |
|---|---|---|
| Screen Size | 9.7-inch LED IPS | 7-inch TFT LCD |
| Screen Resolution | 1024 x 768 | 1024 x 600 |
| Operation System | iOS 3.2 (iOS 4.2 coming in November) | Android 2.2 |
| Processor | 1GHz Apple A4 | 1GHz Cortex A8 |
| Internal Storage | 16BG, 32GB, or 64GB | 16GB or 32GB |
| Expandable Storage | None | Up to 32GB |
| RAM | 256MB | 512MB |
| Multitasking | Only with iOS 4.2 | Yes |
| Multitouch | Yes | Yes |
| Camera | None | 3.2 Megapixel (Rear) and 1.3 Megapixel (Front) |
| Phone | No | Yes |
| Bluetooth | 2.1 + EDR | 3 |
| GPS | In 3G model only | Yes |
| Battery Life | Up to 10 hours of video | Up to 7 hours of video |
| I/O | 30-pin only | 30-pin only |
| Flash Support | No | Yes |
| eBook Client | iBooks | Readers Hub |
| Apps | Apple App Store | Android Market + access to non-market apps |
| Weight | 1.5 - 1.6 Pounds | 0.84 Pounds |
| Dimensions | 9.56 by 7.47 by 0.5 inches | 7.48 by 4.74 by 0.47 inches |
| Carrier | AT&T | To be announced |
| Price | $499 - $829 | To be announced |
Four problems with the Galaxy Tab.
1. What is the price, fer cryin’ out loud? Amazing that no one has produced official prices yet.
2. A telco contract is required in the U.S. even though the phone option is disabled in the U.S. version. Hmm.
3. Google has publicly stated that Android isn’t yet ready for tablet prime time. Hmm.
4. Telco contract requirement is DOA if they want to really compete. Why do you think that Apple offers both options? Could it be that having a wifi only option allows Apple to market to schools, restaurants, POS, medical, warehouse/inventory management areas? Could it be that having a wifi only version allows Apple to go ahead and sell the iPad in China (and everywhere else) without having to wrangle a deal with the neanderthal telcos?
Samsung is giving Apple a ridiculous head start.
Tim. Thanks for the comments – awesome thoughts. I totally agree with you about the telco contract requirement. For one thing, this sounds more like a big phone. Secondly, when you start offering a product that the makers clearly have stated is not ready for prime time then we all know where that goes. Clearly, Apple thought about it well ahead. The other thing that is really clear to me is that all of the tablets coming out are focusing solely on the shortcomings of the iPad and not Innovating….thus..it opens the door for Apple to reinvent.
you are a very smart gal.
If the Galaxy Tab is so significant why have they redesigned Android to be a complete rip off of the iPad interface? Why did they put the connector in the very same place? Why do all these companies just look at what Apple has done and simply copy it?
The Tab is 7″ because that is the largest size Google permits a device to be and still be called official. Google didn’t really want tablets running Android. Google wanted tablets running Chrome OS. Google are so upset about this that they released a “Android is not ready for the tablet market” press release just to let everyone know the official view.
“It is lighter, smaller and it also has two cameras. There is a rear camera and a front-facing one. The RAM is double that of the iPad and this particular tablet supports expandable storage. Samsung is also claiming up to 7 hours of video, while the iPad can do about 10 hours.”
It is lighter and smaller because it is made of plastic components. This leads to a much smaller battery and therefore only 7 hours of battery life. You might think that this is insignificant but in a school for example 10 hours is required to actually get through a whole day. And 10 hours is a bit of a pinch I can normally get closer to 11 to 12 hours out of an iPad.
“As far as the software goes, Android 2.2 offers full multitasking, support for Adobe Flash, and unrestricted access to all applications.”
Save that the vast majority of apps for the Tab have not been designed to work with the screen size. Gonna be fun watching everything doubled up. Flash is NOT an advantage. But hey… The full multitasking thing? How long did you say that battery life was? Gonna be much longer with multitasking… I’m certain.
“I think there will be a lot of hype around this first tablet. It will definitely be claimed as the first true “iPad Killer” by the mainstream media due to the fact that is has features which the current iPad lacks”
And will probably meet with the same issues that all the other Apple killer’s have met.
The main issue with this device is that all of Apple’s competitors were relying on the iPad having an Apple price attached. Before it was announced everyone was assuming a $1000 product (or thereabouts). The $499 price point threw them. The only way they can undersell Apple now is design giant phones (minus the phone part) and get the carriers to subsidize the price in a s sleight of hand trick which cons people into thinking that they are getting a good deal.
So celebrate this competitor and watch it sell say 200,000 units while the iPad clears say 10 million this year.
John. Awesome reply. Thanks. To your answer of why they rip off Apple: It’s easy. It’s laziness. Yes, I agree that Google is not pleased but this is what happens when you have an “open system” and I feel they see this coming – it will have an initial surge and then trail off…most likely on ebay or CL. Great point about the plastic! So there goes quality down the drain. And Flash is one of the most hyped things we have seen in a long time – quite frankly, I rarely run into a situation where I absolutely needed it. Flash was cool. 10 years ago.
Yeah, good point too about the pricing. I fully expected the iPad to be $999 – and even though I did end up with the $829 one, still, $499 is hard to beat and I think everyone knows that.
Very interesting. I am pretty sure that I won’t switch, at least not until my iPad is “old” but probably not even then. However, if I didn’t already have my iPad, I am pretty sure I would be waiting for this device getting it instead. Price would play into that decision, but I am assuming it will be no more than comprable.
I am not wedded to Apple, but I am pretty loyal when I do commit. So what I mean is, if I didn’t already have something, I suspect I would go with Samsung even though Apple is the trendy thing to do. Since I am already with app,e, though, I am sticking with them.
Eric. I always look forward to your response! I agree and am a loyal customer as well. Without knowing price as others have pointed out, it’s hard to say where it will land. But I’m sure there will be those that want to get one just to see a different tablet and use one.
Isn’t it likely that the price and subscription requirements will have more to do with the success or failure of the Galaxy Tab than whether or not it does Flash. If the device is $499 with no subscription then I think Samsung will have a pretty good chance at taking some of Apple’s market. If on the other hand, it is going to be $200-$300 with a 2-year commitment and over $800 without a carrier subsidy, it is dead on arrival.
So what I’m saying is that your comparison is completely useless because we don’t yet have the pertinent information.
Thanks for the feedback. I agree that we do not yet know price but it’s not completely useless because price alone can’t determine everything. There are a lot of details except for price. However, I see your point about the service plans and pricing in comparison to the iPad plans.
A comparison of something real iPad that works (see recent customer satisfaction surveys) with one that will come out, no one has used yet?
All the hardware specs are irrelevant is it useful? How does Android 2.2 do when used in a non-intnended way?
Does flash (one of the comparisons big differences) work? It doesn’t work well with existing sites on other Android 2.2 phones?
Kenneth. Thanks for the comment and I agree with you. We don’t know enough yet. This article was to bring to light the comparison of the first commercial tablet, which will get a lot of attention due to the fact that it is the first and it’s android.
There has been a lot of press recently as to the stress Apple is under from the iPad clones. But truth is nothing has been released. Until these things actually come out and hit the stores it’s all just wishful thinking on the competition’s part.
I think that Apple and the iPad have the market this holidays. They have an actual shipping product which is owned by millions of real people who show it to their friends and everyone who gets their hands on one can use it. this has nothing to do with specifications and everything to do with ease of use being designed into the product from the ground up.
Unfortunately the companies that will compete will do what they always do. Make the thing of plastic because that is cheaper. Keep adding features, because more is better isn’t it? And basically suck the ease of use out of a product by making it more complex…
No company seems brave enough to go with Apple’s vision and run with it, or use Apple’s vision and step ahead, all they appear to do is look at the vision and copy it. That is sad and we don’t have any innovation because of it all we get are a load of me too products.
Ironically Apple has quite a low R&D budget compared to the other companies they are up against. And yet all these other companies with the large R&D budget use Apple as their design house. I wish everyone else could try harder.
John. Thanks for the inisight! I like this kind of dialog. Here is what happens. Apple innovates. And all of these other company’s slam them but then turn around and create the exact same thing with some extra fluff added on. Sure, we knew that someone would be coming out with an Android tablet but it looks oddly close to the iPad – albeit it’s plastic and cheap. As another commenter pointed out Google never even claimed Android was ready for a tablet so I have to say that it will be interesting as these do roll out – I wonder what the dissatisfaction rate will be or the “return” rate.
But the main problem is that the competitors think of everything as added value, neglecting the thought process as to why these features were missing in action. Extra fluff provides boxes to tick but really adds very little of value. What is the point of a front facing camera if you don’t have an easy to use integrated service to utilize it? For stuff like this to work it has to work at the touch of a virtual button. First time.
Awesome point! I think Apple almost always remembers that virtual button….or at least they wait to see if the button makes sense in the first place
I’m no fan of the iPad, but isn’t it a little silly to compare the two? One is an actual shipping product. The other is just hot air until it actually ships. You might as well compare the iPad to the MS Courier or the hp Slate. Both of those were extensively chatted up by their manufacturers for months and don’t yet exist as an actual shipping product either.
Scott – thanks for the thoughts. The reason I compared this one in particular is because it has shipping dates for Europe and the U.S. to follow. So, it is a real product. I have seen tons of “wannabe” tablets but this particular one is actually shipping soon. Now, of course I don’t KNOW this but everywhere I could find and even on TUAW had actual shipping information so it’s pretty darn close. The Streak was another supposed tablet but I have never considered that a tablet – its’ a Dell Smartphone. The Tab to me seems like the it will be the first real slate type device to hit the market. However, I agree with you that it technically does not exist until someone has one in their hands.
Hey Shane. Interesting read. As the owner of a 64GB iPad/3G, I can see various bits that Apple left out (by design or otherwise) that a competitor could grab on as a viable alternative. Flash (other than hard-core geeks) isn’t one of them. I find it interesting that it has a rear facing camera, but I don’t think that’s a compelling argument either. Now the front-facing camera and expandable storage (especially considering the number of video chat clients now out on Android that work with a carrier’s bandwidth as compared to WiFi only like the iPad) are selling points that are outdoing what Apple currently offers.
The number of apps available on the whole is less of a selling point that Apple wants people to think it is. At some point, you have most of the good kind of apps supported by either Android or iOS operating systems with lots of “ME TOO!” types. I won’t bring up multi-tasking since the Tab isn’t released yet and the iPad won’t have it until November. So it comes down to what the device can do today as compared to what it might do tomorrow. Both the Tab (when released) and the iPad offer portability and long use on the road that can’t be matched by laptops. The big selling point for a lot of Road Warriors will be how long it lasts when using it to its fullest. From the little I’ve seen so far, multi-tasking (or Apple’s version of it) doesn’t seem to affect battery life too much and I guess until the Tab is released we won’t really know how it fares. I wish them the best of luck even though I’m a long-time Mac user (since 1987) because I’ve found Apple does their best work when they have real competition.
Guy. Wow, thanks for such a great comment. You touched on a lot of really good points. I agree that we don’t know how it will fare once released but I suspect there will be the normal “hype cycle” which tends to exist just because of how the media works…on that note, I also agree about the camera. For a long time I have felt that a rear-facing camera on the iPad really does not make much sense, while I can applaud a front facing one for FaceTime.
I have been testing out iOS 4.2 and I can confirm that while it’s in beta, the battery life seems to be just fine even while multitasking! I’m excited to see it released.
I too am a long time Apple user and the one thing I feel will happen is that we will see heavy competition. But the competitors are competing for the sake of beating apple and not for the reason that apple released the iPad in the first place! Therefore, they will soon see that it’s hard to beat apple at that game
I guess it’s almost the iPod/ iPhone cycle all over again. Apple releases some new gadget that is sorta-like what others had released before (as in MP3 players, then smartphones, then Windows and Linux based tablet computers) and a good portion of the tech press fall all over themselves to either sing its praises (usually before it’s even released) or claim it’s a total failure (again before released) without looking at the larger picture. Apple usually doesn’t just release a product and watch if it sinks or swims. They usually have some preceding item or one that soon follows as a value-added add in to support it. It’s what the competition NEVER understands. It isn’t the Mac and OS X are too expensive, it’s that they’re bundled together in such a way to make it (on the whole) a good experience for the end-user. The Mac by itself is a mediocre computer for the price at best and possibly a total rip off. But add OS X and the entire equation changes. Same thing with the iPod/ iPhone/ iPad. There are a plethora of other devices with more features, better hardware support, blah, blah, but none of them have iTunes and the ease of use that brings to syncing. Even Google, as smart as they’ve been, seem to have overlooked this. They sorta tried to do an iTunes but chickened out when the tech press got all outraged that they might make it a closed system like iTunes. We’ll see which one works best, but Android is one serious exploit away from a disaster. Just my 2 cents (or maybe closer to a quarter with as much as I’ve rambled)
Ha! I think your rambling, however, made total sense! You are 100% correct. We overlook the fact that Apple is the master at giving us a platform which appeals to the masses, then, you add design and usability in and you get a very valuable solution.
iTunes is a great example of that and so is OSX. Sure, there are better products than iTunes, but it’s ease of use and ability to tie into all the products across the board make it hard not to use it.
I’m a huge fan of Apples products. Mostly because I also use other products and I just happen to prefer my Mac, etc. The quality and experience are unmatched.
And I agree….android could have a battle on their hands, not because of apple, but because not even google is behind it as a tablet OS
As a not so proud owner of the initial Samsung Galaxy phone (which also runs on Android), I have to say that I will never ever buy a Samsung product in my life.
The difficulties I experienced with the Samsung Galaxy (phone switching on and off on its own, extremely poor network coverage vs. other phones operating in same area), poor quality of buttons needed to run the phone (e.g. lock switch) far outweigh any benefits that come with it.
Thanks Mario!
I have to say that I’ve heard the exact same thing from multiple people. A friend has the Tab and says that while it’s cool for about an hour, it feels “cheap” and the interface is lousy!
guys I tend to say that you are competitors of Samsung … common – difficult to switch on / off? Coverage of GSM? Are you kidding? I have long expirience with Samsung as well as many of my friends. What are you talking about? Right now I have HTC Desire HD, Samsung i9000 + Galaxy Tab; there is no doubt in the equipment, Please, do not spam the stupid things