This time last year Apple was releasing the first iPad and no one knew what to expect on how they would sell. Since their debut, iPad sales have been strong and haven’t shown any signs of slowing down. Now that the rest of the industry has seen Apple’s success, they’re all wanting to create their own versions of the tablet.
With the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) that kicked off in Las Vegas, you can guarantee that you will see many tablets that are expected to release this year. This is the largest trade show of its kind in the U.S, and you can bet that all the big name companies will be there, ready to show off their new tablets.
Well, all the big names will be there – except Apple. Apple doesn’t unveil new products at trade shows, and when Apple does have new products to exhibit, such as a new iPad or iPhone, it holds its own events. Interestingly enough, it sounds as though Apple will be getting set to release the iPad 2 around the same time they released the original, last year.
Companies like Toshiba, Samsung, HP, Blackberry, Dell, Acer and Motorola are all expected to reveal new tablets. What can we expect from all these different companies? What kinds of features are going to give a company an advantage? It’s going to be difficult to figure out which one suits you best without having time to mess around with each of the tablets to see what features are offered, what you like, and what operating system is right for you.
Those companies competing with Apple’s iPad are going to have a hard time catching up – at least this year – because of iPad’s success in the previous year. No one managed to catch up last year, even though manufacturers like Dell and Samsung released tablets like the Galaxy tab, which had moderate success but still didn’t come close to the iPad’s sales. Apple sold 7.4 million iPads during the first six months of sale, even outselling Apple’s Mac Computers.
So what do you think, is 2011 the year of the tablet?