Tablet manufacturers looking to compete against Apple’s iPad see small as their biggest opportunity. That’s the upshot of a Monday report indicating 7-inch tablets have more room on shelves as the Cupertino, Calif. company dismisses such tablets as unusable.
“Korea-based Samsung Electronics’ 7-inch Galaxy Tab and ViewSonic’s 7-inch ViewPad are both generating stronger sales than their 10.1-inch models,” a Taiwan-based industry publication writes. While the 10.1-inch versions offer greater expandability for such things as keyboards, sales are described as “not as stable” as the smaller 7-inch tablets.
However, the open space likely will mean “fierce competition” among players, such as Samsung, who’s 10.1-inch Galaxy Tab was not hailed as an immediate success. Likewise, Barnes and Noble’s Nook Color, powered by Android, will reportedly sell 3 million copies by the end of March.
Competition could heat up even more if Apple does introduce a device sized between a 3.5-inch iPod touch and a 9.7-inch iPad. The device could appear in the second half of 2011, according to some analysts.
