Samsung, the South Korean “frenemy” of tech giant Apple, Tuesday released its two Galaxy Tab devices, both aimed squarely at Apple’s iPad. Taking a page from RIM, which earlier in the day unveiled its own PlayBook tablet, Samsung set its Galaxy Tab 10.1 at prices mirroring the iPad 2: $499 and $599 for 16GB and 32GB Wi-Fi versions, respectively.
However, both Tabs have a 1280×800 pixel display, versus the iPad 2’s 1024×768 9.7-inch screen. The Samsung devices shave a hair from its thickness. Still the difference (Samsung’s 8.6 millimeter versus the iPad’s 8.8 mm) is only noticeable with someone carrying a finely-tuned scale.
Other differences between the two tablets include Samsung’s support for 4G networks (Apple supports AT&T and Verizon’s 3G) and the Tabs’ inclusion of Adobe Flash 10.2. Both tablets will also offer ReadersHub and MusicHub, obvious attempts to draw iBook and iTunes users.
The Galaxy Tab 10.1 is available June 8 while the Galaxy Tab 8.9 (priced at $469 and $569 for 16GB and 32GB Wi-Fi) is set for sometime this summer.
Prior to the official unveiling, some had suggested Samsung might lower the Galaxy Tab to $399, undercutting the iPad 2 pricing structure. Samsung’s VP earlier this month was quoted saying some parts of the Galaxy Tab were “inadequate” when compared to the iPad 2. Despite such talk, the tablet and handset maker seems to have joined the camp guessing the best way to compete with Apple’s tablet is to mimic the features. Unknown is whether simple feature equality will be enough to overcome Apple’s ephemeral connection with consumers.
