Less than 2 weeks from today, Apple will be launching their second generation line of tablet- the Ipad 2. Following the15 million sale of its predecessor, speculations have been made regarding the success of this new version. Since the iPad’s launch, other consumer electronics makers have been scrambling to develop tablets of their own. For example, Samsung Electronics Co. began selling the Galaxy Tab last year, and Motorola Mobility Inc.’s Xoom tablet goes on sale this week. Many of these new tablets run Google Inc.’s Android software.
The iPad is the first tablet computer to win over mainstream consumers. A decade earlier, PC makers were selling tablets that ran Windows, the same operating systems found on most full-fledged PCs. Although a number of businesses bought them, it did not really appeal to mainstream consumer due to its heavy weight, shorter battery life as well as its need to be used with a mouse and keyboard rather than the touch screen features that the ipad offers.
The tablet industry has been long available and based on my evaluation, is in its maturity stage. In 2000, the first tablets were released and today, quite a number of companies have caught up with the trend making the industry competitive. However, the development of the Ipad could have saved a declining industry of tablets and revived it. With the increasing developments, upgrades and intense competition, it will take apple more than a first mover advantage in the tablet industry in order to make the launch of Ipad 2 to be more successful than the first generation Ipad.