Sher Malang
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Samsung unveiled its latest bid to take on Apple’s iPad at the Madison Square Gardens in New York this week. The emphasis was on a thin, lightweight design – and a screen that is unmatched anywhere else in the market.
Samsung’s aim is to provide the best device for viewing TV and films, recognising that mobile entertainment represents a growing part of why people buy tablets. The company’s chief executive, JK Shin, claimed, “It will provide consumers with a visual and entertainment experience that brings colours to life, beautifully packaged in a sleek and ultra-portable mobile device.”
The challenge, however, is to convince consumers that this tablet, costing from $399 but with a European price as yet unannounced, is worth paying for. Research into consumer buying habits suggests tablets find themselves increasingly dismissed as either an iPad or not, so Samsung has sought to augment its screen quality with a series of content deals, providing users with a free, subscription to publications as diverse as The Economist and The Washington Post, as well as monthly free books from Amazon via the Kindle app and free copies of popular games such as Cut the Rope. But the Android tablet operating system still lacks the appealing apps for larger devices, even though it has caught up with Apple in smartphone apps.
Rhoda Alexander, an analyst at IHS, suggests that in combination with a superb screen, the free extra content could make a significant difference. She says that previous tablets that aren’t iPads have only been successful largely because they’re cheaper than the market leader. Even those with better hardware have struggled to compete. The introduction of the ‘Amoled’ screen on the Tab S could, however, be sufficiently eye-catching on the shop floor to excite customers, Alexander says, but those differences may of course struggle to make themselves felt when so much technology is bought online.
Elsewhere, fingerprint recognition will allow Samsung to present different homescreens and experiences to different users, who will be able to log in to the device simply by swiping their finger over the home button. It’s an emphasis on customisability and ease of use that the South Korean giant hopes will build even greater brand loyalty than it has yet acquired, and relies on the Android operating system.
At the heart of the challenge already facing Samsung, and increasingly hitting Apple, however, is the nature of how people use their tablets. Recent research indicates that newspaper readers treat tablets much more like printed products, spending more time engaged with the content, following the trend for longer usage also seen with films. That could mean until new features on tablets emerge, users will feel little need to upgrade from their existing devices.
Galaxy Tab S: Samsung takes on the iPad - Telegraph
