Let The Tablet Wars Begin, Attack of the Android

It has been said, by many a blogger with greater authority than me, that 2011 is the Year of theTablet. As the recent slew of Android-toting tablets on offer at recent expos such as MCW and CES, the battle for tablet dominance is heating up, and the ubiquitous iPad may lose its throne.
Having taken a big chunk out of Apple's dominance of the smart phone market, the Android is now looking to do the same to the iPad. With Android Honeycomb, Google have built an operating system specifically aimed at the tablet market. They know that the likes of HTC and Samsung will build amazing tablets that run Android. The HTC Flyer and Motorola Xoom are both early offerings. It will be interesting to see, with the right pricing, how popular they are. From the initial pictures of the HTC Flyer, I am convinced it will win over tablet fans.
And yet, if we digress and go back a year or so ago, it was all about the netbook. Then, there was no "need" for a tablet. Indeed, tablets had been attempted by PC manufacturers before, but failed miserably.
I once read that when Sony introduced the Walkman, in the early '80s, Sony did not research the market for what consumers wanted. At the time, the idea of listening to music privately while walking around was not something the man in the street had been demanding. But the fad for jogging and keep fit had become really popular, and the suddenly the ability to listen to music privately with a small device seemed ideal. You had a serendipitous meeting of technology and change in culture, and the rest is history.
So it is with the tablet. There was no consumer demand at the time for a tablet, after all, the netbook served as well as an-on-the-go computing device. But Apple created a desirable object that people wanted to own but do not necessarily "need". And now a market has been created.

So, the Tablet War has begun, and with Android Honeycomb being available to the manufacturers, suddenly we will all be toting a tablet in our bags. I for one am really excited by the Android tablets that go beyond the capabilities of the (current version of) the iPad. Once again, all eyes will be on the iPad 2. Manufacturers will look at what Apple will do, and then do something better.
Let battle commence!
Read more: http://technorati.com/technology/android/article/let-the-tablet-wars-beginattack-of/#ixzz1H7tAFwCY