"You will never be able to build at the same cost they do and produce anything even close."
Umm..the Galaxy Tab 10.1? Also the Asus Transformer tablet is pretty close, too, and $100 cheaper.
And speaking about the Transformer. I think this it. That is the new market. The evolution of both notebooks and tablets - the Transfomer style notebook. You get iPad style consumption by detaching the tablet, and you get productivity, too, by attaching it to the keyboard dock. Although, having a keyboard and 50% higher battery life (Asus Transformer with keyboard lasts 15-16 hours) will not be enough for "productivity". You also need some productivity apps, and Google should work harder on that. But luckily for them, and Microsoft, the world is moving to HTML5 web-apps, and the tablets are catching up quickly in performance with most notebooks.
Why did I say for Microsoft's sake, too? Because whether Microsoft or Intel likes it, the world is moving to ARM based machines. And when Microsoft will do that with Windows 8, they'll have zero legacy apps on it. They'll have to start from scratch. This is why they need HTML5 apps, and are trying to promote them over Silverlight apps, because they think it's the quicker/easier way to get into the market.
So yeah, think about it - the Transformer style notebook/tablet. It's both a tablet and an evolution of the notebook. It's the best of both world's and this way the tablet can also become a "necessity" not just a luxury item, because you won't be using it just for consumption anymore.
Yes, there is an "iPad market" out there, and although it's growing, it's still tiny and I don't think people will ever consider them their main "computers". They could consider their main computers a Transformer style tablet, though. Two years from now they'll have enough performance and apps to do just that for everyone. But the trend starts today, and Asus is leading the pack.
The others should follow them if they want to outsell the iPad and make themselves relevant for the future. They need to make the tablet something that is a necessity for everyone, just like a phone or a notebook is (the iPad isn't). And the Transformer style tablet/notebook is the way to do that.
There's a reason why Apple promoted a keyboard with the iPad from day one. They felt the iPad is an incomplete product without it. And it is.
Umm..the Galaxy Tab 10.1? Also the Asus Transformer tablet is pretty close, too, and $100 cheaper.
And speaking about the Transformer. I think this it. That is the new market. The evolution of both notebooks and tablets - the Transfomer style notebook. You get iPad style consumption by detaching the tablet, and you get productivity, too, by attaching it to the keyboard dock. Although, having a keyboard and 50% higher battery life (Asus Transformer with keyboard lasts 15-16 hours) will not be enough for "productivity". You also need some productivity apps, and Google should work harder on that. But luckily for them, and Microsoft, the world is moving to HTML5 web-apps, and the tablets are catching up quickly in performance with most notebooks.
Why did I say for Microsoft's sake, too? Because whether Microsoft or Intel likes it, the world is moving to ARM based machines. And when Microsoft will do that with Windows 8, they'll have zero legacy apps on it. They'll have to start from scratch. This is why they need HTML5 apps, and are trying to promote them over Silverlight apps, because they think it's the quicker/easier way to get into the market.
So yeah, think about it - the Transformer style notebook/tablet. It's both a tablet and an evolution of the notebook. It's the best of both world's and this way the tablet can also become a "necessity" not just a luxury item, because you won't be using it just for consumption anymore.
Yes, there is an "iPad market" out there, and although it's growing, it's still tiny and I don't think people will ever consider them their main "computers". They could consider their main computers a Transformer style tablet, though. Two years from now they'll have enough performance and apps to do just that for everyone. But the trend starts today, and Asus is leading the pack.
The others should follow them if they want to outsell the iPad and make themselves relevant for the future. They need to make the tablet something that is a necessity for everyone, just like a phone or a notebook is (the iPad isn't). And the Transformer style tablet/notebook is the way to do that.
There's a reason why Apple promoted a keyboard with the iPad from day one. They felt the iPad is an incomplete product without it. And it is.