A daily digest of IT news, curated from blogs, forums and news sites around the web each morning. We highlight the key commentary and demystify the real story.
A million sales in 14 days? The Galaxy Tab vs. iPad game's afoot, to be sure. Samsung seems surprised to see such a slew of seven-inch slate shipments.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab has passed the 1 million mark in sales. Some say it's outselling Apple's iPad. The smaller Android tablet is certainly "shifting SKUs" by any analysis. In IT Blogwatch, bloggers review the situation.
Your humble blogwatcher curated these bloggy bits for your entertainment. Not to mention describing FPS games for n00bz...
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Matt Hamblen reports:
Samsung has sold 1 million Galaxy Tab tablet devices worldwide just two months after putting it on sale. ... Samsung and Google's Android mobile OS could be considered the biggest winners with the early success of the Galaxy Tab.
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The Thanksgiving holiday likely helped spur sales in the U.S. ... Samsung has not revealed sales figures for specific regions. ... Individual carriers recently said they were encouraged by Galaxy Tab sales.
Ryan Kim runs with it:
Samsung said it hit the 1 million mark just 12 days after it first reported selling 600,000 units. ... The South Korean manufacturer has now increased its estimates for 2010 sales to 1.5 million. ... This success is with an operating system that even Google admits isnt ready for prime time on tablets ... the real battle begins next year when Android 3.0 ... built to support tablets, becomes available.
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Its a good sign of the interest in tablets overall, not just the iPad, which has sold 7.2 million units since ... April. ... The latest Samsung numbers underscore the threat that tablets are mounting to traditional computers.
Alexander Eule dubs it "Gadget of the week" notwithstanding his reservations:
In October, Jobs told investors that the iPad's 9.7-inch screen was the sweet spot. ... [But] there's much to like about ... Samsung's Galaxy Tab.
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The smaller screen makes the Galaxy a less hefty 14 ounces. ... [It] fits into a rear pants pocket and can easily be held and used with one hand. ... The Galaxy is therefore a better e-reader. ... But Samsung is less successful on the software front. ... The open-source platform is flexible, powerful... and flawed.
And Blake Robinson agrees:
Contrary to statements claiming that tablets dont perform well at sizes under 10 inches, Ive found the Tabs size to be one of its most compelling features. Where the iPad, at times, feels unwieldy, the Galaxy Tab fits well in the palm of your hand.
But Rich Karpinski wonders how the market will evolve:
Pricing will continue to be an issue ... the market probably needs more $100 Android tablets to make this a mainstream device. This holiday season may be too soon to get a verdict on pricing and consumer demand.
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Tablets also seem to be more of a wi-fi than a 3G/4G device, but again, that distinction will likely shake out this year as well.
Meanwhile, JR Raphael gets in his obligatory dig:
Android [is] crushing the competition when it comes to market share. ... Or, as Steve Jobs explains it, "Lies! All lies!"
Richi Jenningsis an independent analyst/consultant, specializing in blogging, email, and security. A cross-functional IT geek since 1985, you can follow him as @richi on Twitter, pretend to be richij's friend on Facebook, or just use good old email: itbw@richij.com.
