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Topic: Tablets

Samsung tab to break the $350 price barrier

Summary: Samsung announced will sell a Wi-Fi-only version of the Galaxy tab for $349. The move is an attempt to challenge the dominance of the iPad, but can a $350 tablet do any significant damage?

Jason D. O'Grady

By for The Apple Core |

Samsung announced that it will begin selling a Wi-Fi-only version of the 7-inch Galaxy tab for $349 on April 10. (Verizon and Sprint currently offer the 7-inch 3G model for $499 or $199 with a two-year contract.)

The move is obviously intended to challenge the dominance of Apple's iPad, but can a $350 tablet do any significant damage to the iJuggernaut that is the iPad? I doubt it.

While it's a nice device, the tab is only 7-inches which doesn't really stack up to the 9.7-inch iPad (unless you want to put it in your pocket, that is). And then there's apps, the App Store has more than the Android Market – which matters.

While it competes with the iPad, the Galaxy tab price cut signals a shift in pricing away from the whopping $800 starting price of the Motorola Xoom.

But has it become a race to the bottom?

Photo: Nexus One Central

Topics: Tablets, Mobility, Networking, Samsung, Wi-Fi

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72 comments
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  • RE: Samsung tab to break the $350 price barrier

    The 7 inch tab is one of my all time favorite tablets (maybe my favorite period), and I've made the argument for the 7 inch form factor here on numerous occasions. But do I think it will challenge King Kong's 399 1.0 iPad at just $50.00 less? Not a chance. At 299? Things could get interesting.
    Playdrv4me
    Reply Vote

    • 7 inches vs 10... 10 is way better.

      @Playdrv4me

      10 inch iPad vs a 7inch anything... iPad wins... Yeah yeah yeah, it's not the size of the ship, it's the motion of the ocean, blah blah blah... Put it into perspective... Imagine you are looking at both from across the room, multiply both screen sizes by 5, visually we are talking the difference between a 35" screen versus a 50" screen. That's the visual difference these tablets have 2 to 3 feet from your eyes. 10" is far better, 7" is lackluster and akward and just feels too small. Reading a book, newspaper, web page, etc on a 10" screen is nice, on a 7" screen it's akward. You can easily watch a movie on either size, but then again, you can watch a movie just fine on an iPhone as well. But on the 10" screen, it's much better. As far as games go, more real estate is always much, much, much better. And for a lot of apps, bigger is way better... The "Maps" app in IOS with turn by turn nav is awesome on an iPhone, but even better on an iPad. Science apps that give you pictures of atoms are better, astronomy apps are better, etc. etc. 10 inches is way better than 7" any day of the week and twice on Sunday.
      i8thecat
      Reply Vote

      • RE: Samsung tab to break the $350 price barrier

        @i8thecat why would I look at either one from across the room? im not trying to make googly eyes at it, if I have it its going to be in hands, and personally a 10in screen is too much, plus I can toss a 7in device in my laptop bag with all my other gear, or the girlfriends purse, I cant do that with an ipad, so your argument about size is a bit moot, its a matter of personal preference, and I will darn sure by this galaxy running android before I ever buy an ipad, simply because IMO android is a far better OS, much more freedom and ability to change the things I dont like which I am unable to on the ipad, I didnt like my iphone, so I know I wont like the ipad, but I love my android phone and would probably like an android tab more than the ipad.. again.. personal preference.
        nickdangerthirdi@...
        Reply Vote

      • RE: Samsung tab to break the $350 price barrier

        @ nickdangerthirdi<br>The issue is a marketing one. One would look at it across the room when one walked into a Best Buy, contemplating getting one of those new "iPad things".<br><br>"... because IMO android is a far better OS, much more freedom and ability to change the things...."<br><br>Yeah, you just keep believing that. You have been duped. Android is NOT end user open source. It is CARRIER open source. Try upgrading your OS without rooting the device, before Samsung says it's okay.<br><br>You are right, though, it IS personal preference. And people prefer iOS based tablets to Android based ones, over 9:1.<br>They also prefer iOS-based phones. On every carrier that has offered both for any significant time, the iPhone trounces Android.
        DeusXMachina
        Reply Vote

      • RE: Samsung tab to break the $350 price barrier

        @i8thecat I used an iPad for a market research study, and while it is slick, that sucker's heavy!

        Sure, a 10" woofer sounds better than a 7" one. But portability is an issue.
        jabster17
        Reply Vote

      • The 7&quot; tablet

        I don't understand the complaint about reading a book on a 7" tablet. Just how big is that paperback book that you've been reading?
        boomchuck1
        Reply Vote

      • RE: Samsung tab to break the $350 price barrier

        @i8thecat

        My 7" Color Nook (Android OS) has an excellent screen, clear and bright. I prefer this form factor over a 10" device. It is truly portable. 10" is just too big to carry with one hand. Unless your hand is REALLY big. i8thecat - maybe your hands are huge?
        heymull
        Reply Vote

      • RE: Samsung tab to break the $350 price barrier

        @nickdangerthirdi@... To each their own on OS and size preferences but I have to ask, why wouldn't the iPad fit in your laptop bag? I can see not fitting in the girlfriends purse but a laptop bag?
        non-biased
        Reply Vote

      • RE: Samsung tab to break the $350 price barrier

        @i8thecat
        You make me wonder how the Kindle, Nook and Sony readers ever sell. I think you really overstate the importance of size making me believe you are a guy for sure. I love my 10" Adam but my much smaller Sony reader is nice also.
        Timba1336
        Reply Vote

      • 2-3 feet?

        @i8thecat I'm curious how you came up with 2-3' as a reasonable distance. I'm over 6' tall and to use this at over 2' means I have to have my arm fully extended. Not very comfortable.
        I figure a comfortable distance would be around 18" where I would normally hold a book.
        BTW, my 17" monitor is about 30" away when I sit comfortably.
        Alzie
        Reply Vote

    • RE: Samsung tab to break the $350 price barrier

      @Playdrv4me

      "one of my all time favorite tablets" really? Interesting comment since a year ago there none other than an iPad.
      Masari.Jones
      Reply Vote

      • RE: Samsung tab to break the $350 price barrier

        @Masari.Jones Don't know much about tablets, do you?
        sackbut
        Reply Vote

      • RE: Samsung tab to break the $350 price barrier

        @Masari.Jones Tablets have been around for a good decade, FYI. It's just that so few were actually bought it wasn't even a blip on the market until Apple introduced one that actually worked and people wanted to buy.
        dheady@...
        Reply Vote

    • RE: Samsung tab to break the $350 price barrier

      @Playdrv4me

      I agree. I just bought the Galaxy Tab after the price drop and very happy with 7". The 7 inch LCD is definitely large enough to really surf, read, etc.. I guess the real difference in your preference is whether you are going to lug it around, or br able to actually carry your tablet on you.

      Found a small company that makes a simple sleeve for (www.nuvo-tek.com) for $8 delivered, and now looking to buy a hard case (recommendations welcome) for it.
      rc748
      Reply Vote

  • RE: Samsung tab to break the $350 price barrier

    The 7" tablet has as many strengths against the 10" as it does weaknesses... 10" 4:3 perspective is a little too much for some tasks (like reading or typing while holding the tablet.

    Now as for the Galaxy Tab, they are going to have to fix the problems with the tablet before it sells or they will all be getting returned.

    Oh and last thing, 16 Gig minimum is essential for this tablet to succeed.
    slickjim
    Reply Vote

    • RE: Samsung tab to break the $350 price barrier

      @Peter Perry

      Oh really? Just as with Menu bar UIs, care to justify that statement? In fact, for movies 16:9 is better (and score is even better) but for reading and computer interaction, as wellas physical balance, 4:3 is superior. Apple didn't just wing it, and pick 4:3 out of thin air. They did extensive ergonomics research with mock-ups and prototypes for years.
      DeusXMachina
      Reply Vote

    • RE: Samsung tab to break the $350 price barrier

      @Peter Perry I find myself agreeing with just about everything you said other than the 4:3 perspective... and at that price I'd be somewhat tempted to get a Tab - although it would be a lot cheaper still to buy a color nook and root it.
      athynz
      Reply Vote

  • RE: Samsung tab to break the $350 price barrier

    This may be the nail in the coffin for the Xoom.
    jtarheel
    Reply Vote

  • Large Ipod?

    Anyone who has seen the sales figures of Android tablets will realize that is not going to happen. It is too small to read a book, magazine or newspaper conveniently, too big to fit in your pocket and it is not pushed by the carriers because it has no 3G. Take a further look at E-bay and you can get a Ipad 1 for a tiny bit more. There is no way that the Galaxy or any other Android is going to be cool and capture a significant market share also not for this price.
    rhon@...
    Reply Vote

    • RE: Samsung tab to break the $350 price barrier

      @rhon@... Actually, this is a great size for book reading -- very much like the nook and kindle screens -- and great for portability. It will fit in a purse or lab coat pocket. It will allow greater access to simple lists, with more readable fonts than on a smartphone.

      My only problem with it is that I can't find the right Android apps for what I want to do with a tablet.
      cuhulin
      Reply Vote
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