HP TouchPad vs. iPad, PlayBook, Android rests on enterprise power vs. BYO
Summary: The launch of HP's TouchPad and the mixed reviews that followed has created an interesting face-off with Research in Motion's PlayBook to be a business tablet. Will consumerization or corporate control win?
The launch of HP's TouchPad and the mixed reviews that followed has created an interesting face-off with Research in Motion's PlayBook to be a leading business tablet. While we can debate features, stability and operating systems, the larger question boils down to whether enterprises can choose what tablets their employees use.
In other words, the tablet wars in the enterprise really boil down to bring your own---also known as consumerization---versus a company choosing a device based on how it fits with its existing architecture or some other package deal.
A few weeks ago, I recapped the enterprise tablet market. In the consumer world, the tablet world is pretty easy to figure out. Apple's iPad rules and Android tablets will compete---especially Samsung's Galaxy Tab, which has a good mix of hardware and improved software. Why will Android tablets compete? There's a chunk of people that don't want to be in Apple's ecosystem.
The enterprise is more up for grabs. If it's a bring your own (BYO) world, Apple will enjoy a strong enterprise spot. In fact, Apple's iPad is already easy to find in corporate meetings.
However, enterprise IT has always had official channels and handed out devices based on the fit with existing architecture. In this scenario, it's not hard to see why RIM's PlayBook will sell. RIM's PlayBook will integrate nicely with the BlackBerry Enterprise Server and the bridge between the tablet and smartphone gives IT administrators a good amount of control.
On the other side of the equation, HP can bundle its TouchPad with other hardware---notably PCs---and use price and scale to drive adoption. Many companies may take a deal from HP.
In the end, the tablet space really boils down to consumerization vs. the old-school enterprise way of doing things. HP, RIM and Android tablets are really competing for most favored tablet status in corporations. Official enterprise support doesn't count as much as it used to, but it can't hurt. Enterprise support may be the primary reason that Microsoft will be able to arrive very late to the tablet party and still succeed.
Related:
BlackBerry PlayBook vs. HP TouchPad: A tale of two failures
- Why is it so hard to build a good tablet? Trying to do too much
- Review: HP TouchPad is the productivity tablet
- How the HP TouchPad can deal with lack of apps at launch
- HP TouchPad reviews go live, not the iPad contender some hoped for
- HP TouchPad: Hands-on impressions
- HP's TouchPad: Where are the retail fireworks?
- HP TouchPad reviews are in: Released too early
- At What Price Does the Cisco Cius Become a Real Tablet Contender?
- Cisco Cius: Enterprise Brawn Offset by Sluggish Specs, High(ish) Price
- Cisco Cius and AppHQ: Could this be the business tablet that works?
- AT&T finally approves BlackBerry Bridge app, slaps on $20/month for tethering
CNET:
- HP TouchPad review
- Tips for tablet shopping
- List of current and upcoming tablets
- Best tablets
- Best Android tablets
- Best 7-inch tablets
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Talkback
There will be no competition to the iPad for years to come
RE: HP TouchPad vs. iPad, PlayBook, Android rests on enterprise power vs. BYO
I agree but that will never happen
Yes, someone needs to be willing to lose a LOT of money for at least 10 years to build up an ecosystem that is able to compete with Apple. At the same time, they need to release money losing devices that work with that ecosystem for at least 10 years. It could happen. M$ could try, they are stupid enough to throw billions upon billions upon billions into the garbage. I don't see any other company that has been willing to go 10 years on a product without breaking even, forget about making a profit.
So COULD a competitor start from scratch to build a rival tablet and ecosystem? Sure. Will they? Only M$ is stupid enough to try.
We will not have any SANE choice of tablet for 10 years. iPad is the only one that any rational person would ever buy. None of the others have the ecosystem even if they were individually as good as the iPad and as DeRSSS is so fond of pointing out, none of them are as good even if we IGNORE the ecosystem. None of them have their screen layers glued together. They all have much slower vFP and graphics benchmarks (whatever those mean, I trust DeRSSS when he says this is a bad thing). They all have totally unintuitive UIs. They all have lousy battery life. And they all cost just as much. YEAH!!!!
Your rants are getting tiresome
"...the iPad and its ecosystem IS THE ONLY SANE CHOICE."
Please tell me how to make the iPad (iOS for that matter) check my 10+ email accounts, provide adequate notifications, jump seamlessly between my open PDFs, browser based applications and other applications, while listening to Pandora, then I'll run right out and get an iPad2. Otherwise, I'll remain with <b>my</b> choice, my niche WebOS devices, and remain highly productive. Why? Because I do have a choice.
It's amazing how you have managed to jump on every single TouchPad and Playbook post in the past several days. It is really getting tiresome, especially since most of your arguments are only half-formed. You can't say that Apple has won anything (other than market share), in a market that is barely more than a year old.
Instead of lying about who I am
1. Was I the first (and am I the only) one saying that competitor tablets must cost less to have a chance?
2. Was I the first (and am I the only) one saying that tablets that cost less are a race to the bottom beyond razor thin margins?
3. Was I the first (and am I the only) one saying that no one has created a tablet that can compete with the iPad?
If your answer to these is "No", then are you going to accuse all of the others who have written these as being NonZealot and an anti-Apple troll? Are they all nut-bars? Are they all pathetic? Keep in mind that you will be suggesting that many ZDNet bloggers here like Jason are actually NonZealot in disguise.
You are not the first that is completely incapable of stating how my posts are wrong. You simply say they are. Then you accuse me of being someone I'm not. The pattern is the same and is "incredibly pathetic" (as you put it).
RE: HP TouchPad vs. iPad, PlayBook, Android rests on enterprise power vs. BYO
Have you recently checked any of the android reviews? Here's a tip http://www.androidtabletplace.com/ , youtube or simply do a google search
RIM? Really?
RE: HP TouchPad vs. iPad, PlayBook, Android rests on enterprise power vs. BYO
Hmm, I thought RIM was still profitable...
RE: HP TouchPad vs. iPad, PlayBook, Android rests on enterprise power vs. BYO
I think Apple has a very good system with an equally impressive list of products but it isn't the absolute apex of perfection. That's a fact. Being the "best" doesn't mean that other alternatives are not viable. RIM, Android, HP - they are quite aware of Apple's omnipresence in the market and I don't believe they are trying be "better". They simply realize that not everyone wants to ride the Apple Express (myself included) so they sey out to create their own niche. Whether it's "better" than Apple is irrelevant. Whether Apple is at the top of its game is irrelevant. What matters is that despite what the market says, hundreds of thousands of people will not buy into the Apple niche and they want alternatives. Alternatives that, in many cases, equal or exceed what Cupertino can offer.
That's a fact.
These people are not short-sighted. They realize that Apple can't do everything and/or they simply want something different. For me, Android fits the bill and that's just fine with me. However, Apple fanboys, I respect your perferences without making blanket statements about what you believe. Let's just enjoy what we enjoy.
RE: HP TouchPad vs. iPad, PlayBook, Android rests on enterprise power vs. BYO
Well said.
:)
RE: HP TouchPad vs. iPad, PlayBook, Android rests on enterprise power vs. BYO
At Moprise, we have a couple of apps that give this access and hold some added security features - Coaxion, for instance (www.coaxion.com), which is debuting for the iPad in a few weeks. The hardest part about making these apps is knowing who to focus on more - the corporation who purchases a number of iPads for their team, or the user who purchases one on his or her own and brings it in. For the first case, being able to work efficiently is the biggest issue. For the second case, we see security as the biggest issue - how do you protect corporate information on an independent mobile device?
Anyways, it'll be interesting to see if HP's attempt to move into the enterprise will catch on.
RE: HP TouchPad vs. iPad, PlayBook, Android rests on enterprise power vs. BYO
This has been said so many times, in so many ways....
The tablet market is in its infancy.
Give it a couple more years and we will see haow it settles out.
My prediction:
Consumptive tablets - a mix
Work - a mix
Video - a mix
hmmmm.......
:D
Some thoughts
Out of 25,000 employees we have less then 100 users enrolled in our BYOT program. It's not as popular as tech blogs like to hype it. A big issue for users that I speak with running the program is they do not want corporate security / restrictions applied to their personal tech gear. So while BYOT is likely fantastic at small / med business it's a little sticky at the corporate level. The other myth is you will reduced expense - really it's a wash. We provide the perk of the employee using their device of choice (which really is only Blackberry and iOS at the moment - more in a min) and we provide the infrastructure / security for the device to be used, often in very limited function.
One of the big problems is right now there is no consistent means to manage tablets. Every OS has issues with API for management / security, functionality. The appeal of RIM is any device connected to BES and you have a consistent experience. You knew your security / compliance was being met. iOS, Android, WP7, WebOS you have a mixed bag that you often need to accept a risk (often a large one) to provide support for X device.
If RIM can get Playbook connected to BES it will be a very popular option and RIM has shown to be very aggressive helping adoption of their platform. Everyone else is stuck relying on a 3rd party MDM and a range of Apps. It makes supporting their device more complex and more expensive regardless if it's BYOT or corporate liable.
Apple threw another wrench into this with iCloud. They failed to mention anything about security and compliance controls for corporate usage and knowing Apple there likely won't be any. Document sharing Apps are popular too on these devices which rarely allign with data leakage / compliance policies. BYOT works great if you have none of these concerns but how many companies and what type of scale of deployment are we talking about? 5-10 tablets is a lot different then say 5,000 tablets deployed worldwide.
Lastly our biggest issue at the moment is App management / goverance. Many users just start using an App / service and don't even cosider if the App alligns with the corporate policy. Recent weeks of hacking show how lacking security is at many websites so we will likely see a major data breach of sensitive information in the future. If you go down the road of vetting Apps for corporate usage you move away from BYOT and back to a full corporate liable model. Who wants to BYOT device and its locked down to specific functions? No thanks - not on my dime is what many employees say. Like smartphones you will see a growing trend of a personal tablet and a work provided one.
RE: HP TouchPad vs. iPad, PlayBook, Android rests on enterprise power vs. BYO
RE: HP TouchPad vs. iPad, PlayBook, Android rests on enterprise power vs. BYO
Third-part app
As far as I know, there is nothing in the App Store that will allow you to set up a Hot Spot. I'm not willing to jailbreak my work phone so I can use a third-part app.
It does look like iOS 4.3 will have Hot Spot capability.
<a href="http://www.queentorrent.com">http://www.queentorrent.com</a>
RE: HP TouchPad vs. iPad, PlayBook, Android rests on enterprise power vs. BYO
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