An Acer executive reportedly downplayed the Apple iPad and said people would “return to their senses” and move back to traditional computers and laptops.
Acer Chairman JT Wang also said that many in the press have been mesmerized by the positives of the Apple iPad but haven’t really focused on the negatives. For example, he suggested that many people still go to a traditional computer for tasks like word processing.
I’ve had my Apple iPad for a few months now and I think Wang may be on to something. I really do like the device but I don’t use it to get any real work done – it’s my portal to Angry Birds and the thing I surf with while watching TV but it’s not quite beefy enough for me to get things done. Hopefully, that will change once iOS 4.2 hits the iPad and brings full multitasking with it.
As for Acer, the company does plan to bring out a line of Android tablets but it appears to be waiting for the next version of Android to launch. This makes a lot of sense, as Google has even said that Froyo isn’t optimized for tablets.
The move comes as the market for tablets is expected to heat up, as Gartner predicts there will be up to 19.5 million tablets sold by the end of the year. The vast majority of those will be the Apple iPad but devices like the Samsung Galaxy Tab should also sell well.
Moving forward, Gartner predicts massive growth for tablet sales over the next few years and the market should reach 154 million units by 2013. That’s why we’re seeing players like Research In Motion, Palm, Motorola, HTC and others are planning to jump into this space.
The tablet wars have begun, who do you think will prevail? Let us know in the comments.
[Via Electronista]