Acer exec thinks iPad market share will fall to 20%
updated 08:00 am EDT, Mon August 23, 2010
Acer chair convinced iPad will get minority share
Acer chairman JT Wang today predicted that Apple would drop to just 20 to 30 percent of the tablet market in the near future. The executive anticipated that the presence of both Acer's tablets and others to make the iPad a minority once the market 'settles.' Wang put most of his faith in Android and assumed that Google passing Apple in smartphones would repeat itself in the tablet arena, according to Taiwan's Economic Daily News.
Historically, more open platforms have eventually overtaken closed systems, Wang argued. The next highest after Android, RIM's BlackBerry, has been losing share, but Nokia has also been losing share despite the open-source nature of Symbian. Acer's leader saw Android primarily needing time to take its place.
The claims come as Acer itself may be delaying its tablet to 2011 in a market where most competitors have also had to move their devices to no earlier than the fall. Android tablets are arriving soon, such as the Velocity Micro Cruz Reader and Samsung Galaxy Tab, but differentiation may be an issue as many will have the same features and resolutions as smartphones but just in larger screen sizes and without the ability to make phone calls.
Apple, meanwhile, is believed to have near total mindshare as many customers are only aware of the iPad even if they know other competitors are available. The company is believed on track to sell several million iPads by the end of the year and may have a large head start on Acer and most of its competitors.
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Jan 2010
Was this paid for by Google?
A strange comment and possibly a stupid one. I suppose it's a predictable one, possibly paid for by Google, who knows. So Android may have more manufacturers to choose from, both on the smartphone and tablet market, but does that make it a better product? I don't think so. Apple had hundreds of iPod killers, where are they now, why does Apple still have over 70% of the mp3 player market, what sort of market share will Apple have when the iPad is available in all 78 countries, that iTunes is in? Android is OK, but definately not better than iOS4. The iPod, iPhone and iPad have defined the market, I expect all 3 products to dominate for years to come. I am happy for Android to be a major competitor, at least Microcopy won't be in the picture which is more important, they have nothing new to bring to the table, just rehashed copies of everyone's else's products.