Following Samsung's humbled statements regarding the iPad 2's thinness and price, an analyst at JP Morgan argues that newcomers to the tablet race have even more to be worried about: The field has matured so quickly that by the time many upcoming tablets get to market, people might not even want them any more.
There are only a handful of tablets available for purchase at the moment (Xoom, Galaxy Tab, iPad and some others), and of them, the iPad 2 stands out as the only second generation option: It's thinner, lighter and-- crucially-- more affordable than its competitors with a processor that's just as fast. Because the iPad 2 is so far ahead of the game, the companies working on competing tablets right now are under pressure to further enhance devices that have already been in production for several months to a year. And they have to do it while somehow cutting costs.
That takes time, and the longer it takes to deliver a strong competitor, the longer Apple has to put iPad 2s into the hands of a hungry public. By ship date, many people who want to buy tablets may have already been sold.
And then there are those Fall 2011 iPad 3 rumors.
It bears repeating: the iPad can't be stopped.
[CNET]
