The statements of Best Buy’s CEO don’t surprise me. Considering that the tablet era has only just begun, I think that the market share of tablets will grow even more in the future. The iPad won’t be the only contender in this market. In the fourth quarter of 2010 and in 2011 a lot of new tablets will be introduced. Most of them will be based on Google’s Android OS. Examples that I have played with at the IFA Trade Show are the Dell Streak and Samsung Galaxy S tablet.
To be honest: I was not greatly impressed by these Android tablets. The size of Streak is only 5 inch and the Galaxy S measures 7 inch. Compare that with the iPad’s 10 inch screen. Futhermore the interface feels a bit sluggish compared to the iPad. Therefore I think that the first generation Android tablets won’t be able to press Apple out of the tablet market for at least the following 2 or 3 years.
Best Buy CEO Brian Dun claims the iPad has cannibalized sales of PC laptops by as much as 50 per cent.
His remarks are contained within an interview with the Wall Street Journal in which Dun describes the retailer’s move to offer a wider selection of digitally-connected gadgets. Expect to see smartphones, eBook readers and iPods in full view at BestBuy this Holiday Season, the report informs us.
But the real meat is in Dun’s description of the demise of the PC laptop at the hands of the iPad. On Tuesday, Best Buy said it will expand iPad distribution to all of its 1,093 U.S. stores Sept. 26.
“People are willing to disproportionately spend for these devices because they are becoming so important to their lives,” Best Buy Chief Executive Brian Dunn said in an interview. “We are really positioning the company to be the place where people can come and see the best of the connected world.”