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MOUNTAIN VIEW, California - Google Inc has fixed some shortcomings in
its tablet computer strategy, as the Internet search giant steps up
efforts to break into a nascent market dominated by Apple.
Google showcased on Wednesday the first version of its Android
software designed to run on tablets with larger screens and greater
computing horsepower, allowing for a sleeker and theoretically faster
interface with built-in video conferencing.
The company also introduced a new way for developers to make money by building applications that run on Android.
The changes ratchet up the competition in the fast-growing tablet PC
market, for which Hewlett-Packard and Microsoft are also developing
rival software.
Analysts said "Honeycomb", while addressing a couple perceived flaws
in the operating system when used for tablets as opposed to
smartphones, was unlikely to immediately shift the balance of power.
"It closed the gap quite a bit," said BGC analyst Colin Gillis. But,
he said "there was nothing there that was going to make me wait in line
overnight," referring to the lines of customers who waited outside
retail stores when Apple introduced the iPad in April.
Google said at an event at its Mountain View, California
headquarters on Wednesday that Android developers would now be able to
sell consumers goods from directly within their apps, a key capability
Apple introduced more than one year ago.
And it has started a Web version of its applications store for
Android devices, which will help developers hawk their software
applications to a larger audience. Previously, Android apps were
available only through client software on devices.
STILL RUNAWAY LEADER
Apple, which some analysts expect will unveil a new version of its
iPad later this year, has shipped 14.8 million iPads since April. But it
lost its early lead in the smartphone market to Android, which Google
gives away to hardware vendors and which became the No.1 smartphone
operating system in the fourth quarter, according to research firm
Canalys.
Whether Google can do the same in the tablet market will depend on
the support its new "Honeycomb" gets from manufacturers, wireless
carriers, and the armies of developers who build applications like games
and productivity tools.
Google now has more than 100,000 apps available for Android devices, versus Apple's catalog of more than 300,000.
"There really wasn't much of a competitive playing field so far" in
the tablet market, said Soumen Ganguly, a principal at management
consulting firm Altman Vilandrie & Co, who noted that previous
versions of Google's Android were well-suited to smartphones but not
ideal for the bigger-screened tablets.
With the introduction of Honeycomb, Ganguly expected that every
major manufacturer would introduce at least one Android tablet by the
end of the first half of the year.
Motorola Mobility's Xoom, which Google showcased at its event Wednesday, is due to ship in the first quarter.
But Display Search analyst Richard Shim said there were still unanswered questions, including the price of Honeycomb tablets.
Shim said his firm expects industry-wide shipments of 55.7 million
tablet PC in 2011 and that, even after seeing Wednesday's Honeycomb
demonstration, he still expects Apple to hold the majority market share
this year.
"This put them at the table," he said of Google. "What we're seeing here is a good foundation."
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its tablet computer strategy, as the Internet search giant steps up
efforts to break into a nascent market dominated by Apple.
Google showcased on Wednesday the first version of its Android
software designed to run on tablets with larger screens and greater
computing horsepower, allowing for a sleeker and theoretically faster
interface with built-in video conferencing.
The company also introduced a new way for developers to make money by building applications that run on Android.
The changes ratchet up the competition in the fast-growing tablet PC
market, for which Hewlett-Packard and Microsoft are also developing
rival software.
Analysts said "Honeycomb", while addressing a couple perceived flaws
in the operating system when used for tablets as opposed to
smartphones, was unlikely to immediately shift the balance of power.
"It closed the gap quite a bit," said BGC analyst Colin Gillis. But,
he said "there was nothing there that was going to make me wait in line
overnight," referring to the lines of customers who waited outside
retail stores when Apple introduced the iPad in April.
Google said at an event at its Mountain View, California
headquarters on Wednesday that Android developers would now be able to
sell consumers goods from directly within their apps, a key capability
Apple introduced more than one year ago.
And it has started a Web version of its applications store for
Android devices, which will help developers hawk their software
applications to a larger audience. Previously, Android apps were
available only through client software on devices.
STILL RUNAWAY LEADER
Apple, which some analysts expect will unveil a new version of its
iPad later this year, has shipped 14.8 million iPads since April. But it
lost its early lead in the smartphone market to Android, which Google
gives away to hardware vendors and which became the No.1 smartphone
operating system in the fourth quarter, according to research firm
Canalys.
Whether Google can do the same in the tablet market will depend on
the support its new "Honeycomb" gets from manufacturers, wireless
carriers, and the armies of developers who build applications like games
and productivity tools.
Google now has more than 100,000 apps available for Android devices, versus Apple's catalog of more than 300,000.
"There really wasn't much of a competitive playing field so far" in
the tablet market, said Soumen Ganguly, a principal at management
consulting firm Altman Vilandrie & Co, who noted that previous
versions of Google's Android were well-suited to smartphones but not
ideal for the bigger-screened tablets.
With the introduction of Honeycomb, Ganguly expected that every
major manufacturer would introduce at least one Android tablet by the
end of the first half of the year.
Motorola Mobility's Xoom, which Google showcased at its event Wednesday, is due to ship in the first quarter.
But Display Search analyst Richard Shim said there were still unanswered questions, including the price of Honeycomb tablets.
Shim said his firm expects industry-wide shipments of 55.7 million
tablet PC in 2011 and that, even after seeing Wednesday's Honeycomb
demonstration, he still expects Apple to hold the majority market share
this year.
"This put them at the table," he said of Google. "What we're seeing here is a good foundation."
original link: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]