Since worldwide tablet shipments are able to reach 170-200 million units a year and the device still plays a key role in the Internet of things (IoT) market, many brand vendors are still creating new tablet projects despite seeing losses.
Apple reportedly is planning to release a 12.9-inch tablet in the fourth quarter, while Microsoft's Surface tablet will feature a large-size display.
Asustek shipped almost 10 million tablets in 2014, but still suffered losses from the business. For 2015, Asustek is planning to mainly push its ZenPad series products, but shipments in the year are expected to drop to seven million units. After achieving a break-even operation at the end of 2015, the company expects its tablet business to turn profitable in 2016.
Samsung has launched a 8-inch tablet and another 9.7-inch model under its entry-level Galaxy Tab A series, supporting Wi-Fi or LTE communication. Although these devices are still more expensive than their competitors, their prices are friendlier than their predecessors. Samsung also equips these tablets with its S-Pen stylus looking to create differentiation.
China-based Huawei has recently launched its 8-inch M2 tablet featuring a design and specifications almost comparable to those of Asustek's new tablet. Lenovo, HP, Acer and Xiaomi have also been adjusting their tablet strategies, looking to catch up with players that see good growths.
As for industrial tablets, although HP, Acer, Asustek and MSI offer devices that have weaker specifications than devices from the industrial PC industry's existing vendors, their prices are 30-50% cheaper than industrial PC players' devices and are able to attract some demand.
Source: Digitimes
