It was only a couple of weeks ago that it was reported that Dell had pulled the plug on its 5-inch Streak tablet device, one of the first of the new-generation of Android tablets intended to take on the might of Apple’s iPad. According to one report, the Streak failed because of “form ambiguity,” being too small to be considered a fully fledged tablet, while being too large to meet the portability needs of smartphone users.

This news was swiftly followed by HTC announcing its Titan device, which has a feature list dominated by its 4.7-inch screen. A colleague who attended the launch event described the device, when measured by smartphone standards, as “huge.”  And Samsung unveiled its Galaxy Note, a smartphone/tablet hybrid with a 5.3-inch display, which the vendor described as “the largest screen size with smartphone portability.”  

To return to the Streak briefly, which was launched into a market where all of the attention was drawn by the 10-inch screen iPad, its introduction was a bold step by Dell. Clearly, the company saw the potential of the tablet computer, but also saw an opportunity for greater portability, and thought a 5-inch screen was the way to achieve this. But with devices such as the 4-inch screen Samsung Galaxy S creeping nearer to the Streak but retaining the all-important smartphone portability, and with 7-inch screen tablets providing a more compelling user experience, the Streak found itself falling between two stools.

According to a report from Thinq, Dell said that despite its failure to gain success in the mainstream, it has seen “some really nice successes” for the Streak. And with the launch of Titan and Galaxy Note, HTC and Samsung obviously both feel that there is a market for a device that straddles the smartphone and tablet categories.

Perhaps the biggest issue is that, so far, no vendor has been able to carve out a niche in the tablet market in the same way that Apple has with the iPad. Despite numerous devices reaching the market with a number of different USPs, by-and-large most have fallen into the category of being “not an iPad.” Creating a distinct market position of one’s own is proving something of a challenge.

However, by providing a device with a completely different set of attributes, it may be possible to attract different buyers to the fold. A customer in the market for an iPad is not going to be swayed by a Galaxy Note. But likewise, an HTC Titan buyer is unlikely to be swayed by an iPad (although a Galaxy S2 may stand a chance). It is a case of different devices, targeting different buyers.

Samsung’s approach certainly seems to be in bringing a number of devices to market, to gauge how customers react to specific form factors. While its Galaxy Tab 10.1 is its most obvious rival to the iPad, it has also offered devices with 7-inch and 8.9 inch screens, with it now adding 5.3-inch and 7.7 inch tablets to the range.

As a bona fide consumer electronics giant, Samsung has the ways and means to follow such a strategy. But others are also looking at ways to differentiate. While the Galaxy Note supports a pen-based interface, this is also something which has been explored by HTC in its Flyer (7-inch) tablet and the Jetstream (10-inch) tablet announced recently by AT&T. Again, it is a case of offering a product that is different enough to stand out among the raft of otherwise similar Android tablets out there.

The question is how long vendors will continue to develop tablet devices targeting unproven niches, when by-and-large intense competition in the market has made it difficult to achieve significant market share – unless your name is Apple.

Steve Costello

The editorial views expressed in this article are solely those of the author(s) and will not necessarily reflect the views of the GSMA, its Members or Associate Members