“Some of those tablet models won’t be on the market within a year, and some won’t even last beyond the four-day show that officially kicks off Thursday, predicted Shawn Dubravac, chief economist for the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), the show’s sponsor,” Hamblen reports. “‘Every industry consolidates, and over time we’ll see [tablet] consolidation,’ he said. ‘Some won’t go beyond the show.'”
MacDailyNews Take: This reminds us of last March, when Microsoft CEO Ballmer T. Clown strode onstage with a mockup of HP vaporware. While the anti-Apple brigade partied in the streets over the wondrous promise Ballmer’s dog and pony show portended, we immediately and, as usual, correctly wrote, “HP and Microsoft offer vapor as Apple launches iPad.” The pretend plug was pulled on the nonexistent slab barely more than a month later.
Another failed attempt to freeze the iPad market was “leaked” by Microsoft in the form of “Courier” 6 months earlier in September 2009. Again, with the eternally optimistic insane clown posse drooling in anticipation (Gizmodo raved, “This is Courier, Microsoft’s astonishing take on the tablet.”), we immediately and, of course, correctly wrote, “What’s astonishing about it? That it looks to be 1990’s thick, that it’s stuck running some version of Windows, that it’s vaporous computer graphics with a cartoon demo, or all three? It’s not a “booklet,” it’s a “vaporlet.” So, why is this “astounding” CG imagery being emitted right now? Are Microsoft worried that a real device is coming soon from another company?” Of course, they were. The imaginary Courier was “killed” the day after the fake HP slate.
Hamblen continues, “Dubravac predicted that more than 80 tablets will be shown at CES, and possibly up to 100.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: We can’t wait to see what kind of shenanigans some of these junk peddlers will try to pull this year. We expect to pen plenty of “bloody” headlines.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Dan K.” for the heads up.]