“Apple’s iPad 2 will stay on top of the tablet market despite the influx of rivals because it will be able to lead the field on prices, apps and hardware specifications, according to analysis by the research company Gartner,” Charles Arthur reports for The Guardian.
“Its analysts, led by Carolina Milanesi, say key elements such as Apple’s economies of scale, keeping the price of the iPad down, and the power of the app and hardware ecosystem will help sales in the retail and the enterprise markets,” Arthur reports. “The threats from Android-based tablets, and the forthcoming RIM PlayBook and HP TouchPad will not prevent the iPad from dominating because of Apple’s ‘hardware excellent, focus on the entire user experience and go-to-market capabilities’ – the ability to reach consumers.”
“‘We believe some other tablet manufacturers are making a mistake by competing on hardware specifications,’ says Gartner’s team, in a report provided exclusively to the Guardian,” Arthur reports. “‘Tablets are about applications and what they empower users to do. Apple’s focus on putting hardware at the service of user behaviour shows it understands this fact.’ Following its launch in the US on 11 March, Apple is believed to have sold around 1m iPad 2s in its first weekend, with many stores running out. Waiting times for online orders has stretched to between four and six weeks.”
Arthur reports, “Gartner says the ‘intuitive’ user experience and the breadth of applications available on the iPad compared to rival tablets means it is already being used in enterprises – and the new features means ‘we see no reason why the iPad’s momentum in the enterprise should slow.'”
Read more in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “DiegusMac” for the heads up.]