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Tag: 8-inch tablets

  • 8-Inch Tablet Demand Reportedly Low

    8-Inch Tablet Demand Reportedly Low

    Last month, analysts began predicting that tablet manufacturers would begin introducing 8-inch tablet models this fall to compete with Apple’s iPad Mini. Sure enough, tablet manufacturers such as LG began to announce such tablets at the beginning of September. Now, with the back-to-school season coming to a close, it appears that the demand for 8-inch tablets may not have matched manufacturer expectations.

    DigiTimes today reported that component orders for 8-inch tablets are now dropping. The report’s unnamed “Taiwan-based component makers” are quoted as saying 8-inch tablet sales have failed to meet manufacturer goals.

    Tablet manufacturers reportedly expected tablet sizes to gradually increase the way smartphone sizes have been for the past few years. It turns out, however, that Amazon may have been on the mark originally with its 7-inch Kindle Fire design. Low-cost, 7-inch tablets now make up a majority of the global tablet market. Some analysts have estimated that 7-inch tablets make up as much as 70% of the market. Meanwhile, 8-inch tablets are expected to make up only 10% of total tablet shipments this year, up from only 3% of the market in 2012.

    Low 8-inch tablet demand may not come as good news for manufacturers trying to find their place in the mini-tablet market. The segment is already crowded, with Apple, Amazon, Samsung, and even Asus crowding out newer entries in the space. With demand for even 10-inch tablets dropping for some manufacturers, it doesn’t appear that new entries into 7-inch market will be bringing anything new to spur consumer excitement and sales.

  • LG’s 8.3-Inch G Pad Tablet Announced

    LG’s 8.3-Inch G Pad Tablet Announced

    As the mini-tablet market begins to take sales from the full-sized tablet segment, those same tablets, like smartphones, are beginning to creep up in size. A number of new tablets in the 8-inch size category have already been predicted for this fall.

    This week, LG proved the predictions right by announcing a new 8.3-inch tablet. The device, named the G Pad 8.3, will be officially unveiled at the IFA show being held in Germany this weekend.

    The G Pad sports a 1920 x 1200 resolution display, which LG claims is a first for an 8-inch tablet. The device has a 1.7GHz quad-core Snapdragon 600 processor, 2GB of RAM, and comes with 16GB of storage. The tablet’s rear camera is only 5MP, while its front-facing camera is 1.3MP. In its announcement, LG emphasized the G Pad’s 4600mAh battery, which it claims adds minimal weight to the device. The tablet will come running Android Jelly Bean 4.2.2, though LG has also included some proprietary software, most of which involves using the G Pad for multi-tasking.

    “Complementing our G Series smartphones, the introduction of the LG G Pad 8.3 further strengthens LG’s premium lineup consisting of our most cutting-edge devices,” said Jong-seok Park,CEO of LG Mobile Communications. “Our G Pad is just another example of LG delivering devices with the unique selling points consumers around the world will appreciate.”

  • 8-Inch Tablets Predicted For This Fall

    8-Inch Tablets Predicted For This Fall

    As the 7-inch tablet market becomes more crowded, and as 7-inch tablets have become less expensive, they have made up a growing portion of the overall tablet market. Now, with smartphones creeping up to mini-tablet sizes, tablets themselves are beginning to grow larger. Samsung and Apple are rumored to be creating mega-tablets with 12-inch screens, and DigiTimes today reported that 7-inch tablets could soon gain an inch.

    The report cites unnamed “Taiwan-based supply chain makers” as saying HP, LG, Lenovo, and Asus are all preparing 8-inch tablets to compete with the iPad Mini’s 7.9-inch screen, as well as Samsung’s 8-inch Galaxy Tab 3 and Acer’s 8-inch Windows 8 tablet. Asus’ 8-inch offering is expected before the end of the year. HP’s is rumored to have a Tegra 4 processor and 1600 x 1200 resolution display.

    The report also predicts that the lower prices of 8-inch Android devices could make them highly competitive with the iPad Mini. As component costs continue to drop, the low prices of 8-inch tablets could also begin cutting into sales of full-sized tablets such as the iPad. 7-inch tablets could also soon find themselves obsolete, if consumers end up preferring the screens on 8-inchers.

    (via DigiTimes)