Apple are rumoured to be responsible for RIM PlayBook delay

The delay in the release of RIM’s tablet device –the PlayBook – may have been caused by a shortage in components, thanks to Apple securing the entire inventories of some component producers for use with their own iPad 2 device.

The PlayBook had originally been scheduled for a stateside release on April 19th, a date that has now been knocked back by a month.

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Dell’s 10-inch Windows 7 tablet delayed until autumn

Dell have announced that their 10-inch, Windows 7 running tablet device will not be released until autumn.

The device – codenamed Rosemount – was originally pencilled in for a May/June release according to the roadmap leaked by Dell in February; apparently this is no longer the case.

This latest information regarding Rosemount comes from a ‘source close to Dell’ who leaked the information to Forbes. The source also disclosed that the tablet would be aimed at enterprise customers when it is finally released.

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Asus Eee Pad Transformer undercuts iPad 2 on price

Asus will release their first Android Honeycomb tablet in the UK on April 6th, a fortnight behind the iPad 2.

Presales have already begun for the Asus Eee Pad Transformer, which costs £380; £19 less than Apple’s latest tablet.

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RIM’s research spending exposed

Canadian firm, RIM spent $1.35 billion on research and development in 2011 alone, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal.

These figures equate to a tripling of research and development expenditure by RIM since 2008. In that same three-year period, sales of RIM’s BlackBerry units did rise, although this has been blamed upon a general increase in interest across the smartphone market.

In fact, BlackBerry’s smartphone market share dropped 3.4% in 2010, from 19.7% to 16.3%; a reflection of the high-levels of choice now offered to smartphone consumers.

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Samsung’s new Galaxy Tab 10.1 and 8.9 are thinnest yet

With side profiles of just 8.6mm each, Samsung’s new tablet offerings are the thinnest tablets yet.

The new devices – thinner than most smartphones – signify a change in direction for tablet manufacturers hoping to depose Apple’s iPad from the top of the tree.

Slim is apparently the way forward; the Apple iPad itself had one third of its original width shaved off for its latest incarnation, the iPad 2, dropping it to a slimline 8.8mm.

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Tablet market will top $35bn by 2012, say analysts

Market analysts, JP Morgan have predicted that the tablet market will be worth $35.2bn by the end of 2012.

As if there wasn’t enough speculation into the demise of the netbook already, the research also identified netbook and notebook PC devices as the major fall guys of the tablet’s continuing success story.

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New research shows iPad’s dominance in 2010

New research has revealed the true extent of Apple’s dominance of the tablet market in 2010, proclaiming that 93% of all tablet devices sold in Q3 were iPads.

The figures – released by ABI Research – showed that 4.5 million tablet devices were shipped in Q3, of which a staggering 4.19 million were iPad devices.

However, ABI’s senior practice director, Jeff Orr does not expect such a monopoly to continue, as numerous challengers wait in the wings to release their own iPad competitors:

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Design finalized for iPad 2 leather carry case

A video released by MIC Gadget appears to reveal the finalized design for a leather case for Apple’s imminent iPad 2 tablet.

The video portrays a smart leather case which folds out in a similar way to a laptop bag. One half of the folding case re-folds in a gatefold style to form a handy stand for the iPad 2 device.

Pictures have also been released that show a tan coloured version and a classy all black version of the case, both of which include strategically positioned holes and openings for a larger speaker and a camera.

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Excitement builds for Motorola Xoom tablet

Excitement is building for the new Motorola Xoom tablet after it was showcased at the Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona, amid rumours that a release date announcement is only days away.

The Tegra 2 powered device truly wowed audiences at MWC as Motorola demonstrated some of the features that it hopes will make the Xoom the first serious competitor to the iPad.

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Windows 8 tablets rumoured to be in the pipeline

Microsoft are rumoured to be developing Windows 8 for tablets, ready for a release later this year.

While Microsoft’s Windows 7 hasn’t exactly set the tablet market alight, there are clutch of devices currently available which run the OS, including offerings from Dell, HP and LG. However, Microsoft now plan to start afresh and relaunch Windows as the definitive tablet operating system.

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