Stiff Competition. Microsoft vs Google vs Apple vs Amazon.

[Guest xXBooSHXx]

Whose going to come out on top ?

Just seen possible pricing for Microsoft Surface. http://www.electricp...-inside-source/

Ipad mini on the way, new range of Kindles, plus others like Barnes and noble and wikipad (getting Playstation mobile support).

Exciting times in the tablet market.

[Guest cjb110]

I still think Microsoft is more after the business users with Surface, hence all the input mechanisms out the box. They want the Tesco delivery, DHL, Meter Readers, the ones still using Windows Mobile. They will obviously take any consumer sales they get, but I don't think they're after it...and I don't think the $200 launch price is likely due to that either. I think they'll go after consumers later.

Android will win purely on the actual number of devices, due to the simple fact any OEM/ODM can create an Android device. They'll continue to loose in reviews, but Google should combat that a bit with the Motorola restructuring, releasing more premium devices. If they can get that without annoying Samsung, HTC, Acer and Asus too much then they will easily dominate the pure sales stats.

Apple will keep its premium feel, and I think will be first to unify desktop/mobile properly...but they'll hurt their hard-core productivity users in doing so.

The 7" iPad mini seems odd, to me a 5" iTouch makes more sense. But either device seems to be out of wack with the rest of Apples devices, and seems like a first misstep due to the lack of Jobs controlling force. It seems to make sense from looking at the success of the Note and Nexus 7, and other 7"'s, but following the market isn't Jobs' Apple.

One area where Google/Apple could and should do better is global support, both iPad and Android have too many US only content, they need to flex their size and spend their sums fixing that...there's modern logical reason that any body in any country shouldn't be able to buy content from any other country, the distribution is irrelevant, the differing currency is irrelevant. The only block is the antiquated business practises of the content producers with their maze of unintelligible licensing laws and draconian outlook to modern technology.

[Guest masterpfa]

Watch this space

All are good devices, but ultimately it won't necessarily be the best that wins this battle but the best marketed.

[Guest xXBooSHXx]

Marketing has always been a major factor in success of a product (Warning: potential use of Betamax Vs VHS cliché evident). Rarely does the best product come out on top, and I agree I wish US only content would become a thing of the past.