The writing is clearly on the wall for Apple. Soon, it’s iPad will not be the lone warrior on the battlefield of tablet computers. And although the iPad may remain the dominant force in the industry, it will have its fair share of pretenders, wannabes, and perhaps even legitimate contenders to the tablet crown.
This week, numerous reports have surfaced about forthcoming iPad competitors that consumers will soon encounter in the marketplace. Case in pont: KT, South Korea’s largest fixed-line operator and the country’s second-largest mobile carrier by revenue, is moving forward with a little something called the “Identity Tab” tablet PC.
The Identity Tab, which will be released in early September, sports a 7-inch screen, is powered by Android, includes a one-gigahertz CPU, 8GB of memory and a 3-megapixel camera. Apps will be available from KT’s Olleh Market and Google’s Android Market.
The Wall Street Journal reports that the “Identity Tab” will cost only $23 when purchased with a two-year KT contract. It will cost you just over $400 without a contract. Overall, that’s a mighty inexpensive rate when compared to the iPad.
But as the Journal notes, consumers (and mobile marketers) will soon have a much wider variety of “toys” at their disposal. Samsung’s Galaxy Tab will be offered through SK Telecom in September. And LG’s tablet will likely debut sometime during the fourth quarter.
