Why it is the Year of the Tablets

* The following is  an individual opinion of editor ASyk and does not represent the official views of the company.

It is only January and Samsung has already announced 4 new tablets: Galaxy NotePRO (12.2-inch) and three different sizes of TabPRO (12.2, 10.1, 8.4-inch). I’m not an economist, but probably the oldest theory of economics applies to the ever changing tech industry as well; supply needs to meet the demand. It is no secret that, unlike Smartphones, the tablet market is still growing at a solid pace. Evidently, Samsung made 40 million tablet shipments in 2013, which is a noticeable increase from 2012. Therefore, economically, the release of 4 new Samsung tablets makes sense. So why is 2014 different from other years for tablets? Here is ASyk’s take on why 2014 might be a big year for tablets!

The Question of Differentiation

Although many people have been taking advantage of tablet’s unique characteristics, I can’t shake the impression there are still more than a few people who use tablets mainly for simple content viewing and web browsing, which is perfectly fine. However, is that really how we think of tablets? Mobile devices that are just bigger than smartphones?

There could be an explanation for this phenomenon. If you think about it, Smartphones were introduced as a ‘smart’ phone to replace ‘cell phones’. However, when tablets were introduced after smartphones, they had, relatively, an unclear identity of being something in between a smartphone and a PC; therefore, their purpose was a little vague for people who own a smartphone and a pc.

Differentiating

However, during the past several years, Samsung has turned the vagueness into options for the functionality and portability. Since launching the world’s first 7-inch tablet in 2010, Samsung tablets have evolved into two distinct categories: Note (with the S Pen) and Tab (without the S Pen). Last year alone, Samsung introduced a slew of new tablets, such as Galaxy Tab3 series (7-inch, 8-inch and 10.1-inch), Galaxy Note 8 (the first 8-inch tablet), and Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 edition. Talking about evolution, Galaxy Note 10.1 became the first tablet to feature WQXGA (2560×1600) resolution, and it has shown continuous improvements on usability, functionality from its previous version (2012) in terms of design, software, specification and more.

As you can see, not only are Samsung tablets evolving in terms of features and functions, but they are also diversifying in terms of size (7-inch, 8-inch, 10.1-inch and 12.2-inch). These symbolize the fact that Samsung is playing a major role in the growing use of tablets. And since more people have been using tablets, they are also beginning to discover new and more ways to utilize tablets. For example, people felt like tablets could be more office-friendly, doing things such as document editing, multitasking or conferencing, or on the more creative side, graphic designing and image editing. Naturally, people have been demanding tablets that can support their desires. Tablets have finally started to differentiate themselves from smartphones or PCs. It’s as if we’re entering the beginning of an era of tablets.

The First Tablets of 2014

Galaxy NotePRO and TabPRO have just been released as Samsung’s first contributions to the tablet market of 2014.  First of all, the 12.2-inch screen makes sense, because the size of the display puts itself right in the middle of smartphones and PCs, which gives a clearer identity just in terms of size alone; not to overlook the fact that it is the world’s first 12.2-inch tablet with WQXGA (2560×1600) resolution. Interestingly, the dimensions of the 12.2-inch tablet are 29.56cm x 20.4cm, which is about the size of an A4 sheet of paper (29.7cm x 21.0cm).

I don’t it is necessary to emphasize how familiar the A4 size is to us; it is probably the size of paper that is most available in offices around the world, and the size that professionals are most used to. We use A4 to take memos, scribble, print or draw and carry it around for reports or presentation. The size of the 12.2-inch Galaxy NotePRO and TabPRO is the size people are already used in so many aspects.

The new PRO models are not just about their size though. If you take a look at the specifications and features, you can definitely sense that it has given people many incentives to use tablets. The Galaxy NotePRO and TabPRO (12.2) are equipped with the Exynos 5 Octa processor, 3GB RAM and 32/64GB Internal Memory. In other words, they are powerful enough to support complicated tasks and applications. (Check out why Exynos 5 Octa processor is perfect for executing a variety of tasks.)

For example, here are some features of the new tablets that ‘PROfessionals’ will find intriguing. The Multi Window feature of the 12-inch PRO models has improved so that it lets you open up 4 different windows simultaneously, with each window about the size of a Galaxy Note 3 or a customizable size. Businesses will find the preloaded Cisco WebEx Meetings platform, a web conferencing solution of the Galaxy NotePRO and TabPRO, very useful. They also have a feature called the ‘E-meeting,’ which allows people to work together on content or exchange documents without having to be connected to a central server or network.

As you can imagine, all of these new technologies and features suggest that these tablets will fully support your desire to make more out of tablets. With the release of the Galaxy NotePRO and TabPRO, the year 2014 has become the time to maximize the tablets’ characteristics of functionality and portability. Remember I haven’t even mentioned the waves of third party apps for tablets. (BTW, Galaxy NotePRO users will get approx. $700 worth of content gift package) It is going to be a big year for tablets.

In closing, whenever I get a chance to talk to people in Samsung who were involved in project development, there is always a common thread in the conversation; User Experience. No matter how advanced the new technology is, it is useless if users cannot use it. This means even first time users should be able to pick up a new tech gadget in a heartbeat. The new Galaxy NotePRO and TabPRO will give new users a genuine tablet experience. When people see the name ‘Pro’ they might think that they are only for professionals, but I believe the name is actually referring to ‘tablet professionals’ who have been craving the right tablet to use. Either way, everyone is going to know what tablets stand for starting this year.

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*All functionality features, specifications and other product information provided in this document including, but not limited to, the benefits, design, pricing, components, performance, availability, and capabilities of the product are subject to change without notice or obligation.