Tablet Wave Means Few Will Succeed, Many Will Fail

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LAS VEGAS -- Every year at CES, there's a theme or expectation that quickly becomes codified the moment you step inside the cavernous and often soulless Las Vegas Convention Center. This year, it was clear that everyone and their grandmother was coming out with a tablet PC. Pre-show estimates put the number around 50. Scuttlebutt inside Central Hall here put that figure closer to 80, although an exact count would be a near-Herculean and mind-numbing task.

What is painfully obvious is that many of these tablet makers showing off their wares will be drubbed by giants like Apple, Samsung, Motorola, RIM, and maybe a couple other fortunate ones. For the rest, 2011 is looking to be a gruesome battle of attribution amongst dozens of other companies.

"The market will only bear so much," said IDC analyst David Daoud before CES kicked off. "It's going to get pretty ugly as the year goes on."

And with so many options out there to pick from, it's going to be up to the manufacturers to separate themselves with unique features, although some are banking on being the budget-priced model of choice for those looking to spend under $500 on an entry-level tablet. Let's look at show some of the major players of 2011 might be.

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See Also:

• Tablets, Dual-Core Phones and 3-D Cameras: 2011's Hottest Gadget …


• G-Lab: Chrome Netbook, Windows 7 Tablets, Pocket God for iPad …


• Steve Jobs Says 7-Inch Tablets Are 'Dead on Arrival'


• How 7-Inch Android Tablets Can Succeed

Full story at http://feeds.wired.com/~r/GearFactor/~3/PTJ1er-7XRA/