Two electronic firms unveiled new tablet computers in Taipei yesterday on the eve of Asia’s biggest IT trade fair, as they try to get a slice of a lucrative market dominated by Apple’s iPad.
As thousands of industry delegates prepared for the Computex Taipei fair, US firm ViewSonic (優派) and Taiwan’s Shuttle Inc (浩鑫) showed off their latest innovations.
ViewSonic, a visual technology company that is based in California, introduced what it said was the world’s first tablet equipped with both Windows 7 and Google’s Android platforms.
Photo: PATRICK LIN, AFP
“While iPad users are aimed for entertainment, our new machine has more functions than that,” Kai Wang, a ViewSonic product manager, said during a news conference on the eve of the five-day event.
Kai said the ViewPad 10 Pro would be a simple transition for people who are already used to Microsoft’s operating system, adding that he expects much of its customer base to come from those who already use netbooks.
The new tablet, weighing slightly more than 830g, will hit stores in Taiwan next month and elsewhere in the Asia-Pacific region in the following month, with a price tag of up to US$799.
Taipei-based IT firm Shuttle Inc, meanwhile, showed off a low-priced gadget aimed at the student market.
On unveiling the Shuttle V08, company manager Donald Chen told journalists: “It’s true iPad is popular, but it is impossible for Apple to take the world’s entire tablet market. There is still room for some tailor-made tablet developers.”
With anti-dust and waterproof characteristics, its tablet weighs only 650g and is slated to cost just US$200.
“Can you see how big the market would be as long as competitors can grab up to a 30 percent share of the global tablet market?” Chen said.
Worldwide sales of tablet computers are forecast to hit 50 million units this year and double to 100 million next year, said Chang Li of the Taipei Computer Association, which co-hosts the annual trade fair.
Computex Taipei, which runs from today until Saturday, is the biggest information technology and communications trade show in Asia and attracts thousands of exhibitors from around the world.
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