Huawei Prepares to Take On iPad Directly with Quad-core Beast for Under $500

[dgstorm]

Could the iPad be dethroned from an unlikely manufacturer? Up until now, some of the biggest heavyweights in the tablet industry, from Asus, Samsung, Acer and more have gone toe-to-toe with Apple's iPad, only to get knocked in the dirt. Each time a high-end 10-inch tablet is released, it always falls short of knocking the iPad off of the hill, despite having comparable or better hardware. The only way that any of the tablet manufacturers have been able to gain any marketshare at all is by releasing a swarm of smaller, cheaper and less powerful devices. Google's new Nexus 7 seems to be positioning itself to put the squeeze on the iPad, but again, it isn't really in the same "weight-class."

Maybe an underdog new competitor that no one would expect could come along and steal the thunder from the bloated fruit. Maybe Huawei is that new combatant. They are set to launch their new MediaPad 10 FHD in "late August" for only $475 dollars, and it has some surprisingly beastly specs:

• 10-inch 1920 x 1200 IPS LCD
• Custom Quad-core 1.5 GHz Huawei K3V2 processor
• 2 GB of RAM
• Android 4.0 ICS
• HSPA+ support
• 8 MP/1.3 MP dual cameras
• 8 GB of on-board storage, and a microSD card slot (storage is slim, but at least it has the microSD slot)
• 6,400 mAh Battery (this could be its Achilles Heel.)
• very slim profile (8.8 mm thickness and 589 grams weight)

Between that display, the quad-core chip and 2GB's of RAM, this thing could be a monster of performance. Of course, without getting it in our hands, and getting some benchmarks, who knows how good the product really is. Its aesthetic design is impressive. It would be more exciting if it came with Jelly Bean, but it's very likely that the Huawei engineers are working feverishly to make that happen. It would be nice to see a competitor come along and actually give Apple a run for its money while playing at the same level.

Still, the problem isn't in the hardware is it? The real reason that Apple's iPad smokes the competition in sales is marketing and reputation. It probably wouldn't matter if Huawei or any other hardware company made a product with specs that were twice as powerful as this. Most consumers don't look at those things. It's simply going to take Android some time to build public trust and prove that it does more things faster and easier than iOS. It doesn't matter that this is the reality right now. It will take competitive products to change public perception.

At least companies like Huawei are striving toward that, and this product looks like it could be a huge value, especially in the enthusiast market! Share your thoughts!

Source: AndroidAuthority

 

[Sydman]

Still, the problem isn't in the hardware is it? The real reason that Apple's iPad smokes the competition in sales is marketing and reputation. It probably wouldn't matter if Huawei or any other hardware company made a product with specs that were twice as powerful as this. Most consumers don't look at those things. It's simply going to take Android some time to build public trust and prove that it does more things faster and easier than iOS. It doesn't matter that this is the reality right now. It will take competitive products to change public perception.

I think that right there is very well put and sums it up right on the money. We need to guide the sheep away from the flock of getting things just because they have an Apple on them. I applaud any company that has the stones to throw egg on the face of Apple. Be interesting to see how it does once production has concluded.