With Amazon reportedly poised to launch a tablet computer, technology research firm Forrester is predicting the device could be the first legitimate challenger to Apple's iPad.
Forrester Research analyst Sarah Rotman Epps, in a blog post accompanying a report released Monday, said Amazon taking on Apple is a "bit like David taking on Goliath."
But Rotman Epps said Amazon's "willingness to sell hardware at a loss combined with the strength of its brand, content, cloud infrastructure, and commerce assets makes it the only credible iPad competitor in the market."
"If Amazon launches a tablet at a sub-$300 price point -- assuming it has enough supply to meet demand -- we see Amazon selling 3-5 million tablets in the fourth quarter alone," she said.
The Seattle, Washington-based Amazon, maker of the Kindle electronic book reader, is capable of "disrupting not only Apple's product strategy but other tablet manufacturers' as well," the Forrester Research analyst said.
Apple sold 9.25 million iPads last quarter and dominates the market for the multi-media devices, which are also being produced by South Korea's Samsung, Blackberry maker Research In Motion and scores of other companies.
But none of the iPad's rivals has managed to put a scare so far into the California-based gadget-maker whose legendary co-founder Steve Jobs stepped down as chief executive last week.
Citing disappointing sales, US computer giant Hewlett-Packard killed its iPad competitor, the TouchPad, last week after just seven weeks on the market.
According to technology research firm Gartner, the iPad will account for 68.7 percent of the 69.7 million tablets to be sold this year and will remain the top-selling device over the next few years.
Amazon has not publicly announced plans to produce a tablet but numerous press reports have said the online retail giant will come out with one this year.
The Wall Street Journal reported last month that Amazon plans to unveil a tablet computer powered by Google's Android operating system before October.
The New York Post, citing a "a source with knowledge of the plans," said last week that Amazon will enter the tablet fray in late September or October with a device that costs "hundreds less than the entry-point $499 iPad."
Like with the low-priced Kindle, Amazon would not be looking to make a profit on the hardware but from digital content such as books, music, movies and games and applications sold for the device.
Forrester's Rotman Epps said the arrival of an Amazon tablet could also encourage Android software developers to create more programs.
Apple's App Store currently boasts more than 100,000 applications for the iPad while just a few hundred have been created for tablets running a version of Android called Honeycomb.
"If Amazon?s Android-based tablet sells in the millions, Android will suddenly appear much more attractive to developers who have taken a wait-and-see approach," Rotman Epps said.
"The bottom line: A year from now, 'Amazon' will be synonymous with 'Android' on tablets, a strong second to Apple's iPad," she predicted.
<한글기사>
아마존, 저렴한 iPad대항마 10月출시
포레스트 리서치 '500만대 판매하면서 애플의 경쟁자로 부상'
(샌프란시스코=연합뉴스) 임상수 특파원 = 아마존이 올해 중에 저렴한 태블릿PC 를 출시해 최고 500만대를 판매하면서 애플의 진정한 경쟁자로 부상될 것이라고 시 장조사업체인 포레스트 리서치의 선임 애널리스트 새라 로트맨 앱스가 전망했다고 경제전문지 포브스 인터넷판 등 미국 현지 언론들이 29일 보도했다.
포레스트 리서치는 지난 7월초 아마존이 안드로이드 기반의 태블릿PC를 준비하고 있으며, 오는 10월 출시되면서 애플의 아이패드와 치열하게 경쟁할 것이라고 전 한 바 있다.
안드로이드를 기반으로 하는 태블릿PC는 삼성전자의 갤럭시탭 10.1과 모토로라 줌 등의 선전에도 시장 점유율 20%에 머물러 있다.
앱스는 아이패드가 현재까지 2천870만대를 판매하면서 시장을 주도하고 있지만 아마존이 올해 4분기 300만∼500만대의 태블릿PC를 판매하면서 아이패드에 맞서는 진정한 경쟁자로 부상할 것이라고 전했다.
앱스는 "아마존이 빠르게 시장을 잠식할 가능성이 있을 뿐 아니라 전자책 단말 기 킨들처럼 손실을 감수하고 판매에 나설 경우 무서운 경쟁자가 될 수 있을 것“이 라며 ”하지만 이 정도 수준의 태블릿PC를 판매하려면 가격을 300달러 이하로 책정해 야 한다“고 덧붙였다.
이와 관련, 현지 언론들은 아마존의 새 태블릿PC가 안드로이드를 구동되며, 9인 치 스크린에 전자책과 영화, 음악 등 미디어를 내려받기(다운로드)할 수 있는 기능 을 가지고 있다고 보도했으며 가격은 299달러에 책정될 가능성이 큰 것으로 점쳤다.
