Samsung unveils thinner Galaxy Tab models in response to iPad 2

Samsung announced pricing and other details for its third tablet computer, the Galaxy Tab 8.9, and the slimmed-down Galaxy Tab 10.1 during a trade show in Orlando, Florida, it said.  

The two Honeycomb-based tablet computers are nearly identical versions in two different sizes with an 8.9-inch and a 10.1-inch display. They are both equipped with two cameras in the rear and the front, a 1-gigahertz dual core processor and connectivity to a faster wireless network called HSPA plus.

The price for the Galaxy Tab 10.1 will start at US$499 and will be available on June 8. The 8.9-inch Galaxy Tab will cost $469 and will hit shelves in early summer, according to a Samsung spokesman.

For the U.S. market, Samsung slightly tweaked the original Galaxy Tab 10.1 announced last month, downsizing the 8.0-megapixel camera in the rear of the gadget with a 3.0-megapixel and making the body about 2 millimeters thinner at just 8.6-millimeters thick.

The move comes after Lee Don-joo, executive vice president of Samsung's mobile division, commented on the iPad 2 earlier this month that Apple's iPad 2 presented fresh challenges for the South Korean company with a thinner design at a competitive price.    

Although Lee did not say whether Apple forced Samsung to reconsider its Galaxy Tab series, his remarks fueled market speculation that Samsung might move to add last minute changes before final launches of its tablet computers.

Unlike Apple, which rolls out identical products around the world, Samsung customizes its products to suit mobile carriers. With two new tablet computers, Samsung expanded its tablet lineup to three products in three different sizes.

(Yonhap News)