Let’s get a few things out of the day. I love my iPad. I use it all the time. I look at my laptop as an endangered species these days.
Apple sold something like 15million iPads last year alone
Recently, Android powered tablets are hitting the market. The state of the art for the Android camp seems to be the Motorola Xoom.
The question I’m thinking about is should startups develop for the Android tablets or focus on iPads.
You can’t ignore Android. Very quickly Android phones has begun to outsell iPhones. You can feel marketshare shifting. You see more Android phones on planes, trains and in coffee shops.
So will the same thing happen with Android tablets. Will they outpace iPads?
I’m not so sure.
Yesterday, one of the founders in our portfolio told me that he’s not bullish on Android tablets for one simple reason – distribution.
Unlike Android phones which are heavily subsidized and heavily promoted by wireless carriers, Android tablets will have to find their way through online and retail channels.
And those stores (ie Best Buy) just don’t compete with the Apple Store experience.
I hadn’t thought of distribution before. I was thinking more about price and user experience.
But as we saw with the Nexus 1 – distribution matters.