Google's Operating System a Front-Runner as PC Manufacturers Rush to Create Tablet-Style Devices
In the high-stakes race to catch Apple Inc.'s hit iPad, the Android operating system that GoogleInc. popularized in cellphones is emerging as an early front-runner.
Tablet-style computers—a moribund hardware category until the iPad started generating buzz earlier this year—are expected to be a big topic at next week's Computex trade show, a major forum for product announcements by manufacturers of personal computers.
Acer Inc. and Dell Inc. unveiled plans for tablet-style machines in advance of the Taipei event, and other companies, such as Asustek Computer Inc., are expected to provide details on similar devices. Makers of semiconductors and other components are also scrambling for a position in the market.
![[TABLETS]](http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/MK-BD438A_TABLE_F_20100527193953.jpg)
Acer CEO Gianfranco Lanci shown in Beijing Thursday.
The company said it will use Android in an upcoming tablet PC,
and also announced plans for its first electronic reader, called LumiRead.
But when it comes to tablets, operating systems and applications may become even more important differentiators—just as software became a huge advantage for Apple with the iPhone.
"Without applications, the device itself means nothing," said Barry Lam, chairman of the contract laptop manufacturer Quanta Computer Inc., during a recent investor conference.
Google's Android operating system, as it did in smartphones, is emerging as the most potent alternative to Apple's technology. "The tablet trend is clearly going toward Android," said Jack Kang, director of technical marketing for Marvell Technology Group Ltd.
Marvell is part of a growing group of chip makers that license designs from ARM Holdings PLC. The U.K. company's technology is ubiquitous in cellphones and is becoming a popular choice in larger portable devices. Other ARM backers include Qualcomm Inc., Nvidia Corp., Texas Instruments Inc. Freescale Semiconductor Inc. and Via Technologies Inc.
Bob Morris, ARM's director of mobile computing, says his company is tracking about 40 tablet-style devices being designed with ARM-based chips, plus about 10 more e-reader devices for electronic books. He estimated that "upwards of half" are based on Android. Most others using ARM-based chips are customizing different variants of the Linux operating system, said Steve Mollenkopf, president of Qualcomm's chip unit.
Android offers several attractions. Most of the 50,000 apps that have been written for cellphones that use the operating system should run in some fashion on Android-based tablets. Android also allows most programs to work even if manufacturers change the underlying chip architecture. And Google doesn't charge companies for using it.
"It's tough to beat Android's price," said Jeff Barney, vice president of Toshiba Corp.'s U.S. and Latin America PC division, though the Japanese company is still pondering what software to offer on a tablet it plans to release later this year.
Android does come with some hitches. Just as developers of iPhone apps are modifying their creations for iPad, software companies need to tweak programs for Android to fully exploit features such as larger displays and forward-facing cameras.
And hardware makers also have to modify the user interface on Android, at least until Google comes up with what it calls a "device profile" that is specifically tailored for tablets. Dell, for example, had to customize Android to develop its Streak, a tablet with a five-inch screen that will go on sale in Europe next month. The device has similar features to the iPad, letting users click on applications with their fingers and type on a virtual keyboard on the display.
A Google spokesman said it "has not ruled out" developing a profile for tablets, but wouldn't discuss the potential timing.
The early trends appear to pose problems for two kingpins of PC technology, software giantMicrosoft Corp. and chip giant Intel Corp. But neither is planning to cede the tablet market. Manufacturers backing Android could potentially miss out on the two tech giants' massive advertising budgets, which have aided customers in the PC industry.
Some companies expect to offer versions of tablets based on Microsoft Windows. At Computex, Asustek is expected to show a Windows-based tablet, while laying plans for an Android-based version later. Microsoft says it is laying broader plans beyond slate-style designs to take advantage of technologies such as touch displays.
"Touch is a hot commodity across all form factors," said Brad Brooks, a Microsoft corporate vice president. "Slates are just a small piece of that."
Intel is expected to show a version of its Atom chip that is the first specifically designed for tablets. The company, besides supporting Windows, is backing a Linux-based variant in partnership with Nokia Corp., called Meego. It has also helped create an Android version that works on Intel chips. "We are going to absolutely support Android," said Renee James, Intel's senior vice president in charge of software.
Acer, the No. 2 PC maker behind Hewlett-Packard Co., said Thursday it will use Android in a seven-inch tablet PC that it expects to launch globally in September or October. The Taiwanese company also announced plans for its first e-reader, a six-inch device dubbed LumiRead, that it expects to deliver in July or August.
Separately, Sony Corp.'s finance chief said this week that it, too, is considering an iPad style device. The Japanese company on Thursday also said it would launch its e-book reader in Japan by the end of this year and set up an e-book content distribution business with three local companies to solve previous problems with distribution.
No comments:
Post a Comment