Samsung announces the Galaxy Tab 2, a Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus with Ice Cream Sandwich
Sometimes, I have no idea what Samsung's strategy is. Either they are trying to fill every possible need with a unique device, or their tablet strategy is just extremely disjointed. For example, they already have two 7-inch Android tablets, the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus and the Galaxy Tab 7.7, but today they announced another device, the Galaxy Tab 2, with almost nothing to differentiate it from the other devices.
The Galaxy Tab 2, presumably successor to the original Galaxy Tab, will have a 1GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, a 7-inch 1024 x 600 display, WiFi, 3MP rear and VGA front camera, and variable choices for storage up to 32GB. Cellular connectivity includes GSM HSPA+ support, and GPS is included as well.
In case you missed our coverage of the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus, let me just tell you that the specifications match up almost exactly. In fact, the 7.0 Plus even has a slightly faster clock speed at 1.2GHz. Only software differentiates the Tab 2, which will ship with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich to the Plus's Honeycomb.
Frankly, I am confounded by this decision. Not only is the Galaxy Tab 2 nearly the same device as the Plus, it will supposedly be retailing around $450. With the 7.0 Plus at $350, this is simply unacceptable. In fact, it appears that Samsung is actually trying to charge users for the upgrade to Android 4.0, while leaving Plus owners out in the cold.
Even if Samsung is planning to update the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus, as far as I can tell it would have made much more sense for the company to focus resources on getting that update out instead of releasing an entirely new device. I have no idea what Samsung's reasoning for this release may be, but this is one of the clearest symptoms of Android fragmentation I have seen.
[SammyHub]
