Reference Auto

Sony has also forayed into the tablets market with devices, christened the S1 and S2, that are WiFi, 3G as well as 4G compatible, sparking fears that the move could see Apple iPad’s share in the tablet market, which is currently at over 80 per cent, dwindle sharply in the next few years.

The S1 and S2 (which are just codenames) are slated for launch in the next three to four months. The real names will be revealed just ahead of launch.

And both the S1 and S2 tablets will also come with infrared lamps to control Sony Bravia devices.

They’ll also belt out music and video to compatible devices through the DLNA wireless protocol. This is similar in concept to Apple’s AirPlay.

The S1 has a 9.4-inch display while the S2 comes with two 5.5-inch displays that can be folded. The tablets will be compatible with PlayStation games.

But the design of the S1 and S2 are completely different from the Samsung Galaxy Tab and Apple’s iPad and Sony’s gadgets do seem to have a slender look.

Sony’s tablets will use an operating system based on Google’s Android 3.0. Sony has not yet revealed the price of the S1 and S2.

Tablet PC sales are set to peak to almost $50 billion in four years as people across the globe make a beeline to lap up the devices that can correctly be placed between laptops and smartphones.

Apple’s iPad2 was rolled out in the US a month ago and comes equipped with cameras and a powerful processor. Prices begin from $499.

The iPad has set cash registers ringing for Apple, with sales touching almost the $10 billion-mark since its launch last year. Tablet sales touched more than 10 million units last year from a low of 90,000 in 2009.

In a bid to tap the swirling demand, companies like Samsung, whose Galaxy Tab is Apple’s strongest contender in the tablets segment, along with Motorola, LG and HTC are flooding the market with tablets that run on the Android OS.

Even though a late mover in the tablets market, Sony’s reputation as one of the world’s top electronics brands could help pare Apple’s share substantially with fears that Sony could become number two in the market in a couple of years, dislodging Samsung.

To get a grip of the market and see to it that its second position stays, Samsung will have to not only innovate but also whittle down prices of its tablets and enrich them with features while Apple will have to go on an upgrade mode aggressively to make its iPad different from the rest.

A price cut by the South Korean firm could see it go a long way in the tablets market and constant innovation will help Apple to remain on top, even in the medium term, giving Sony’s S1 and S2 a run for their money.