Martech: Martech is Marketing Logo
  • Topics
    Digital Transformation
    Marketing Operations
    Data
    Customer & Digital Experience
    Performance Marketing
    Marketing Management
    Special Reports
    MarTech Topics
  • Conference
  • Webinars
  • Intelligence Reports
  • White Papers
  • What is MarTech
    Mission
    Staff
    Newsletter
    Search Engine Land
    Third Door Media

Processing...Please wait.

MarTech » Customer & Digital Experience » Dueling Apple, Microsoft, Google Press Events Promise Onslaught Of Mobile Devices For Holiday Buyers

Dueling Apple, Microsoft, Google Press Events Promise Onslaught Of Mobile Devices For Holiday Buyers

Hold on to your wallets folks, a new crop of mobile devices is imminent. Just in time for the ramp up to holiday shopping, Apple is expected to announce its long-anticipated 7-inch iPad Mini (or whatever it will be called) tomorrow. That event is also rumored to include an interim refresh of the flagship 10-inch […]

Greg Sterling on October 22, 2012 at 10:24 am

Hold on to your wallets folks, a new crop of mobile devices is imminent. Just in time for the ramp up to holiday shopping, Apple is expected to announce its long-anticipated 7-inch iPad Mini (or whatever it will be called) tomorrow. That event is also rumored to include an interim refresh of the flagship 10-inch iPad in addition to other a couple of other PC-related hardware announcements.

Right on the heels of Apple’s tablet unveiling Google and Microsoft are holding dueling press events a week from now. Microsoft’s Windows Phone 8 event will be held in San Francisco and Google’s Android meeting in New York. Journalists and bloggers are being forced to choose which one to attend — at opposite ends of the country.

New York vs. San Francisco

Danny will be in New York in the Android playpen and I’ll be in San Francisco covering the Windows Phonathon. While Microsoft’s event will focus on smartphones and its new OS, Google is expected to show off both smartphones and tablets.

The Next Web has posted on what it thinks Google will announce in New York:

  • A new 32GB Nexus 7 tablet (and a version with carrier connectivity)
  • A new 10-inch Nexus tablet made by Samsung
  • Android 4.2 OS (apparently intended to match some of iOS 6’s features)
  • New Nexus “quad core” flagship smartphone (made by LG)

Apple Mini vs. Kindle Fire vs. Nexus 7

The $199 Nexus 7 has sold well and the new Nexus tablets should also do well — if aggressively priced. Price has been key to the success of the Kindle Fire and the Nexus 7.

One rumor over the weekend suggested that Apple would sell its smaller iPad at $329 to start, partly in an effort not to undermine the $299 iPod Touch. But less expensive 7-inch tablets from Google and Amazon could keep consumers away from the “iPad Mini” if it starts above $300.

Indeed, I don’t think Apple can’t price an entry level Mini model above $250 if it wants the device to be competitive. We’ll see tomorrow.

Surface RT Sellout

Meanwhile last week it was reported that Microsoft’s initial run of Surface RT tablets have sold out in the US. The company is hoping that these new Windows 8 tablets, together with Windows Phone 8, make it competitive in the mobile device segment. Remarkably Microsoft is now the underdog vs Apple and Google.

The Surface sell-out, whether created by Microsoft through artificial scarcity or a genuine reflection of interest, does suggest consumer demand, which is positive for the company. Microsoft saw its Office and Windows OS revenues decline last quarter ahead of the Windows 8 rollout.

It’s not clear, however, what Microsoft will be showing off next Monday, given that the company essentially revealed all the features of Windows Phone 8 back in June and showed off its Surface tablets at roughly the same time. Indeed, if there’s nothing new to see Microsoft may lose the “coverage cycle” to Google. Media magnet Apple will itself only have a scant week to play up its new devices before Google and Microsoft’s events.

Windows Ecosystem Disruption

The hardware environment is more competitive and dynamic than ever with more consumer choice and more price competition. The Windows ecosystem, once unassailable, is now being disrupted. Microsoft’s entry into the hardware market (tablets now, smartphones later) is an effort to inject itself back into the consumer discussion and regain some measure of control. (In the US Microsoft’s smartphone share is now at roughly 3.6 percent according to comScore.)

The Surface RT tablet matches the iPad’s $499 entry level price. Indeed, Surface RT is more like an iPad than a full-fledged Windows computer. Surface Pro will be more “robust” and carry a higher price tag, much like a conventional laptop (above $600).

However Google and Samsung last week introduced a refreshed Chromebook for $249 and a 3G version for $329. I couldn’t help thinking that this pricing will get attention and may cause some people to buy a Chromebook instead of a traditional laptop or perhaps even a higher priced tablet.

Yet how many devices can one person own: three . . . five . . . seven?


Opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily MarTech. Staff authors are listed here.


New on MarTech

    How clean, organized and actionable is your data?
    Replacement Survey: The top 5 solutions replaced
    What’s the biggest hidden secret in Google Ads?
    Native video tops social media in brand awareness study
    Worsening economy has more shoppers getting online info before making in-store purchases

About The Author

Greg Sterling
Greg Sterling is a Contributing Editor to Search Engine Land, a member of the programming team for SMX events and the VP, Market Insights at Uberall.

Related Topics

Customer & Digital ExperiencePerformance Marketing

Get the daily newsletter digital marketers rely on.

Processing...Please wait.

See terms.

ATTEND OUR EVENTS The MarTech Conference logo.

September 28-29, 2022: Fall

Start Training Now: Master Classes

Start Discovering Now: Spring



The SMX Conference logo.

Start Training Now:: SMX Advanced

November 14-15, 2022: SMX Next

March 8-9, 2022: Master Classes

Webinars

Agencies: Grow Revenue Streams Through Web Accessibility & Compliance

Protect Your Paid Advertising Spend Against Ad Fraud and Invalid Traffic

Build an Integrated Search Strategy Across Google, Amazon and YouTube

See More Webinars
Intelligence Reports

Enterprise SEO Platforms: A Marketer’s Guide

Enterprise Identity Resolution Platforms

Email Marketing Platforms: A Marketer’s Guide

See More Intelligence Reports
Featured White Paper

Site Search 101

See More Whitepapers

Receive daily marketing news & analysis.

Processing...Please wait.

Topics

  • Transformation
  • Operations
  • Data
  • Experience
  • Performance
  • Management
  • All Topics
  • Home

Our Events

  • MarTech
  • Search Marketing Expo - SMX

About

  • What is MarTech
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Marketing Opportunities
  • Staff

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Newsletters
  • RSS

© 2022 Third Door Media, Inc. All rights reserved.