First mover advantage is huge in consumer products for mindshare and it’s something that the iPad has captured. While competitors are warming up their own new tablet computers, Christopher Dawson thinks the iPad hitting the market first could produce a similar effect as Viagra did when it came out before other erectile dysfunction medication, leaving Levitra and Cialis fighting for scraps.
“And yet, with the iPad not only first to market but largely unavailable due to high demand (so great, in fact, that international sales have been delayed), one has to wonder what it will take for Android to catch up,” writes Dawson. “It’s a powerful brand among the technorati, but Apple’s is strongest among the elite consumers who can pony up for a device like this. Chrome OS is coming later this year and may actually dillute the brand a bit, while Intel/Nokia are vying for the role of Levitra with their MeeGo OS.”
“To overcome the Apple juggernaut, Google will need to leverage the sheer number of devices that can run Android and be extremely careful of its branding with Chrome OS. It’s taken a while, but it’s slowly beginning to work in the smartphone market,” he continued. “However, the tablet market is completely new. It isn t clear how others operating systems and manufacturers will play against Apple, nor is it clear how Google s open Web/open OS message will play with prosumers.”
Source: ZDNet {link no longer active}
