Samsung’s Galaxy Tab has faced one big problem from day one – it’s supposed to be an iPad killer but you can get an iPad for less money. But now, if you sign up for a Verizon data plan, you can get one for the same price as the cheapest iPad.
The advantage, though, is that you get 3G access. For $499, you can get the Verizon version of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab and a Verizon data contract. That’s the same price as Apple’s 16 GB iPad with only Wi-Fi access.
The Tab is now sold through all major mobile carriers, and all of them offer subsidized pricing if customers sign up for a data plan. The only one that didn’t go along with that idea was Verizon. It originally only sold the Galaxy Tab for $599, without a data contract.
While Samsung says the Tab is selling beyond its expectations, many are still puzzled to see the price so high. In addition to being more expensive than the iPad, it’s magnitudes of scale above what other Android-powered tablets cost. There are other Android tablets on the market for as low as $200. [[Verizon]]
Nevertheless, the Galaxy Tab is the most high-profile iPad competitior yet, thanks to an aggressive marketing push from Samsung and an extreme amount of research and development that were poured into the device.
The iPad, of course, is still grabbing the lion’s share of attention. While the Tab sold a million units worldwide last year, the iPad has sold several million. And when it comes to apps, no one is talking about Samsung’s product. It’s all about either the iPhone, Android phones, or the iPad.
The Tab, however, lets users view Flash content, has USB connectivity, includes a camera, and lets users store data to external media cards. The iPad can’t do any of those things.
So it’s still in the running, and Verizon must be seeing some value in it to now offer a subsidized pricing option – which means it eats that $100 price cut in hopes it can make it up with the customer data plan.
