There’s a lot of discussion going on about the multimedia tablet market, but most pundits seem to think nothing can kill the iPad. However, a Droid-branded Android tablet from Motorola might be worth a look.
The Droid smartphone is currently the second best selling handset in the US, far behind the iPhone but far ahead of anything else in the very competitive mobile phone industry. It is, by far, the most successful device to use Google’s Android operating system.
So if rumors of a Droid tablet are true, it could shake up the business. Right now there are confirmed “iPad killers” in the works from companies like Asus and HP, but those will likely be relinqushed as footnotes in the tablet race.
Cnet posits what the market would be like if Motorola came out with its own Android-powered tablet, and could leverage its powerful Droid brand in the process.
In addition to having the most well-known Android phone with the Droid, Motorola exceeded its own expectations with the instant sell-out of the Droid X launch. It recently phased out the Droid for the official successor, the Droid 2. That phone is expected to continue on the legacy as the best-selling non-iPhone handset.
Android tablets will happen. That part of the equation is no longer at issue. What needs to be determined is if Motorola can bring its strength in the Android phone market to the Android tablet market. It would be a large risk for a company that’s doing very well with its own laurels now.
I’m also not convinced that Motorola really has any notable consumer base that is infatuated enough with the Droid brand to buy a Droid Pad. Apple’s mindless drones, of course, are willing to shill out cash for anything and that blind devotion helps out a company trying something experimental like an iPad.
Still, if anyone can do it it would be Motorola. A $300 Droid Pad could do a lot to shake things up.
