Can Windows, Samsung Make a Run at Apple in the Tablet Space?
The iPad is to tablets as Q-tip is to cottony-things that you shove in your ear. That is to say that the words "iPad" and "tablet" are used almost interchangeably at industry conferences.
There are plenty of "competitors" to the iPad, but right now it hasn't been much of a competition. I spoke this week with Ojas Rege, VP of strategy for mobile device managment company MobileIron, about the interest his firm is seeing in the tablet space, and right now it isn't much of a story.
"Tablets in the capital markets─and frankly tablets in every industry right now─are dominated by the iPad," he says. "It probably represents over 90 percent of what's deployed."
As for the iPad's competitors, he says there's a lot of interest in Windows RT, low interest in Samsung's Android tablet, and interest in BlackBerry's offering has been "absolutely nonexistent".
But for Windows and Samsung, there are reasons to believe that they might be able to start to dent Apple's near monopoly by 2014.
First, Samsung. Last month the Android-provider launched Samsung Knox, which is aimed at companies looking to employ a bring-your-own-device (BYOD) strategy throughout the enterprise. It's functionality provides for a "dual-persona platform for at work and at home", according to the company, that separates the user's personal information from their work info.
"That's the kind of thing where I can now see in a year, maybe six months, there will actually be a real, viable option for capital markets to say, ‘Hey, there's an Android tablet out there that gives me the security I want and has a rock-solid user experience,'" he says.
Then there's Windows RT. In October, MobileIron conducted a webinar for the new Windows 8 platforms: Windows 8, Windows RT and Windows Pro. Rege says that 2,500 of the company's 4,000 customers signed up for the webinar.
"The interest level in Windows 8 was massive," he says. "So what's happened in the last five months?"
One of the reasons for Windows' slow uptake is that RT is run on a whole new processor architecture and it doesn't run any of the old Windows apps. Users were hoping to get a new tablet that allowed them to do innovative things while keeping the old Windows apps in play, Rege says. That didn't happen. As a result, there isn't much of an incentive for a prospective buyer to choose Windows over Apple, if neither of them can run the old Windows apps.
"So RT hit a sticking point: You're stuck between the momentum of the iPad and a little bit of confusion in the market around what kind of applications RT can support," Rege says. "We're seeing a lot of interest in the Windows tablets but it's still a little bit early."
Rege says that he can see a point where Windows starts to make some gains in the industry in part because of how comfortable people in IT are with Windows' platform. Many firms have Windows developers, he says, and it can become "a good companion to the iPad deployments that they're doing internally," Rege says.
To me, that seems to be the most logical entry point: the IT staff. I would guess that portfolio managers and sales staff are going to want to use an iPad. They are comfortable with it and it carries a certain gravitas, which in the world of buy-side politics, counts for a lot.
As Rege told me, capital markets firms aren't as concerned about the iPad's price point the way a consumer would be, or an industry that has greater IT budget constraints.
"What we see with iPad is within capital markets and other parts of financial services, there isn't a lot of price sensitivity," he says. "There are other industries where cheaper tablets do well because there is real price sensitivity. We don't see that in the capital markets, where it's less about how much the piece of hardware costs because the iPad is seen as the cream of the crop."
Samsung Knox seems like a smart rollout, but the greatest barrier there is that─as with any BYOD strategy─you have hope that your workers want to use this as their phone and/or tablet. They have to want to have it at home, so as to bring it in to work.
I had an Android and after switching to the iPhone, I'll never go back. I haven't used Samsung's tablet, but I find it hard to believe that it can outperform the iPad in such a significant way so as to cause someone to change over.
When 2014 rolls around, I think that when we're at a conference and talking about tablets, we'll still be referring to iPads. I don't believe that Knox or Windows 8 will serve as game changers. But that doesn't mean that there isn't room to at least knock that 90-percent adoption down to something like 85 or (optimistically) 80 percent, either. I don't think that will happen on the buy side, but that also doesn't mean it can't.
What are your thoughts? Let me know via email (anthony.malakian@incisivemedia.com) or give me a call (646-490-3973).
Only users who have a paid subscription or are part of a corporate subscription are able to print or copy content.
To access these options, along with all other subscription benefits, please contact info@waterstechnology.com or view our subscription options here: http://subscriptions.waterstechnology.com/subscribe
You are currently unable to print this content. Please contact info@waterstechnology.com to find out more.
You are currently unable to copy this content. Please contact info@waterstechnology.com to find out more.
Copyright Infopro Digital Limited. All rights reserved.
As outlined in our terms and conditions, https://www.infopro-digital.com/terms-and-conditions/subscriptions/ (point 2.4), printing is limited to a single copy.
If you would like to purchase additional rights please email info@waterstechnology.com
Copyright Infopro Digital Limited. All rights reserved.
You may share this content using our article tools. As outlined in our terms and conditions, https://www.infopro-digital.com/terms-and-conditions/subscriptions/ (clause 2.4), an Authorised User may only make one copy of the materials for their own personal use. You must also comply with the restrictions in clause 2.5.
If you would like to purchase additional rights please email info@waterstechnology.com
More on Emerging Technologies
The Waters Cooler: Tidings of comfort and joy
Christmas is almost upon us. Have you been naughty or nice?
FactSet launches conversational AI for increased productivity
FactSet is set to release a generative AI search agent across its platform in early 2025.
Waters Wavelength Ep. 295: Vision57’s Steve Grob
Steve Grob joins the podcast to discuss all things interoperability, AI, and the future of the OMS.
S&P debuts GenAI ‘Document Intelligence’ for Capital IQ
The new tool provides summaries of lengthy text-based documents such as filings and earnings transcripts and allows users to query the documents with a ChatGPT-style interface.
The Waters Cooler: Are times really a-changin?
New thinking around buy-build? Changing tides in after-hours trading? Trump is back? Lots to get to.
A tech revolution in an old-school industry: FX
FX is in a state of transition, as asset managers and financial firms explore modernizing their operating processes. But manual processes persist. MillTechFX’s Eric Huttman makes the case for doubling down on new technology and embracing automation to increase operational efficiency in FX.
Waters Wavelength Ep. 294: Grasshopper’s James Leong
James Leong, CEO of Grasshopper, a proprietary trading firm based in Singapore, joins to discuss market reforms.
The Waters Cooler: Big Tech, big fines, big tunes
Amazon stumbles on genAI, Google gets fined more money than ever, and Eliot weighs in on the best James Bond film debate.