With the stage set with the previous post, lets jump right in.1. Cheaper cost of entry: The serious iPad competitor will not only match iPad2 in price but go one up and come in at a lower entry point. The cheapest SKU needs to be less than $499. Anything over $499 for a base model is a fail. When you have a complete device with some of the best exclusive apps in town, the first point of competition is by offering a lower price device. By having a WiFi model at $599(MOTOROLA XOOM Android Tablet (Wi-Fi)
) even with more features than the iPad2, the Xoom makes people look elsewhere.2. WiFi model: Every tablet worth its salt MUST have a wifi only version that is the cheapest of the lot and cheaper than $499. A 3G model can launch in parallel or later than the Wi-Fi model at a higher price factoring in the price of the modem. Considering current carrier 3G/4G tablet data plans, a significant portion of buyers will be looking for a WiFi version only. Motorola missed the boat on this one with the Xoom, Samsung with the original Galaxy Tab and so did the recently launched T-Mobile G-Slate.3. Features- good and bad: Two items worth consideration here. Its good to have fancy features that offer a significant leg up on the iPad but without a cost add-on. A better camera (front and rear), more memory, higher resolution screen, USB ports are some examples. But along the same lines, unwanted features that increase the BOM cost but not really bring in new customers needs to be reconsidered. 3D screen on the G-Slate and sync with Blackberry phones on the Playbook come to mind.4. Bake the basic stuff well: If the tablet cannot do the basic tablet stuff well, there is no point to #1, #2 and #3. A good mail client, seamless Facebook integration, good Twitter client, some kids apps, a good camera app that makes best use of the camera, and a video telephony app are minimum requirements. Adding more unique experiences come in later. Playbook, are you listening?5. Apps: This is probably a huge section but needs to be viewed differently than just saying Android doesn't have tablet apps. Google has spent lots of man hours building and constantly improving the Android OS for phones and tablets. Device manufacturers have put together components and built similar looking tablets without spending much time and effort on unique apps that differentiate their devices. Until Android tablet manufacturers work with Google and internally to differentiate not just by looks but also by unique app experiences, it will be hard to take iOS head on.6. Target Audience: The NookColor is a good example of building a device that fulfills some requirements but very well. It targets readers, kids (NookKids), and homebrew enthusiasts (inadvertently). Building a device for a niche audience maybe more profitable than building an all-in-one that fails to differentiate itself.7. Design: Every tablet looks the same today. Throw in a 16GB RAM, a Tegra 2 processor, Android 3.0 (or webOS), 10.1 inch screen, 1280 x 800 screen, capacitive touch, black bezel and voila- yet another tablet is born. Is it time to rethink the tablet(before Apple does)?8. Don't just follow, lead: Just because Apple has built a tablet that does x,y and z, it doesnt mean everyone needs to follow suit. Building a unique experience is what put the iPad on top in the first place. The innovation to build a unique experience will always have a good audience upon good execution of the idea. By trying to build an iPad competitor, there are a million clones. There is no unique experience that challenges the conventional notion of what a tablet is and can do.As easy as it is for me to write this, it is so much harder to execute. Its like Bingo. Getting 9/10 right still falls short of the iPad which is perceived as a 10/10 in tablet realm. The iPad isn't without its flaws. It just does a great job of disguising it behind some remarkable design, engineering and marketing.
