[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] BarryH_GEG:
I hope you don't really think that. Asus has made mistakes with the Prime that have impacted a lot of purchasers. What I'd "love" is to see that rectified. Whether it's an improved designed, working with people to get them moved to another Asus tablet, or allow returns if a reseller won't. I'd also "love" to get the $150 back I lost due to restocking fees applied to two Prime's I returned. Competition is good for everyone and Asus is an aggressive company committed to tablets. So I'd "love" for them to succeed to keep pressuring other manufacturers and driving innovation.

You and I disconnect sometimes because some of what I share is bigger picture about market behavior, product marketing principles, and the rationale behind big company decision making. Some of it does raise questions about Nvidia, Asus, and the Prime's direction. It doesn't mean I "hate" any of the three. I post it because I hope people find it interesting as it provides some color on device and industry direction. Simply, you play checkers while I play chess. Any strategy decisions Asus (or any other manufacturer) makes in 2012 will be based on chess and not an emotional attachment to any of the devices they sell. Asus wants to sell tablets in 2012 to gain market share and profit. They could give two ****s whether it's the 7", TF300, TF201, or TF700 that gets them there. The ones that support their goals will live. Those that don't and aren't meeting profit targets will die. And there will be no emotion applied to the decisions.

This is an interesting piece talking about the tablet market. In a nutshell, the KF and NC are eating away at native Android tablet sales not Apple's. The market for $399 native Android tablets is actually shrinking below the 15% it held before the KF was released. Samsung's losing tablet market share and Asus more. One has to question a strategy of flooding the market with devices that it appears consumers aren't interested in. Samsung has deep pockets and a broader revenue base to spread losses over and for a longer period of time. Asus, not so much. I use the two of them as examples because of all the manufacturers they seem to be the most hell bent in offering a slew of tablets in different sizes and specs. So Asus producing 7MM tablets in 2012 (more than Samsung sold worldwide in 2011) is a recipe for disaster. The BB PB pricing reductions were all caused by overly optimistic sales projections and having them fill warehouses unsold so "build it and they will come" is a foolish and risky strategy. From a pure marketing perspective, Asus’ "hottest" devices in 2012 will be the 7" at $249 and 10.1" at $349 (guess) because they're filling/creating a niche. The TF201, A700, TF700, and Samsung 11.6" are going to continue to languish against the iPad. Even more so when the iPad3 goes on sale next month. So pretend you’re a senior level marketer at Asus and tell me where you’d focus your resources. Also keep in mind that you, me, and everyone else on XDA don't represent a big enough audience to even make a dent in sales projected in the millions. Our criteria for "toys" is very different than Joe Public's and Joe's where the money lies.

Kindle Fire and Nook Tablet sales hurt Android more than iPad

By Kevin C. TofelFeb. PT13 Comments16, 2012, 10:38am

Low-priced media tablets showed tremendous sales growth in 2011, with an estimated 7.5 million units combined from Amazon and Barnes & Noble. On Thursday, iHS noted that tablets from these two companies accounted for 11 percent of the total tablet market. This quick market-share grab didn’t hurt Apple iPads sales but instead held back sales of other Android tablets.

With its new iPad 2 debuting in the first half of 2011, Apple sold a total of 40.4 million units last year, accounting for 62 percent of all tablets sold. That’s down from the 87 percent tablet share in 2010, but Android tablet makers aren’t making up much of that difference. With sales of 6.1 million tablets, Samsung could only take 9 percent of the market, while Asus actually lost market share in the final quarter of 2011: sales were down 24 percent from the prior quarter.

Aside from offering a compelling device, Apple’s iPad continues to benefit from its strong ecosystem of apps and media content. Many of the same apps are available to iPhone and iPod touch users, for starters. And today, with the announcement of iOS-like features coming to OS X 10.8 this summer, the ecosystem tie-in is sure to keep iPad sales growing. Debuting a new iPad model, presumably next month, will continue the momentum.

On the other hand, the most successful Android tablets are Android in name only. The Kindle Fire and Nook Tablet have heavily modified user interfaces built upon Android’s smartphone software. Android tablets are still trying to find their way with Android 3.0 and 4.0. So why are the Kindle and Nook tablets beating out traditional Android tablets? For reasons similar to the iPad: stronger ecosystems when it comes to content.

Priced at $199 to $299, the Kindle and Nook don’t likely compete against the iPad when it comes to a purchase decision. Meaning: sales of these aren’t hurting the iPad much, if at all. The same can’t be said of the true Android tablets, which are still struggling to find an audience.