Sony Considers Building iPad Killer, Not Sure There's A Big Enough Market

Sony posted their first real loss in over a decade last year, and they're still losing money. Why? Because of decisions like this. While many of the smaller, more nimble companies such as Acer, Asus and MSI are already making plans to follow Apple's lead and produce a tablet PC this year, Sony is still mulling the decision. There's just no killer instinct any more, and waiting around until the bandwagon has loaded up and left town isn't the way you make ends meet in the consumer electronics industry.

The tablet PC market came and went years ago, but it's possible that those tablets were simply ahead of their time. Apple's iPad has sold a million units in a month, clearly proving that tablets are "in." But it's not so clear to Sony. Mike Abary, senior vice president of Sony’s Information Technology Products unit, stated the following: "We have been taking a deep look at developing a tablet for a number of years, not just because of Apple but because it creates some interesting opportunities. The iPad has created a new opportunity. Now we can get a good judgment as to whether the market is truly accepting of it. [We are] not convinced there is a large enough market to justify bringing out a tablet."


Apple sells a million tablets in a month, and you're not convinced there's a market for tablets? You were thinking about tablets before Apple, but now--of all times--you're second guessing yourself? We don't get it. Sony is a huge name with a huge following, and a Sony tablet would almost certainly create as much buzz as the HP Slate, if not more. We really hope Sony decides to push forward and create a tablet of their own; the market needs the competition, and if a name like Sony buys in, there'd be no stopping the flood gates. Until then, it looks like we'll have more Sony Reader refreshes to look forward to...while the Kindle continues to rule the e-reader roost.