Can the Dell Streak Steal the iPad’s Shine?
With the success of the iPad (2 million sold since its April release) there has definitely been a floodgate opened in the new ‘Tablet’ product category.
They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so while we will have to wait and see if manufacturers will copy some aspects of the iPad, manufactures would be lying if they said they aren’t dying to imitate the sales numbers the iPad put down. As a result, companies are hard at work developing their own Tablet iterations.
The first up is Dell, with plans to release the Dell Streak in the U.S. sometime in July (no hard date has been released). Even though both the iPad and the Streak are both “mobile devices”, that’s pretty much where the similarities stop. Furthermore, it looks as if most of the gripes folks have about the iPad have been exploited by the Streak for all to see. Here are some of the jabs to the iPad I’ve heard and how the Streak plans to capitalize:
iHater Concerned consumer: “The iPad 9 inch display is too big to be a mobile device”
Streak: 5 inch display
Consumer: “iPad is just another closed-platform device that will give developers yet another hurdle to climb to get their apps to the consumers.”
Streak: Open-platform Android OS
Consumer: “iPad has No camera? That’s just stupid”
Streak: 5 megapixel autofocus camera with dual LED flash AND front-facing VGA camera for video chat
Consumer: “You mean to tell me the iPad is a mobile device, but I can’t make calls?”
Streak: GSM radio for 3G calls. (U.S. carrier(s) have not been announced yet)
Consumer: “What if I want to expand the memory, or get a bigger battery? Yeah, that’s right; I can’t do it with the iPad”
Streak: 2GB of internal storage with user-accessible Micro SD slot expandable to up to 32GB – The battery is accessible as well.
…and the big one:
Consumer: “No Flash? Good luck with that Apple!”
Streak: Android “Froyo” 2.2 OS will be available to the Streak later this year, packed with 10.1
No word yet on the price point for the Streak, but I am almost sure it will come in under the iPad base price…which will fare well with the “you want me spend 400 bucks for the iPad that can only browse the web, and play music, photos, and videos?” crowd.
So based on the concerns from consumers (I embellished a little), and the open ear from the folks at Dell, it looks as if the Streak might just be a serious iPad contender when it reaches U.S. shelves. But there are tons of die-hard techie fans as well as average consumers who love the experience they get when they deal with Apple (Not so much AT&T), and regardless of what the iPad is “lacking”, are pleased with Apple and see no need to jump ship.
What do you think? Does the Dell Streak have enough ‘pros’ to the iPad’s ‘cons’ to be as successful as the iPad? Or does the Apple name carry enough weight to keep the iPad on the top of the Tablet game?
Category: Mobile | Tags: apple, Dell Streak, Flash Player 10.1, iPad, tablet
About the Author Terrance Gaines is a husband, father and self-proclaimed Technology Evangelist who shares tech news, reviews, tips and tricks on his blog BrothaTech.com as well as other sites and in print media. You can also find him talking "all things tech" on Twitter @BrothaTech.
See all posts by BrothaTech.
I have got the Streak on the release date. It is comfortable fitting in my jeans pocket. You even won't feel it because it is quite light and thin. The Android market also gives you massive chance to extend the phone's power.
As for iPad, it is just super sized iPhone which cannot make voice calls or a pretty laptop which has less power but super expensive.
It's a whole new ball game and if Apple had come up with a pocket sized iPad it would probably have swept the board. The concept is not new I know but who wants to lug three pieces of kit around when one will do the whole job and be the best of all worlds. Good pocket PC. Good camera. Good phone. Voila!
Who would have believed when I bought my first huge Sinclair LED “pocket” calculator in the 1970's which ate 12v batteries for breakfast, and my Sinclair ZX81 with 1kB of RAM, that thirty years down the line I'd be posting this?
I'm guessing you like the Streak? lol!
Thanks for the comments!
This machine changes the way you use your phone. I'm used to bluetooth so that's no problem but other than that it's just like walking around with your PC in your pocket. I've set up four home pages with everything that I use on my home PC and the pinch'n'zoom is a dream to use in the default landscape mode so you have to get away from the idea of holding it like a regular phone. I've no problems with the keyboard other than being too heavy handed at the start. It's really very sensitive and only requires the lightest touch. I love the numeric keypad at the right of the keyboard so I've got access to all the keys I use regularly without having to change the screen.
It locks onto all WiFi's within range and automatically connects to the strongest one you have a key for and have preset so my email accounts I have set to forward to my Gmail account and all my news pages update automatically whenever I'm in range and a tone alerts me when I've an update. I've also got the other five family members on O2 and the diary package is superb so whenever anyone makes a diary entry it updates to all the others whom I've shared access with and we all get automatic text reminders of upcoming events. Just waiting now for the software upgrade which will no doubt make a very fast machine into something which really does “Streak” LOL.
BTW the camera is better than I'd expected for it's size and also has a very fast action compared to others I've used. If there's a criticism it's that it should have come in a folio wallet but no doubt there'll be plenty of nifty covers on the market soon.
To be honest, I think it's the consumers who don't understand that Apple has created an entirely different market. I think Dell was listening to the iPad complaints and answered with their own device to cater to those folks.
If people recognized what the iPad can do as far as change how we compute (cloud computing, web/mobile apps), I think the “the iPad is whack” folks would view the device a little differently.
But on the other hand, there people who are gonna hate Apple no matter what they do, and Dell has decided to scoop those folks up (smart move business-wise if you ask me).
So you guys over in the UK already have it? Sounds like Dell has delivered a solid product. Interested to see what kind of splash the Streak makes over here in the States
This little machine is awesome! Got mine yesterday lunchtime and can't believe how FAST it is even on 1.6. WiFi connection is so simple and tried the GPS last night – perfect. Watched a movie in bed with no eye strain and even the supplied phones are decent quality. Can't wait for the dock to arrive. This is my first Android and I just love the UI, it's just so flexible. It slips into my jacket pocket and is smaller that my wallet. Anybody want to buy a 10″ Netbook and a Satio? This little beauty replaces them both. Well done Dell for hitting the right spot.
The size alone will make the Dell Streak pretty popular, in addition to running the Android OS. BUT Apple is a household name and currently pwns Android in the apps category. Only time will tell if anything will break the iPad's stride.
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You cover most of the points fairly well, and scrub's comments suggest the one point I would add: convergence. And, evidently, that's what Fahim fails to understand — the Streak represents greatly expanded functionality without the need to add another device to my inventory. It represents the richest experience that still fits into my pocket, and that is a true paradigm shift. Would they had only chosen Canada as their test market . . .
Tried one out at the store yesterday and it was brilliant. I'm getting one as soon as I can upgrade.
I'll be picking one up as soon as i can. The size is perfect for me, i don't do a lot of voice calls, but want to stay connected.
The ipad is just too big for me. If i were going to bother carrying a larger tablet around with me, i might as well just lug a laptop around.
There's really only two sizes that matter to me: can it fit in my pocket, or do i have to carry it? This device will give me the richest internet experience that will still fit into my pocket… soo i'm sold on it! XD
iPad is not a mobile device in the traditional sense (phones, ipods). They've created an entirely different market, and that's what Dell doesn't understand. All Dell has done is develop a big phone.