Samsung will challenge iPad with Galaxy Tab

The Samsung Electronics Co. Galaxy Tab on displayat the Internationale Funkausstellung (IFA) consumer electronics trade fair in Berlin, Thursday. / Bloomberg-Yonhap

By Kim Yoo-chul

BERLIN _ Samsung Electronics hopes to rival Apple’s popular iPad with its first-ever tablet-style PC, the ``Galaxy Tab,’’ by selling 1 million of them by the end of this year.

Shin Jong-kyun, president of Samsung’s mobile division handling handsets, said Friday (local time) that the company plans to double sales of its smartphones to 50 million in 2011.

Samsung first set a sales target of 18 million for this year but raised it to 20 million, and more recently 25 million.

During a briefing here on the sidelines of the consumer electronics fair IFA, Shin said Samsung will have to introduce updated 6-inch and 10-inch Tab devices with advanced AM OLED screens next year because it is facing difficulty in securing the latter. AM OLED screens are currently being used in the Galaxy S smartphones.

``The Galaxy Tab enhances portability and readability by having a 7-inch LCD screen. It will cost slightly more than the Galaxy S smartphone,’’ Shin said.

He added the Tab will be retail-priced at $300 to $400.

``The Tab will initially be released in Europe in early October via major European telecom carriers.’’

Shin said carriers in Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan were on board for marketing the tablet PCs.

The Galaxy Tab has the Google-powered Android 2.2 as its operating source, and is customized for core applications such as e-mail and has Wi-Fi capability.

Unlike the iPad, the tablet-style PC features a camera on each side of the device.

Shin also commented on the ambitious goal for smartphone sales.

``It is projected that our sales of smartphones will reach a maximum of 25 million through the end of the year,” he said.

According to data from IDC, a market research firm, Samsung sold 3 million smartphones in the second quarter, placing it fifth in the global rankings with a 4.8 percent market share.

As of the end of the first half of 2010, Nokia is leading the sector, followed by BlackBerry maker Research In Motion. Apple was next up with a 13.3 percent share, while HTC had 7.6 percent.

``Samsung is positive about selling 10 million Galaxy S phones this year _ in just six months since its introduction. We have clearly secured a basis to write a whole new story for smartphones on the global market next year,’’ Shin said.

Powered by brisk sales of the Galaxy S, Samsung is expected to return to double-digit operating profits in the third quarter, he said.

At the IFA fair, Samsung also demonstrated the Wave 723 phone _ the second model powered by its own mobile software, Bada, which means “ocean” in Korean.

Shin said Samsung has sold 987,000 Waves as of the end of August since its launch in February.

``Waves are selling quite well in Europe. We’ve prepared more Bada models such as the Wave 2 for prompt release,’’ said the executive.

삼성전자 "갤럭시탭 9월 말 출시"

신종균 삼성전자 무선사업부 사장은 2일 애플 아이패드의 '대항마'로 개발한 태블릿PC '갤럭시탭'을 이르면 9월 말 출시해 올해 안에 100만대 이상 판매할 것이라고 말했다.

신 사장은 유럽 최대 가전전시회 'IFA 2010' 개막을 하루 앞두고 베를린의 한 식당에서 한국 기자들과 가진 간담회에서 내년에는 삼성전자의 태블릿 PC 포트폴리오가 한층 다양해질 것이라며 이번에 출시하는 갤럭시탭보다 좀 더 크거나 좀 더 작은 것과 AMOLED(능동형발광다이오드) 패널을 적용한 것 등 다양한 제품들을 내놓을 예정이라고 덧붙였다.

신 사장은 "갤럭시탭의 가장 큰 특징은 포터빌리티(휴대성)"라며 "7인치 TFT LCD 디스플레이를 적용해 양복 주머니에 들어갈 정도의 휴대성을 실현했다"고 강조했다.

그는 이어 "출시 시점은 9월 말에서 10월 초 사이가 될 것이다”며 "국내에서는 갤럭시탭이 아이패드보다 빨리 출시될 것"이라고 말했다.
갤럭시 탭의 가격에 대해서는 "갤럭시S보다는 좀 더 비쌀 것"이라고 말했다.
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