Tablet wars: Why you're the winner

THE battleground has been set. It's all out war in the tablet space. Apple, Nokia and Microsoft are releasing new tablets this week which is good news for you. But who will reign supreme?

THE battleground has been set. It's all out war in the tablet space.

Apple, Nokia and Microsoft are releasing new tablets this week and they're going to have a massive fight on their hands. Tech giants Google, Amazon and Samsung have already released low-cost tablets this quarter.

So what does this mean for the consumer?

Lower prices, for a start.

Tablets like the Nexus 7 from Google and the Kindle Fire have driven down prices and created problems for Apple by giving consumers a low cost alternative.

Analyst Clem Chambers told news.com that he expects the tablet war to continue until it gets to a point where you can throw your tablet in the trash when you're done with it.

A fight on price is always going to be a losing battle so innovation is essential to the tablet industry's future.

"Evolution will not do it for any of these players," Chambers said. "It has to be revolution. A screen on both sides for example would be a wow. I'd buy that."

Ease of use is also something tablet manufacturers need to keep in mind.

Telsyte analyst Foad Fadaghi told news.com.au that brands need to understand tablet sales are centred around the activity consumers want to use them for.

"Whether it's using it while watching TV or using it for work, many families in Australia have multiple tablets for different rooms that all serve different functions," said Fadaghi.

Thankfully, the tablet space is still growing which is good for competition.

"There were 2.3 million tablets sold in Australia in the first half of last year," said Fadaghi. "Of that, 52 per cent were iPads, 43 per cent were Android and 5 per cent were Windows devices."

However those figures are expected to change over the next few months with Windows Surface 2 tablet expected to increase in sales after the woeful performance of the Surface RT that came before it.

So who is winning the tablet war and who should you look to in the future?

Tablets like the Google Nexus 7 have been driving prices down for consumers.

APPLE

Can Apple innovate without Jobs?

"It's looking shaky," said Chambers.

"Tablets are no longer unique and Apple needs to stop resting on its laurels pretending that it's the only one in the market.

"Now every company has a tablet. Apple's defensive position is its app store ecosystem, but even that is not impregnable.

"Tablets used to be thought of as a stupid idea. Apple showed the industry they were a great idea and now it is being pummelled by too many copyists. Apple have to leapfrog the copyists or be dragged back into a mire of averageness by the emulators."

But price isn't helping and neither is iOS 7.

"Buggy software appears to be an increasing problem with Apple," said Chambers. "This is a kind of corrosion that can kill the core of any tech business. It's worrisome.

"Apple iPads are also extremely expensive when compared to Android tablets."

Apple's iPad sales took a stumble over the June quarter, dropping by 14 per cent year-on-year, Business Insider reported.

But first quarter sales are generally always low and the tech giant usually picks up again in the second quarter as it heads towards Christmas.

"We anticipate Apple to have a strong fourth quarter but it will depend on how quickly it can get its products out and if they can meet demand," Fadaghi said.

It usually takes Apple products a week or two to get to Australia following launch and Apple has a small window to make the Christmas peak season.

Analysts say Microsoft needs to find out why users upgrade their computer, what they're upgrading to, and find a way to integrate its Surface 2 across other products like Xbox and Bing. Picture: AP

ANDROID

Android suffers from the "more is more" problem. To be fair, a series of Apple lawsuits have likely prevented it from innovating the way it wanted but to gain market dominance it needs to stop overestimating its customers.

It has won the battle with the love of the techier end of the market but it's going to need the mums, dads and grans to win the war.

A scaled back interface that doesn't hide some of its most utilised features - like attaching images to emails and texts - would be a good start. Also, less homepage screens wouldn't hurt. Nobody needs six.

The Nexus 7 for example, why would any company release a tablet without 3G compatibility? It could also do with a brighter screen and better battery life. Also it would be great if Android would unlock some of its features not made available to Australians, namely reading, watching, listening and organising your life. The magazines, music and TV shows on sale in the Play Store aren't available to Aussies. Neither are many of the features of Google Now which in the US you can use to book flights, figure out what time your bus leaves work and check sports scores - just to name a few - yet none of these functions are available in Australia.

MICROSOFT

Microsoft needs to understand what motivates consumers to upgrade their computers, as well as their other devices as this has been a major "stumbling block" for the company.

Is it for apps? Is it for games?

"Microsoft needs to come up with something original," said Fadaghi. "Microsoft has a strong presence in its Xbox proposition, its retail stores and search engines but it needs to find a way to integrate its tablets into these assets."

In other words, users want to be able to use their tablet to control their Xbox, amongst other things.

One brand which knows the importance of this is online gaming portal Steam which has just announced Steam Machine, a gaming platform for the living room that allows users to play their online games on any device as long as Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo allow it.

"Consumers want to take their games across platforms, that's the interesting consumer trend. Where consumers go manufacturers should and will be following," said Fadaghi.

"All tablet manufacturers including Android need to understand that the tablet is going to be the centrepiece of the connected home. In many ways it's replacing the home computer, in many ways it already has."

AMAZON

Amazon could do well to make its Kindle Fire tablet available in retail stores, or open a store of its own. Its sales barely make a dent in the Aussie market.

Amazon could do well to get its Kindle Fire tablet on Australian shelves, analysts say.

"There are people who do use Amazon tablets and purchase them online but a lack of retail presence in Australia has hindered its product," said Fadaghi. "Tablets are experiential devices, consumers purchase them with some experience with the model. If they don't get a chance to see or experience it, it's difficult for them to invest the money in buying it, particularly in the range of price points in the market.

"There are a glut of cheap and cheerful products in the market, which make it hard for the Kindle Fire to compete without a local presence."

Which tablet do you like best? Let us know in the comments below. Plus follow news.com.au's coverage of the Apple tablet launch live tomorrow at 4am AEDT.