Apple iPad is already on to its second avatar, but the rival companies have yet to come up with a decent tablet to challenge its
supremacy. That said, I have already given up the hope of having an iPad killer tablet in the market. But seems like, iPad success is not only causing troubles for other tablets but also for the CEOs of the rival companies. Last week saw the departure of Acer CEO Gianfranco Lanci and among other things, his inability to tackle Apple challenge has been cited, albeit unofficially, as a major reason. Lanci's exit has added one more name to the list of CEOs who have been sacrificed on Apple's altar. Apple has been, more or less, the reason behind Nokia's Olli and LG's Nam Yong's exodus.
While Olli and Nam Yong were affected by iPhone's success, Lanci fell victim to iPad. Acer is known for entry-level notebooks and net books, which is specifically the segment most deeply affected by iPad's success. Although, iPad's arrival made a massive dent in net book market, the low priced notebook market also felt the heat of the tablet's success. According to some reports, the company saw stagnant or decline in its shipments.
However, it is not just netbook and note book segment which is hurting Acer. Apparently, its smartphone unit is also turning out to be a non-starter. The company is also planning to launch its own tablets but does not seem to be confident of taking on Apple juggernaut. But it is not just Acer, other companies like Dell and HP are carefully monitoring their tablet ventures. While Apple iPad is an awesome products and with its 2nd version, Apple has managed to pack in more features while keeping the prices stable, but in the long run, lack of worthy competitors may turn tablet segment seller-driven instead of being buyer-centric.
So, we are going to have positive view about these new developments. Let's just hope that the change in the guards bring some new perspective for these companies. After all, tablet market is only going to get bigger and it sure needs more than one major dominant player.