This looks like being the first Honeycomb tablet to get a positive reception from reviewers around the world. It's got all the normal boxes ticked having the larger 10" screen and the price looks quite attractive, and, in particular, there's an option to get a nicely designed keyboard dock which contains a booster battery. There's also a remote desktop app thrown in allowing you to access your real or virtualised Windows PC back at the office. The screen resolution, near-standard for the larger Android tablets at 1280 x 800, should comfortably support working with a virtualised Windows PC. These extras go a long way to attract the buyer who's a little uncertain whether they want to abandon the Windows ecosystem straight away. The biggest fly in the ointment at this stage seems to be that Asus are troubled by significant production problems. They've promised to try their best to build 100,000 this month and 200,000 in June, but that looks unlikely to meet demand. Perhaps it's time to put your name down and get in the queue?
4) Amazon Tablet
This is obviously pretty high billing for a tablet that no one has seen yet, so the prediction is based largely on Amazon's track record selling the Kindle eReader. They designed an effective product, and above all, they promoted it well. In a market where the buying experience has almost as much bearing as the specifications, Amazon's loyal buyers could well prove very influential.
OK, so it's not the most exciting choice for the number 3 spot, but remember, this is a sales prediction, not a battle of the spec sheets. That's just as well for the Nook really, because it has the lowest spec of all the tablets here - it's an eReader which grew up. Apart from having sales already in the bag, it also has a very attractive price and, not surprisingly, very good credentials as ... an eReader. Really this is probably the tablet for the older user. The Android Froyo platform that it runs on is pretty well hidden and the choice of apps is limited (unless you want to get technical by installing the Google app market), but for many buyers this will be perfectly adequate and perhaps more reliable.
With more than 80% of the market in 2010 and credited with having created the tablet market in the first place, Apple's original needs little introduction. It had made many sales before the newer slimmer version came out in March, and it continued to sell even after that. That's the reason it gets the number 2 spot here. However, if you're thinking of picking one up now, remember that it's bulkier and slower than this year's models - and, of course, it has no cameras.
It's probably very safe to predict that the iPad will still be securely in the number 1 spot through to the end of 2011. Part of the genius that's gone into this product is the judgement of when it was right to deliver less. While the new iPad's specs are not that revolutionary - especially when it comes to the camera - it is the way that it's put together and the way that it's sold that make the difference. Not to mention having the best choice of apps. If we predict that the iPad's share of the market has dropped to between 50 and 60% by Christmas, and remember that it wasn't available for the first couple of months of 2011, that suggests that for the whole year it should have a share of around 40%.
The Rest
If you think I've missed one of the best tablets on the market, add a comment below to boost the appreciation for your special favourite.
