Sony snubs slates in favour of eReaders

Posted on 17 May 2010 at 11:08

Sony has confirmed that it is investigating a slate-format PC to be launched as a competitor to Apple's popular iPad, although states that a product might not be forthcoming in the short term.

Speaking to Bloomberg's Cliff Edwards, the senior vice president of Sony's Information Technology Products Unit stated that his company has "been taking a deep look at developing a tablet for a number of years, not just because of Apple but because it creates some interesting opportunities."

With Apple's iPad slate device proving popular in the US but hampered by ridiculously high pricing over here in the UK, it would be madness for Sony to not be at least thinking about launching a slate product of their own - but Edwards warns that a product might not be forthcoming in the short term.

Explaining that his company is looking to "[i]get a good judgement as to whether the market is truly accepting of [the iPad][/i]" before launching their own rival, Edwards categorically stated that Sony is "[i]not convinced there is a large enough market to justify bringing out a [slate-format] tablet.[/i]"

Instead, the company is forging ahead with its Reader range of eReader devices, hoping to compete with Amazon's Kindle with a Reader featuring in-built wireless connectivity and extended battery life - along with a version featuring a colour electrophoretic display. Again, no release dates have been announced.

Author: Gareth Halfacree

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