South Korean consumer electronics major LG, which is struggling to make its presence felt in the smartphone industry, is now making an ambitious claim that it will launch an Android-powered tablet computer called Optimus that will make Apple's popular iPad look bad.
LG Mobile made the tall claim in an interview with the Wall Street Journal. According to Chang Ma, head of marketing, LG Mobile, though the iPad is a "great device," LG's tablet, which is set to be unveiled this Fall, "will be better than the iPad."
So how's LG going to do it? According to Ma, the new LG tablet, which will run on Google Android, will focus on the ability to create content, rather than simply display it.
With Optimus, one will be able to write documents, edit video and create programs, Ma claims.
The device will have "high-end features and new benefits" that will focus on creativty, the LG executive said.
"It's going to be surprisingly productive," he added.
Ma's remark suggest that the iPad is simply an e-reader and doesn't allow anybody to be creative or productive.
But that's entirely wrong.
The iPad is not just an e-reader and the device can actually enable one to be very creative as well as productive.
The reason is because the iPad can be used for a variety of purposes - it can be used to listen to music, watch video, play games, and browse the Internet besides being used as a platform for the distribution of electronic books, newspapers and magazines.
And, thanks to apps like OmniGraffle for designing flow charts, Numbers for doing spreadsheets, ReelDirector for editing video and a bunch of other productivity software, one can be very productive with the iPad.
As for writing programs, well, you can't use the iPad to write apps but there are a number of apps available that allows you to access web servers and create/edit HTML files for web development.
In any case, it's doubtful whether programmers or designers will trade their trusty desktops or laptops for a tablet computer to work their projects on.
And, let's not forget the iPad's beefy specifications. The iPad features accelerometer as well as ambient light sensor and is the first of its kind to support HD-quality (720p) video.
The iPad also comes with other specifications like 1GHz Apple A4 processor, Digital Compass, A-GPS, fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating and a whopping 9.7-inch LED-backlit glossy widescreen (1024x768 pixel resolution) multitouch display, virtual Qwerty keyboard, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3G (optional), built-in speaker and, microphone.
As for storage space, the iPad can store data up to 64GB.
No wonder, Apple has sold over 3 million iPads to date despite the device carrying an expensive price tag of $499 and upwards.
However, though LG appears to be indulging in some wishful thinking, we should not write it off.
Though LG has been unable to come up with a bestseller product for a long time, it is possible that it can launch a tablet computer that can rival the iPad in terms of industrial design and technology. After all, South Koreans are known to be good at technology and design and all LG has to do is make a better copy of the iPad.
There are rumors that the Optimus will feature a 10-inch screen and run on Android 3.0. But these are only rumors and nothing more.
So the claim that the Optimus will outperform the iPad, without even giving the slightest hint about the device's specifications, makes it look as if Ma is exaggerating. But then, that's what the marketing department is for.
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