I believe that the universe is all about balance… and in that spirit I can’t ignore Jim Dalrymple’s recent article on TechCrunch claiming that the iPad 2 launch is a major blow to tablet competitors. He’s wrong…

First some background Dalrymple runs the website The Loop, from their About Us page:

“Of course, you will get all of the latest tidbits of news about Apple and the tech market in general, but you will also get more in-depth coverage on the topics that matter to you. The aim of The Loop is to dig into the headlines to provide readers with some thoughtful, well-balanced coverage.”-Source

Except for the “thoughtful, well-balanced” part, oh and the “tech market in general” part its spot on…its an Apple focused site. Which is fine, some of my best friends use Apple products ;)

The crux of his argument in the article is that although it wasn’t a revolutionary product launch, and light on spec details, no one cares about some spec upgrades and its what the product can do that matters. He’s right about that, but his extrapolation that it spells bad news for the Android tablet makers is so bizarre it borders on the nutty.

“It’s not just about the hardware. Apple delivers the whole experience that nobody else can. Jobs said yesterday that there are 65,000 apps on its App Store specifically designed for the iPad. That’s a lot of things you can do.

If you think Apple’s competitors are jumping for joy because the iPad 2 isn’t revolutionary, I believe you are wrong. I think they’re scared. Yesterday, they figured out Apple’s strategy too, but a little too late."-Source

First of all… the Android camp has been playing catch-up for about a year or so now (longer for some aggressive Chinese shanzai guys) and they have been well aware of Apple’s hardware, app and ecosystem advantages the ENTIRE time. Yesterday was no revelation on that front.

The iPad 2’s spec upgrade just means it hasn’t pulled that much farther ahead of them in the hardware department. Despite Apple’s 2x faster and 9x faster cpu and graphics performance claims you still won’t be able to watch the Lord of the Rings trilogy in 2hrs on an iPad and in 3 days on an Android tablet.

Adding 2 cameras is an upgrade for Apple that only brings it on par with other Android tablet makers. Making it available in white with a magnetic cover is an appeal to those already sold on the Apple aesthetic.

The ecosystem, app challenge is a war primarily being fought by Google, an unfettered Android app developer army and mainstream phone brands trying to wedge their way into the new market opportunity Apple has created. Its following a parallel path that the iPhone started for smartphones and that Android is now winning.

With no revolutionary element to the iPad 2 launch the Android tablet challengers are likely rejoicing as Apple coasts on its brand and leadership position. Google backed Android evolves at a faster rate on the smartphone platform and will again also on the tablet. Many competitors will leverage that speed and match or surpass Apple before the year is out.

Matching or beating Apple’s offering aside they will still face the daunting task of creating mindshare that can challenge the same “reality distortion field” that is likely at the heart of Jim Dalrymple “well balanced” opinion piece.

The ultimate shame of this article though is that it appears on TechCrunch (MG Siegler must have been on lunch break), this article belongs in on the The Loop where preaching to the mesmerized choir passes for balanced opinion.

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