Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd., the second largest supplier of mobile telecommunication equipment in the world, has officially unveiled a 7 inch tablet computer, called the MediaPad, this Monday. Notably, this tablet will be the first device which will run on Google’s Android 3.2 operating system. The company said that the MediaPad will be commercially available by the third quarter of this year in retail stores as well as in partnership with telecom operators. It is clear that Huawei hopes to expand its business into the smartphone and tablet market and has so far used low priced, Android based smartphones to garner share in new markets.
Huawei is also developing a 10-inch tablet which it hopes to launch by the end of this year. Victor Xu, the chief marketing officer of Huawei Device, the unit which makes phone and tablets, said in an interview that the company believes it can be one of the top five vendors in the global handset market in the next three years. The market is currently dominated by the likes of Nokia, Apple and Samsung. Many have called these plans of the company as over ambitious.
The MediaPad will face an uphill task as it enters a market where the Apple iPad is completely dominant and already commands an 80% share. Also, the market is filled with Android based tablets from more experienced manufacturers with many new devices already on their way. Xu also said that Huawei aims to ship one million PC tablets this year having sold around 200,000 units last year.
The MediaPad will be powered by a 1.2 GHz dual core Snapdragon processor and boasts a screen with a very high pixel density. The 7 inch WSVGA screen will come with a pixel density of 217ppi, outstriping the 132ppi density of the iPad 2 by a considerable margin. In addition the tablet will have two cameras, a rear 5 MP shooter and 1.3MP front facing camera, a 1080p HDMI output and HSPA 3G connectivity. The device will also come with pre-loaded apps for Facebook and Twitter. Surprisingly, the company hasn’t yet revealed any plans for a Wi-Fi only model.
Huawei expects its revenue to reach the $100 billion mark in a decade, driven by enormous sales of telecom equipment. ZTE, Huawei’s top competitor in China plans to launch devices based on Microsoft’s Mango platform in the US by next year. However, Huawei’s further overseas expansion faces roadblocks because of suspicions that the company maintains links with the Chinese army.
