Galaxy Tab 10.1 to hit Best Buy, 4G model on the way
The Galaxy Tab 10.1-inch tablet is set for release next week, while Samsung is also touting a new 4G LTE version of the tablet slated for later this year.
Samsung's new 10.1-inch Galaxy Tab tablet is slated to reach consumers in June, with Best Buy revealed as one of the retailers, but Samsung is also busy prepping a 4G edition due to hit the market later this year.
Best Buy's product page touting the Galaxy Tab says only that it's "coming soon," however, comments made recently by J.K. Shin, president of Samsung's mobile communications division, confirmed that the new 10.1-inch tablet and its smaller 8.9-inch cousin will reach consumers in June.
The Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet is slated to launch on June 8. The Wi-Fi-only edition is expected to cost $499 for a 16GB version and $599 for the 32GB version. The new tablet is due to run Android Honeycomb 3.1 out of the box.
In an interview with Dow Jones Newswires as reported yesterday by Morningstar, Shin briefly spoke about the two tablets but also revealed that Samsung is busy prepping a new 4G LTE edition of its Android tablet due to launch later this year.
"The race for 4G (fourth-generation) has already started," Shin told Dow Jones Newswires. "4G transition is inevitable particularly for tablets because it requires faster download speeds than smartphones to handle bigger volume content."
Shin confirmed that Samsung is already talking with mobile carriers in the U.S. and South Korea to launch the new LTE-based tablet, according to The Wall Street Journal (subscription required).
Samsung is also busy embroiled in a tricky lawsuit with Apple, for which it supplies components for the iPhone and iPad. Apple fired the first shot, claiming that Samsung stole the look and feel for its phones and tablets from the iPhone and iPad. Samsung quickly countersued, alleging that Apple has violated several Samsung patents.
Of the lawsuit, Shin insisted to Dow Jones Newswires that Samsung didn't copy Apple's design and has in fact employed similar designs in the past. While not revealing any details, he also said that Apple's allegation "will not be legally problematic."
