Google and Amazon Working on an Answer to the iPad?

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Hrmmm....are things just heating up? With the start of the New Year, a number of  tablets were announced at this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES). Already, there was talk that Tablet PCs were perched to steal the spotlight from netbooks. Then came the official unvieling of Apple's iPad.  Now, there are rumors flying about Google stepping into the fray, pointing to a series of mockups and early concepts for a Chrome-based tablet PC. Meanwhile, Amazon is also said to have acquired touchscreen startup Touchco with plans to merge it with its Kindle Hardware division.

So, what might this mean for the future of media tablets? According to a report from analysts at ABI Research, we'll likely see four million media tablets shipped this year and "a rise to 57 million units by 2015, prodded along by the iPad." I'll admit I'm a bit of a gadget geek and may eventually be included amongst those tablet owners. But, working for an industry-changer like SquareTrade, what I find particularly exciting (and far more important) is that companies like Apple, Google and Amazon have a proven ability to push the industry, driving constant innovation:

"Apple's iPad is not the first media tablet...but it does help define this new device category." - senior ABI Research Analyst, Jeff Orr

"One thing that Apple and Google have in common is that they tend to think outside of the mainstream and are capable of creating paradigm-shifting innovation..." - PCWorld, Tony Bradley

What does this future look like? The early concept images on the Chromium site give us a glimpse of how a Chrome-based tablet might look and function. According to PCWorld's Tony Bradley, Chrome aims to steal some iPad thunder, taking a "file-centric approach" versus Apple's device-specific apps. Amazon's acquisition would indicate that the e-reader market stands to benefit from this competition as well: "Toucho uses a technology called interpolating force-sensitive resistance, which it puts into displays that can be completely transparent and could cost as little as $10 a square foot" - New York Times Translation? Its cost is "considerably" less expensive than iPad and iPhone screens. (I like the sound of that!) And, as engadget asks, "Ready for the Kindle 3 rumor mill to start up again?" Sound off! What do you see in it for you? As savvy consumers, you already know how such competition can ultimately benefit all consumers - yielding more competitive prices and far superior service. So, how do you picture this might translate for tablet PCs and e-readers? Any thing in particular you hope to see come to fruition?