Samsung Releases Galaxy Tab 3 Date, Pricing

According to Samsung, one size does not fit all.

This week, the Korean company brought the Galaxy Tab 3 series with Android, available in 7-, 8- and 10.1-inch versions, to the United States, an attempt to gain more footing in the tablet market and a fitting addition to the stampede of innovation Samsung has unleashed over the last several months.

Richard Hutton, director of channel marketing at Samsung, said the vision for the tablet series extends far beyond the device itself. He said in the enterprise market, it is the services, integration and management of the tablets that elevate the device to a higher level of value, adding that it is through the channel that Samsung devices are able to reach that elevated level.

[Related: XChange: Samsung Readying Big B2B Marketing Channel Push ]

"All of our B2B business goes through channel partners, with the exception of a few hotels, and we don't see a reason to change that course. They add value and provide a more satisfying experience for the end client," Hutton said.

The education and healthcare industries have been early adopters of tablet technology, according to Hutton. He said the 10.1-inch tablet was intended to appeal more to teachers and schools, while the smaller tablets were geared toward those in the medical field.

"In a tablet world, it boils down to what meets a person's need in work and what matches a person's physiology. That's what the market should have: options," said Bob Nitrio, CEO of Ranvest Associates, an Orangevale, Calif.-based solution provider and Samsung reseller.

George Pashardis, vice president of sales at ePlus, said he has not personally reviewed the new product yet, but said the Samsung Google Chrome Notebooks are a popular item at ePlus, especially in the school setting. "Samsung had to release something to be more competitive and in line with what Apple is doing and some of the announcements Lenovo has recently made," he said.

Lenovo last week expanded its Windows 8-device lineup, unveiling a new tablet, called Miix, and making several additions to its S and U series laptops. And, although Apple didn't announce any new updates to its iPad or iPad mini tablets at its developer conference earlier this month, the Cupertino, Calif.-based tech giant did roll out several updates to its mobile operating system, iOS 7, and its MacBook Air, Apple's lightweight notebook.

Nitrio said tablets are very useful and relevant in many corporate settings. "It's very difficult to run, for example, an accounting application on a smartphone screen. Productivity in the field is something that can be enhanced via tablets. You don't have to have a full-blown computer to do be productive," he said.

NEXT: Galaxy Tab Specs

With the tablet market on the rise and PC market on the decline -- research firm Gartner projects PC and tablet shipments will be neck-and-neck by 2014 -- Samsung's Hutton was happy to report the Korean tech giant has not seen the same trends in its sales.

"I can't release the numbers, but I can tell you I have a big smile on my face," Hutton said. "We're seeing growth in our PC business at the same time we are seeing growth with the tablets."

Hutton said Samsung's Windows-based products are doing very well and can be loaded with a number of great solutions to make the device even more value-packed.

Measuring in at 7, 8 and 10.1 inches and priced at $199, $299 and $399, respectively, the devices will be available on shelves beginning July 7 but can be pre-ordered immediately. The 7-inch device will run Android 4.1 and have a 1.2GHz a dual-core processor and 8 GB of on-board storage with a microSD card slot. A step up, the 8-inch device will run Android 4.2 and have a 1.5GHz dual-core processor with 16 GB or 32 GB of on-board storage and a microSD card slot. The 10.1-inch device will be the first Android tablet to run on an Intel processor in the United States; it also runs on Android 4.2 and has 16 GB or 32 GB of on-board storage and a microSD card slot.

PUBLISHED JUNE 28, 2013