Toshiba introduces 13.3-inch Android 4.0 tablet, new Excite range
Toshiba announced its back-to-school tablet lineup today, adding three models to its Excite brand. The first one you'll notice is the Excite 13, which you can hardly avoid — its 13.3-inch display is absolutely enormous, nearly twice the size of a 7-inch slate.
Context & Ripple Effects
Toshiba has been building an Android tablet line across form factors, from a 10.1-inch Honeycomb model for Japan to a lower-cost 7-inch Thrive. The Excite range adds a much larger 13.3-inch option rather than treating the tablet as a single-size product.
The launch turns Toshiba’s tablet effort into a broader back-to-school lineup, with screen size becoming a primary way to differentiate its Android hardware.
First-order effects
- Toshiba gives buyers entering the back-to-school season three Excite models, including a 13.3-inch Android 4.0 tablet aimed at shoppers who want substantially more display area than a 7-inch slate.
- Toshiba’s Android portfolio expands beyond the smaller Thrive follow-up and its earlier 10.1-inch tablet, placing the company at both smaller and markedly larger screen sizes.
Second-order effects
- Toshiba must differentiate the Excite models by the tasks each screen size serves; the 13.3-inch model raises the importance of display size in the company’s retail pitch.
- Other Android tablet vendors face a clearer form-factor comparison at retail as Toshiba positions a large-screen option alongside smaller tablets.
Third-order effects
- If more vendors follow Toshiba’s approach, Android tablets will compete less as a uniform category and more as segmented devices defined by screen size and intended use.
The trend: Tablet makers are widening their Android portfolios around distinct screen sizes rather than relying on a single all-purpose slate.