Last week, Samsung's mobile division VP Lee Don-Joo was quoted as saying that the company would have to rethink its pricing strategy and "will have to improve the parts that are inadequate" after Apple announced its iPad 2. This in turn lead to speculation that the Galaxy Tab 10.1 might not launch on time, but Samsung has denied such nonsense, according to Korea's Yonhap News Agency:
Samsung Electronics Co., the world's second-largest maker of mobile phones, said on Saturday that it will release the latest generation of its tablet computer, the Galaxy Tab 10.1, as scheduled, denying speculations that it might postpone its release to make improvements.
The Galaxy Tab 10.1 has a 10.1" WXGA TFT LCD display (1280x800 resolution), powered by a 1GHz dual core application processor. The device only weighs 1.23 pounds (599 grams), and though it has a SIM slot, 3.5mm jack, BlueTooth 2.1, and Wi-Fi 802.11, it uses Samsung's proprietary charging cable and doesn't have USB or HDMI ports. It also includes dual surround-sound speakers, an 8MP rear-facing camera with Auto Focus which can capture 1080p video, a 2MP front-facing camera, and will be available in 16GB or 32GB flavors. Like its predecessor, it ships with Flash 10.1.
The 10.1 will be launching in March in both Asia and Europe, with Vodafone being the first carrier to have it, but Samsung has yet to reveal timing for a North American launch. Pricing is a similar story, though it will supposedly be "competitive." If Samsung believes the iPad 2 poses a problem for the Galaxy Tab 10.1, but does want to change the hardware, it should beat Apple on the price.