Almost exactly one year to the day, Samsung product strategy executive Hankil Yoon told reporters during a media roundtable meeting at Mobile World Congress that his company wasn't doing very well in the tablet market.
Apparently a year can make all the difference in the world as the Korean electronics giant is planning to double their tablet sales from 2012 according to executive vice president of Samsung's mobile unit Y.H. Lee. While we don't have any official full-year sales figures for last year, CNET estimates Samsung could be prepared to move around 40 million slates in 2013.
Lee told the publication that Samsung plans to be very aggressive. Given their success in the mobile handset business as the world's top company, there's little doubt that Samsung has what it takes to be successful.
Earlier this week Samsung unveiled an 8-inch version of the Galaxy Note tablet that is strategically positioned between the 5.5-inch Galaxy Note II "phablet" and the full-size Galaxy Note 10.1. This new slate will likely compete with the iPad mini and the Nexus 7 as both feature similarly-sized displays.
If you recall, Samsung got off to a shaky start in the tablet race. The original Galaxy Tab did little to help Samsung's image, perhaps instead further showcasing the dominance that Apple's iPad had at the time. Apple still holds a commanding lead in the category but Samsung's 15.1 percent market share during the fourth quarter of 2012 is certainly a step in the right direction.