Get a glimpse of what's on the tech horizon with Foolish reports from the field at the 2014 International Consumer Electronics Show. Companies ranging from start-ups to Fortune 100 launch and showcase thousands of products at the event, which attracts visitors from around the world.
Samsung's (NASDAQOTH: SSNLF) new Galaxy Note Pro weighs in at 750 grams, with a 12.2" display. Will consumers go for this hefty handheld, or do good things actually come in smaller packages?
There were countless trends emerging from CES 2014 this year, but the real question for investors is how to capitalize on these revolutionary opportunities. Fortunately for you, David Gardner has an idea or two on how to invest in these new emerging technologies -- and how you can profit. Get in on the ground floor now by clicking here.
A full transcript follows the video.
Evan Niu: Hey Fools, Evan Niu here and I'm with Eric Bleeker. We're at CES 2014, taking a look at Samsung's brand new -- they just announced this thing -- it's a Galaxy Note Pro with a 12.2" display. It's one of the biggest tablets I've ever seen. What do you think, Eric?
Eric Bleeker: It's huge, that's for sure. We're looking at about 750 grams in weight. The iPad Air weighs in, I believe, at 460 grams or thereabouts.
Niu: We have one to compare it here. You can actually see how...
Bleeker: There's been a lot of talk about Apple (AAPL -0.35%) moving up toward a larger display. Obviously, it's just that -- rumors.
The one thing to say about Samsung is they've done quite well in tablets. You look at their sales this year; I believe they're targeting over 40 million tablets sold. There was a lot of fretting that they wouldn't be able to compete on the high end because tablets have gotten so cheap; they've done a pretty good job.
Now, do I think this will be successful? Probably not. You look at the iPad; the Mini did so well, but with the release of the Air it appears to now be outselling the Mini. Once again, one of the reasons is they made it lighter. They made it very easy to hold.
This is a very heavy tablet to hold. I think at that size it kind of feels like one of the all-in-one convertibles from Intel. It doesn't feel like there's a lot of reason to buy that, instead of some other options on the market that will be selling for similar prices. We saw things like the dual boot Android and Windows in a similar price range.
Overall, Samsung has obviously been very successful in tablets. They're trying to extend that. This is their game plan -- just more of everything -- but this is one that I don't really see a lot of consumers latching onto.
Niu: It actually makes me kind of question the whole argument of giant tablets in general, whether it's Apple or Samsung, because this is so unwieldy and heavy and big. Apple's rumored one is 12.9" -- this is 12.2" -- so Apple may be going even bigger. It's just so big that it's hard to really imagine being mobile with it.
Now, certainly it's much more of a productivity play, but I'm starting to have my doubts about this giant form factor in general, regardless of who's making it.
Bleeker: Yeah, definitely.
Niu: There you go; a little bit of skepticism on these big tablets, Fools. For all your latest CES, make sure to check back at Fool.com.
