Rumour: Samsung Preparing A Tablet For Later This Year

Samsung’s definitely working on a tablet, claims their Australian marketing manager, and we’ll be seeing it “in the second half of the year”. Providing the Australian in question is in the loop, and not just speaking through a XXXX haze.

Emmanuele Silanesu spoke to APC magazine, where his quotes have flown around the world just days after the iPad became available to pre-order in the US. It’s not the first time Samsung’s had problems with its Australian arm being loose-lipped, with Samsung Australia director Philip Newton slagging off the iPad and hinting at an Atom tablet launch.

“The problems I see with the iPad are its processing power and (lack of) connectivity to a certain extent”

“I do feel that that slate-type platform has legs but I think the legs need to be far more powerful, for example an Atom-based product which has far greater flexibility, not to mention inputs and outputs.”

So, later this year we can hope for a tablet with an Atom chip, lots of ports and a big Samsung badge? It better not be a Q2 or anything. If I see any ill-thought out QWERTY keypad placements, I’ll be most displeased. [APC via TechRadar]