Samsung gets it right--announces prices and release dates for new Galaxy Tabs

Regular readers of this blog (both of you) know that I've given Samsung (and Motorola, RIM, HP, etc.) a hard time for announcing tablets without announcing firm prices or release dates. I can understand the problem when mobile operators are involved, because they control their own pricing and release schedules. However, for Wi-Fi-only products, that shouldn't be an issue.

Yesterday, Samsung announced firm prices and release dates at the CTIA conference for its new Galaxy Tab 10.1 Android tablet, and firm prices for its Galaxy Tab 8.9 Android tablet, with a release date in "early summer". The Wi-Fi-only version of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 will go on sale on June 8th in the U.S., priced at $499 for the 16GB model and $599 for the 32GB model. The Wi-Fi Galaxy Tab 8.9 will go on sale in early summer, priced at $469 for the 16GB model and $569 for 34GB. Samsung redesigned the Galaxy Tab 10.1 since it was last shown at the Mobile World Congress; both it and the Galaxy Tab 8.9 are now slightly slimmer than the iPad 2.

Samsung deserves a lot of credit for announcing firm prices and availability dates, as well as for redesigning the Galaxy Tab 10.1 "on the fly" to better compete with the iPad 2. I hope that announcing prices and ship dates when new products are introduced becomes common, not only for Samsung but for its competitors as well.