
Apple arguably understands tablets more than any other firm in the space. The company was the first to deliver a worthwhile tablet in the iPad, and by the looks of things, its iPad 2 could be just as appealing this year. What that means for competitors is anyone’s guess. But at least right now, Apple understands tablets better than any other company.

All last year, some wondered if Google really had what it takes to appeal to those who want tablets. After all, it didn’t make any indication that it would be offering an operating system that would work quite well with tablets. But on Feb. 2, Google provided further details on Android 3.0 Honeycomb. That operating system could prove to be even better for tablets than iOS 4. And in the process, Google is showing that it fully understands how valuable tablets really are in today’s marketplace.

Motorola Mobility isn’t always the first companies that folks turn to when they’re thinking about getting a tablet. It makes sense—Motorola has yet to launch one. But later this year, all that will change when the company unveils the highly anticipated Xoom tablet. The device will come with a 10.1-inch display and Android 3.0 Honeycomb. It could very well be the best tablet released in 2011.

Corporate users looking for a good investment might find it with the Research In Motion BlackBerry PlayBook. That tablet is designed with corporate customers in mind, and will ship with a new Tablet operating system. For now, some enterprise customers aren’t so sure if the BlackBerry PlayBook will appeal to them. But if anything is certain, it’s that on paper, RIM seems to understand tablets.

Like RIM, Cisco is also planning to launch an enterprise-focused tablet this year. That company’s device—the Cisco Cius—will offer integration with existing Cisco products. Plus, it will be running Android. By the looks of things, Cisco seems committed to understanding what enterprise customers really want from tablets and delivering that. It should be interesting to see if it can follow through.

Samsung is arguably the most courageous of all the companies in this slideshow. As the rest of the Android vendors decided to wait for Honeycomb to release their tablets, Samsung soldiered on with its Galaxy Tab running Android 2.2. Surprisingly, the move didn’t backfire. And at last count, the company had shipped 2 million units. If that’s not a company that “gets” tablets, there isn’t on in the marketplace.

ARM Holdings offers processor designs to third-parties that bundle those chips into tablets and other mobile devices. The majority of tablets currently available or soon to be offered run ARM Holdings chips. That’s important to keep in mind. Most of the vendors that truly want to make a splash in the tablet space are relying upon ARM. And that must mean only one thing: the company understands the value of tablets.

One of the big issues with Intel over the past couple years is that the company hasn’t been as well-positioned in the mobile space as it should have been. But last year, it started to change all that by acquiring McAfee. The move is wildly believed to have been a response to Intel’s desire to double down on mobile security. The company also acquired Infineon’s mobile solutions operation to bolster its mobile connectivity offerings. Simply put, Intel seems more prepared to capitalize on tablets than many in today’s marketplace. And that should be acknowledged.

A key component in many of the tablets that will be hitting store shelves this year is the integration of mobile wireless technology. And in many of those cases, Verizon stands as the company that will deliver the mobile networking for a number of those tablets, most notably the Motorola Xoom. The iPad 2 will also likely give consumers the option of connecting to Verizon’s network natively. It seems that tablets are a key component in Verizon’s plans going forward.

If Verizon understands what it takes to be successful in the tablet space, it’s impossible to say that AT&T doesn’t. Apple’s iPad allows users to connect to AT&T’s 3G natively from the device. Moreover, AT&T is expected to make some strategic partnerships in 2011 that will help it increase the number of tablets that will work with its network. Simply put, both Verizon and AT&T realize that tablets sit at the center of the mobility movement.