5 Most Important People in the Android Tablet World

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Here are five people may play the biggest part in how the tablet world will look in 2012

1.Sanjay Jha

CEO of Motorola Mobility

Who is he?

According to his company biography, Sanjay Jha has been “instrumental” to the development and prosperity of Motorola Mobility. Under him the company has grown both in the tablet and smartphone markets.

Motorola Mobility’s flagship tablet, the Motorola Xoom, was the first to come equipped with Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) in January 2011. It has been a best seller ever since.

Why is he important?

Motorola has announced the upcoming release of two new iterations of the Xoom – the Xoom 2 and the Xoom Media. These will presumably maximize the good things and minimize the bad things about their predecessor.

But more interestingly, they’ve also revealed an enterprise-class tablet called the ET1. I believe this to be a huge, untapped market for tablets and Motorola may be the first to capitalize on it.

2. Andy Rubin

SVP of mobile, Google

Who he is?

Andy Rubin co-founded Android along with Chris White, Rich Miner and Nick Sears. After the company was sold to Google, he stayed on as the lead for the Android team.

Why is he important?

Any future improvements to the Android operating system will come out of Rubin’s team. They are currently developing Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) which promises to be sleeker and faster. This, in turn, opens up new opportunities for tablet manufacturers and app developers alike.

3.Gregg Zehr

CEO of Lab126

Who he is?

Lab126 is a wholly owned subsidy of Amazon.com. They are responsible for the design and development of their Kindle products, including the Kindle Fire.

Why is he important?

Under Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com is already the leader in the ebook category. With the release of the Kindle Fire, it’s expected the company will quickly become a major player in the tablet market as well.

Having the entire Amazon machine at its disposal is a huge advantage for the Kindle Fire. It may even be enough to make this tablet the first major ‘blockbuster’ in terms of sales, possibly making it a serious competitor for Apple’s iPad.

4. Dean Finnegan

CEO of Pandigital

Who is he?

Dean Finnegan founded Pandigital in 2006. Since then, they’ve become the biggest player in the digital picture frame market.

Why is he important?

Pandigital seems to be actively courting the cost-conscious consumer. This could win them a huge chunk of market share… if they can remain profitable on such slim margins.

As of this writing, a new Pandigital 7” tablet can be had for less than $130. That’s $70 less than the Kindle Fire and $300 less than the Apple iPad2. A refurbished version is #2 in sales for Amazon.com’s tablet category.

5. Tim Cook

CEO of Apple, Inc.

Who is he?

Cook was promoted to CEO of Apple after the passing of Steve Jobs. Prior to that, he was the company’s COO, whose duties included maintaining relationships with Foxconn (manufacturer of the iPad).

Why is he important?

Apple’s iPad is the original tablet. It still holds a commanding lead in terms of market share. The only way for Android Tablet manufacturers to see any serious gain in market share is to take it from Apple.

The company is reeling after the huge loss of Steve Jobs. If Cook and his team slow down innovations as the company re-adjusts, this could spell a huge opportunity for Android-based companies.