??? 蘋(píng)果公司（Apple）銷售ipad似乎不費(fèi)吹灰之力。看起來(lái)，它所要做的不過(guò)是舉行記者招待會(huì)，購(gòu)買(mǎi)引人注目的廣告，并確保有足夠的存貨以滿足高得驚人的需求。難怪很多公司都試圖推出自己的平板電腦來(lái)挑戰(zhàn)蘋(píng)果。

??? 上周一，微軟（Microsoft）也公布了一款名為Surface的平板電腦。但歷史表明微軟此舉風(fēng)險(xiǎn)很大。大多試圖叫板蘋(píng)果iPad的公司都遭到慘敗，或是收效甚微。據(jù)市場(chǎng)調(diào)研公司IDC稱，蘋(píng)果占一季度平板電腦市場(chǎng)總發(fā)貨量的63.1％，遠(yuǎn)超排名第二的三星（Samsung），后者僅占總發(fā)貨量的8.6%，而排名第三的亞馬遜（Amazon）占3.9％。

????微軟希望其平板電腦Surface與iPad的巨大差異，能使Surface成為一位勁敵。Surface帶有一個(gè)支架，能使其豎立在桌子上，此外，在其保護(hù)套中還內(nèi)置有一副鍵盤(pán)。Surface的確切價(jià)格和發(fā)布日期目前還不得而知。

????當(dāng)然，微軟首席執(zhí)行官史蒂夫?鮑爾默在洛杉磯登臺(tái)展示這款新平板時(shí)，對(duì)其贊許有加。至于說(shuō)待消費(fèi)者拿到這款產(chǎn)品時(shí)是否會(huì)同意鮑爾默的看法，那又是另當(dāng)別論了。讓我們具體看看其它叫板iPad的公司的戰(zhàn)績(jī)：

????Research in Motion

????隨著旗艦手機(jī)黑莓（BlackBerry）的衰落，RIM在去年孤注一擲地推出了平板電腦Playbook。Playbook原本認(rèn)為將在企業(yè)級(jí)IT市場(chǎng)大有作為，因?yàn)镽IM曾在該市場(chǎng)占據(jù)大量份額。不過(guò)，局勢(shì)迅速明了，企業(yè)IT部門(mén)更親睞iPad。去年12月，RIM對(duì)Playbook存貨進(jìn)行了高達(dá)5億美元的賬面減記，而本月早些時(shí)候，RIM又宣布不再生產(chǎn)價(jià)格最便宜的入門(mén)版Playbook。

????惠普（Hewlett-Packard）

????去年，惠普向市場(chǎng)推出了平板電腦，不過(guò)這很快成為硅谷歷史上最大的決策失誤。TouchPad平板上市僅一個(gè)半月后，惠普時(shí)任首席執(zhí)行官李艾科就宣布公司將停止制造平板電腦。消費(fèi)者對(duì)TouchPad興趣缺缺，雖然該產(chǎn)品搭載的WebOS操作系統(tǒng)頗具創(chuàng)新性，但同樣缺點(diǎn)多多。李艾科曾一度將TouchPad稱為iPad最有力的挑戰(zhàn)者，但時(shí)不待人，他不久之后就丟掉了工作。繼任者梅格?惠特曼力圖重塑惠普，她計(jì)劃在今年秋天推出一款搭載微軟Windows 8操作系統(tǒng)的全新平板電腦。

????亞馬遜

????亞馬遜于的Kindle Fire平板電腦在去年首次登場(chǎng)，該產(chǎn)品有許多對(duì)其有利的因素。最值得一提的是其出身——世界最大的在線零售網(wǎng)站亞馬遜，而且為了兜售電子書(shū)，亞馬遜賠本銷售Kindle Fire。亞馬遜巧妙的營(yíng)銷手法可謂錦上添花。例如，購(gòu)買(mǎi)了Kindle Fire的高級(jí)會(huì)員能免費(fèi)通過(guò)亞馬遜同步電影。

????Apple makes selling iPads look easy. All it takes, it seems, is holding a press conference, buying splashy ads and ensuring there are enough devices in stock to meet the incredible demand. No wonder that a long list of companies have tried challenge Apple by creating their own tablets.

????The latest to do so is Microsoft (MSFT), which unveiled its tablet, called Surface, on Monday. But history shows that Microsoft is taking a big risk. Most companies that have tried to take on Apple's (AAPL) iPad have failed spectacularly or made only limited inroads. Apple accounted for 63.1% of all tablets shipped in the first quarter, according to IDC, a market research firm. The closest competitor, Samsung, came in at a distant 8.6% followed by Amazon (AMZN) at 3.9%.

????Microsoft is hoping that its tablet is differentiated enough from the iPad to make it a credible competitor. The Surface comes with a stand to hold it upright on a table and a keyboard integrated into its carrying case. The tablet's exact price and release date were not disclosed.

????Of course, Steve Ballmer, Microsoft's chief executive, gave an effusive endorsement of his new tablet when he showed it off onstage in Los Angeles. Whether consumers will agree when they get their hands on it is another matter. Here's a recap of how some of iPad's other challengers have fared:

????Research in Motion (RIM)

????With sales of its flagship BlackBerry phones shrinking, RIM bet big on the PlayBook tablet last year. The device was supposed to be well-received by corporate IT departments, where RIM had sizeable contacts. It quickly became clear, however, that those IT departments preferred iPads. RIM took a nearly $500 million write down in December for unsold inventory and then, earlier this month, discontinued the cheapest version of the tablet.

????Hewlett-Packard (HPQ)

????H.P.'s push into tablets last year turned out to be one of the biggest blunders in Silicon Valley history. Just a month and a half after introducing the TouchPad tablet, H.P.'s chief executive at the time, Leo Apotheker, said he would stop production. Consumers showed little interest in the device, which ran on the innovative but flawed WebOS operating system. Apotheker, who had once called the TouchPad a serious challenger to the iPad, would soon lose his job. Meg Whitman, his replacement, intends to redeem H.P. with a new tablet this fall that uses Microsoft's Windows 8 operating system.

????Amazon

????Amazon's Kindle Fire, which premiered last year, has a number of things going for it. Most notable is its parentage -- Amazon is the biggest online retailer -- and the decision to price tablet as a loss leader for selling e-books. Amazon's knack for marketing is helping its cause. Prime members who buy a Kindle Fire can stream movies through Amazon for free, for example.