When Apple unveiled its “latest creation” earlier this week, I was disappointed.  Cautiously expecting paradigm-shifting technology, what I got was a camera-less, non-multitasking, non-AMOLED, DRMed up the Dock Connector, large iPod touch. 

Disappointments list aside, I am not dismissing the iPad; it’s just that the device didn’t deliver the expected wow.  Matter of fact, I think tablets will be huge in coming decade, and iPad helps set the stage for this new frontier.  Molly Wood’s excellent analysis sums up my thoughts on the subject brilliantly.  

But I also think Apple’s iPad-punt makes it more likely that other companies will have the chance to dominate the coming tablet market.  Google and Microsoft are obvious players, but since moving quickly is antithetical to the Microsoft modus operandi, it’s up to Google for now. 

If Google takes the tablet by the – well, gently by the side with just enough thumb pressure – and runs with it, the company will position itself very well very quickly. 

Here’s how I think Google and Android can win the Tablet Wars in the coming years.

By Continuing to Improve

Google’s Android OS has matured significantly in the last year, and there are already tablet-style Android devices available or in the pipeline.  The company has polished and improved its OS a great deal in a very short time, and hardware has surprisingly kept up with software enhancements.  This will undoubtedly continue. 

Google also has the influence, money, and partners to push advanced tablet devices. Establish hardware parameters (screen size, etc.)  to keep software designers from having to code for 30 different specs, speeding app development.  Back, push, and fund (if necessary) hardware improvements tailored to the Android OS which will give us faster, more powerful options.  Keep up the lightening pace of improvement to the UI, SDK and underlying code.

By Distributing Media

Google already has its fingers in video, music, news and books.  In order to take on Apple in the Tablet Wars, the company must provide a media distribution system that’s as “well-stocked” and easy-to-use as iTunes.  iTunes remains one of the major factors in iPhone and iPod dominance.  No matter how beautiful, powerful or innovative Android smartphones or tablets become, millions of users will stay away as long as they can’t quickly and easily get music, movies, TV shows, audiobooks and other media right on the device. 

And Google doesn’t even have to do the heavy lifting.  Amazon, already the Android solution for music downloads, could provide the media content.  Google just needs to work on the front-end. 

By Embracing Openness

Apple’s default position remains “we know best, deal with it.”  This attitude garners silly praise from fanboys with statements like: Apple just knows where to takes us; we may not understand at first, but we soon realize it’s where we always wanted to go. 

Google’s openness will prove a real strength in the tablet market because, unlike phones-first smartphones, tablets are everything devices – i.e. computers – and users don’t want their computers controlled or limited.  Would you, for example, own a MacBook (or any computer) if it were as locked-down as an iPhone?  No non-approved software, peripherals, or browser plug-ins; no file manager; no third-party application interoperability; no video output; no app replacement; no expandable storage; no default program options; in short, nothing Apple doesn’t think you need (or want you to have).

The inability to expand the storage of my iPhone (or the iPad) in a world of $37 16GB memory cards particularly annoys me.  Android device’s expansion options will be freeing to many users.

By Offering Free (or Very Cheap) Wireless Data

Remember that 700MHz spectrum Google grabbed a couple of years ago?  Three-words: free wireless data.  Okay, so maybe it won’t exactly have to be free, but it could be very cheap.  Imagine if an Android tablet gave you free or very inexpensive all-you-can-eat data, while an Apple device would set you back $360 a year for the same.  Another option would be using wireless partners (Verizon, Sprint) with ad-revenue sharing to fund data access.  However it’s done, it’s important.

By Leveraging Cloud Computing Know-How

An always-connected tablet makes Cloud Computing a viable reality, and Google knows the Cloud.  Their services – Gmail, Google Calendar, Docs, Gears, Picasa Web, YouTube, etc. – are already well established with a huge number of users.  And they’re free.  Not only that, but they actually work, unlike the overpriced MobileMe.

The Cloud also offers interesting options like server-side rendering of games, off-device storage, wireless syncing, collaboration, etc., all of which would be well suited to tablet computing.

By Feverishly Studying Style (or Buying It)

It’s difficult to dismiss (or compete with) Apple’s style chops, and this is the one area where Google really has to push itself.  Google’s software tends to be rather plain.  With the exception of Android and Picasa, Google doesn’t focus on eye-candy much at all, and even the mobile OS needs some styling work.  But Android is improving all the time, with frequent and significant updates.  Android on tablets must be even more attractive ‘cause there’s more to look at. 

If there’s no one at Google who truly understands blow-your-mind style, recruit the best in the business.  The importance of the visual experience can’t be overstated.

Hope Springs Eternal

While not a fanboy, I am a fan of Apple, and a loyal customer.  I own iPods, an iPhone 3GS and a MacBook.  And while I don’t exactly want Apple to lose the Tablet Wars, I don’t want them to have the only army on the battlefield.  Fierce competition in this market will benefit us all, and make the transition to a new computing reality quicker and farther reaching. 

I do, however, hope to see Google knock Apple off its tablet game, at least in the beginning.  Apple may have fired the first shot, but I believe Google can ultimately win the war. 

Either way, they should put up one hell of a fight.

M. Nichols, Products Editor