Samsung Electronics launched its new Galaxy Note tablet in three major markets on Thursday, hoping that a stylus-type pen and split-screen function will stand the new device apart from rival Apple Inc’s iPad, Reuters reports. The company, facing accusations that it copied the design and some features of Apple’s iPad and iPhone, said the Galaxy Note 10.1 would be a “game changer” from rival tablets, on which users usually only view one application at a time. The device can have two apps active on a split-screen, while an ‘S-Pen’ seeks to solve tablet and smart-phones’ sometimes clunky keyboard and input functions by allowing users to write and sketch on the screen. Analysts, however, were skeptical of its ability to make inroads into Apple’s huge lead in the tablet market given plans to price it at $499 for 16 gigabytes of memory and WiFi-only – the same as the iPad.
“When you look at the price and overall consumer awareness about Samsung tablets, it’s not likely to be a big success,” said Park Young, an analyst at Woori Investment & Securities in Seoul…