Are Companies Desperate to Compete with the Apple Inc. (AAPL) iPad?

The fact that the tablet market is growing throughout the world is no surprise at this point. More and more people are turning their back on traditional desktop and laptop computers, instead opting for tablets and smartphones. While the Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPad continues to dominate this category, the competition is looking for ways to make up ground and steal back some market share.

The question at this point remains the same: which company is going to move to the forefront and show Apple that it is not going to have an easy time holding onto its spot at the top?

Like most, you may think that Samsung will be able to fit the bill. After all, this is the same company that is giving Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) a run for its money in the smartphone market. With the help of the Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android operating system, Samsung tablets must be considered a top competitor.

It appears that Samsung feels the same way, and is taking a big step in Brazil in an attempt to grab onto a larger part of the market.

According to Digitimes, Samsung has “offered subsidies to its local sales agents to cover 30% of sales prices on average.”

This may not be the way Samsung wants to fight Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) for market share, but it is a strategy that could pay off in the long run nonetheless.

Here is an excerpt from the piece, showing how the competition is shaping up:

“In the Brazil tablet market, Apple and Samsung lead in the high-end segment, Samsung, Asustek and Acer dominate the mid-range segment, while DL Electronics and other local vendors monopolize the low-end segment with sales prices of US$200-250, the sources said.’

As you can see, Apple and Samsung are out in front in the high end tablet segment. Just as important is the fact that Samsung is a major player in the mid-range segment, giving them the ability to reach more users than Cupertino.

According to the same article, “Brazil is the world’s third-largest PC market due to its high population and relatively low PC penetration as well as a foothold for the Latin America market.”

For this reason, it only makes sense for Samsung and Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) to spend a considerable amount of time fighting for tablet market share in this country.

Is Samsung desperate to compete with Apple or just looking for a way to increase sales?