A report on the Digitimes website points out that sources indicate manufacturers of upcoming tablet platforms may be feeling a price crunch from the price-point of the iPad2, and therefore delaying the introduction of their products.  The brief but telling report seems to reinforce the masterful debut and impact of Apple’s flagship product.

“iPad 2’s low price of US$499 is leaving tablet PC models with relatively higher prices no room for survival and there are already 2-3 notebook brand vendors that plan to postpone their tablet PC model’s launch schedule until after they redesign the specifications and reduce the related costs, according to sources from notebook players.”

Is the 2011 tablet PC war over?

The sources pointed out that the tablet PC war that was expected in April may turn out to played only by the iPad product line, since iPad 2 is lighter and thinner than the previous generation device and is faster and has even more features at the same price level than the previous model.

.. Therefore, players are already working on rearrange their launch schedule and will delay the launch for another 1-2 months before they start selling; some models that were unveiled from before may even not appear in the channel.

And while mostly glowing reviews of the Xoom and other competitors continue to emerge, the fact of the matter is that Apple has effectively dictated the market price for a competitive product.

Sources also say that tablet PCs will need to be priced below $399 to have chance to enter the tablet PC battlefield, and none of the current Wintel or ARM/Android platform are capable of achieving such a price level.

With Apple’s market strategy revealed, and a price point that is supported by the strength of return on its application market, it is hard to see other manufacturers being competitive under current conditions.