Google rumored to launch sub-$250 7-inch tablet in July
The first Google-branded tablet is now expected to debut in July, according to The Verge, which will allow the search company to cut costs and sell the device for even less money. Google's original plans were to allegedly sell the device for about $249.
Though the tablet will be the first official Google-branded device in that category, the company will reportedly partner with Asustek to build the device with a 7-inch touchscreen. In its current form, it is said to feature an Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core processor and run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.
But the $249 price of the current model is higher than the 7-inch Amazon Kindle Fire, which is believed to be the primary competitor of Google's forthcoming device. Though the Kindle Fire runs Google's Android operating system, it is a heavily modified version of the software tailored to sell content direct from Amazon.com.
Google's apparent push to release an inexpensive 7-inch tablet also come as rumors persist that Apple is toying with the idea of releasing a smaller 7.85-inch iPad. Currently the iPad carries a 9.7-inch screen size, and pricing starts at $399 for the 16-gigabyte Wi-Fi-only iPad 2.
Apple is said to have a 7.85-inch model in its test labs with a 1,024-by-768-pixel display. By utilizing the same resolution and aspect ratio as the iPad 2 and first-generation iPad, such a device would allow developers' applications to be compatible without any modifications.
121 Comments
That would be a pretty stupid goal. The Fire is designed (and marketed) to be an effective conduit to Amazon's store and nothing else. Google can't compete there.
That would be a pretty stupid goal. The Fire is designed (and marketed) to be an effective conduit to Amazon's store and nothing else. Google can't compete there.
Amazon don't even sell the Kindle outside of the US, so theres no decent tablets apart from the iPad, so a Google Tablet would be a instant hit.
That would be a pretty stupid goal. The Fire is designed (and marketed) to be an effective conduit to Amazon's store and nothing else. Google can't compete there.
Agreed. I don't see this as targeting the Fire for the same reasons you mention. Instead I think it's hoped to jump-start Android-based tablet sales in general. Going by previous joint projects between Google and Samsung and Moto, this new one is probably just Google working with ASUS showing how they suggest it be approached while showcasing "pure" Android features. Really just another of the Nexus-type projects IMHO.
I know they are trying to keep it cheap (and I might buy one for $250) but I'm sick of the all fanboy hype around the Tegra 3 chip being quad-core. The new DUAL-CORE 28nm chips that use newer ARM architectures from Samsung, Qualcomm, TI, etc wipe the floor with Tegra 3, and its GPU is not great either.
I already have two iPads. I guess I'm that I'm not their target customer, which is somebody who's looking for a tiny, shitty, inferior performing tablet, running the worst mobile OS in the universe.