AppleInsider Staff
Google and Samsung are allegedly developing a 10.1-inch tablet aimed squarely at Apple's ubiquitous iPad, with the co-branded device being the internet search giant's first foray into the high-end tablet market.
NPD DisplaySearch analyst Richard Shim told CNET that one of the standout features of the purported Google/Samsung collaboration will be a 2,560-by-1,600-pixel display, which boasts a pixel density of about 299 pixels per inch. In comparison, the third-generation iPad carries a 9.7-inch 2,048-by-1,536 pixel Retina display that tops out at 264 PPI.
Shim goes on to say that the co-branded tablet will come with a price tag befitting the bumped specs, unlike Google's current Asus-built Nexus 7.
"It's going to be a high-end device," Shim said, citing "supply chain indications."
As a side note, Shim reiterated a previous rumor that Google will start production on a $99 tablet in December, though no specifics were offered regarding screen size or manufacturer.
Word of Google's rumored entry into the high-end tablet sector comes on the eve of what many expect to be Apple's own move into a different market segment. It is widely thought that the iPad maker will try to extend its market domination downward with a low-cost 7.85-inch tablet many have taken to calling the "iPad mini."
A report earlier on Monday from The Wall Street Journal said Apple's Asian supply chain has taken orders for over 10 million iPad minis to be built over the course of the fourth quarter, which could push total iPad sales over 30 million units for the holiday shopping season.
Wesley Hilliard
Malcolm Owen
Christine McKee
Andrew Orr
William Gallagher
86 Comments
omg more megapixelz must be better!
2560x1600? So a 16:10 tablet? Why can't we have 16x10 back where it belongs: on computer monitors!
A higher resolution and higher PPI means nothing if you don't have the SW that runs smoothly on it. Even with Butter I highly doubt Google Android can power such a display smoothly. I wonder what the Samsung fans will say when they find out it's LCD and not AMOLED.
But will it have a kickstand and keyboard cover (with "click" functionality)? Seriously though, by the time this thing actually ships, it will be just in time for March when the 'even newer' new iPad will come out and crush it. Oh and by the way, very few people will be willing to pay a higher price for any non iPad tablet, so it is dead on arrival regardless.
Spec numbers! That%u2019ll be just the thing to offset the relative lack of top-quality tablet apps.