Google just announced a whole slew of new Nexus devices. A big phone, a big tablet. But there's one thing missing: Any word of the Nexus 7. And chances are that lovely tablet is gone.
We've reached out to Google for confirmation, but the warning signs have already been mounting. The Nexus 7 has been out of stock for months on the Google Play store, and the fancy new landing page for Nexus products lists the 5, the 6, and the 9. That's it.
It makes sense. Now that Google offers a 6-inch phone (one that comes at a price of $650 off contract), it's a little harder to see where that wonderful dirt cheap 7-inch tablet comes in. Especially versions of it that have data connections. It'd just make the lineup too crowded and muddy. As it sits right now, you have a Nexus 9 tablet, and Nexus 5 or 6 phones. No weirdness in the middle.
Besides, the Nexus 7 did its job. It came in and shook up the previously expensive and stagnant world of Android tablets, proving that a cheap stock-Android powered tab could be good. The best! That lesson has been learned—just look at all the cheap, small stock Android tablets that are out there today.
The Nexus 7's time might be over, but there's always a chance it could come back. Maybe if the Nexus 6 flops, Google will change its mind and go back to the little tablet that could. For now though, it seems like that lovely little gadget has finished its great run, and it's hard to say goodbye.
Update: Google has responded to let us know that the Nexus 7 will continue to be available from select retailers. That's good news! But it doesn't necessarily mean that there will be any more when the ones that are out there are gone.