The Verge is reporting that Google’s 7-inch tablet will likely be out in July. It’s been pushed back from its original May estimate because Google wanted the tablet to be cheaper than the $250 that the current model would cost.
Previously, the Wall Street Journal had reported that the tablet was in development, and that Google was building an online store to sell it. The Verge’s report says that Asustek Computer (Asus) is building the tablet in question, which jibes with the Journal’s report that it would be Samsung and Asus.
https://gizmodo.com/google-might-be-getting-into-the-tablet-business-later-5897633
The drive to get the 7-inch tablet’s price lower than $250 makes sense with the success of the $200 Kindle Fire. That seems like Google’s real competitor here, since we already know that Apple isn’t all that concerned about what’s going on in that arena.
https://gizmodo.com/apple-will-worry-about-ipad-competition-when-it-exists-5878989
A few questions remain, though. Like why buy Motorola if you’re not going to use them for hardware? And more importantly: will a Nexus tablet even matter? The original Google phone was a sales flop, although presumably Google’s learned a good deal about marketing since then. But it’s hard to see what Mountain View can do to rise above the sea of Android sameness, rather than just become another receding wave. [Verge]
