Monday, March 5, 2012
Rumor: Google’s $199 “Nexus tablet” to be made by ASUS, include quad-core Tegra 3
Recently there's been rumblings that Google will release a 7-inch "Nexus tablet" in the first half of 2012, but many have doubted that Google would actually enter the hardware business. Several people have rightfully pointed out that Google traditionally partners with an OEM on these "Google Experience Devices", just like they did with Motorola on the Xoom tablet. Read on for the latest rumor surrounding who might produce Google's 7-inch tablet.
The Rumor
Google has partnered with ASUS to release a 7-inch tablet that will become a pure Google Experience Device. The tablet will retail for $199, include a quad-core Tegra 3 processor, and ship with stock Android 4.x Ice Cream Sandwich.
The Sources
This rumor comes from two different industry sources that I spoke with in person at Mobile World Congress. They have provided reliable information in the past and I find them to be trustworthy. As with most of these rumor reports, the sources wish to remain anonymous.
One Android Insider's take on the rumor
Consumers want cheap tablets and the $199 Kindle Fire has proven this. Amazon shipped an estimated 5 million units in Q4 of last year and it quickly became the best selling Android tablet.
The Kindle Fire is a great product, but it lacks all of Google's mobile services including the Android Market. Some would think that Google would be happy with Amazon's success, but our sources say that Google sees Amazon as a threat in the tablet market. Amazon replaced Google's ecosystem with their own, so Amazon earns all the long-tail profits from content and services, while Google gets nothing.
There have already been multiple reports that Google would release a $199 tablet that features a 7-inch