Google is expected to unveil its own entry into the tablet arena –- reportedly called the Nexus 7 tablet — on Wednesday at its I/O Developer Conference in San Francisco, Calif.
The Nexus 7 tablet is sparking discussions on Twitter regarding how it will fare in this emerging market, and against whom exactly it is poised to compete.
The reported price range of Google’s new tablet, $199 to $249 makes it a prime competitor for the lower-priced tablet market, including such names as the Amazon Kindle and the Barnes & Noble Nook.
“With the rumored #Nexusspecs,” tweeted M.H. Williams (@AutomaticZen), a news writer at IndustryGamers, “it looks like Google and Amazon will fight for the low-end, while Apple and MS fight for the premium market.”
While the screen size is about 3-inches smaller than those of the iPad and Surface tablets, it’s comparable to that of the Kindle Fire.
“No kidding #Nexus 7 is gonna be a big problem for Kindle Fire,” tweeted Vladimir Vuksan (@vvuksan), a systems and network infrastructure blogger in Boston.
With Microsoft’s announcement last Monday of its own tablet, Surface, Google’s Nexus could have some stiff competition upon entering the market — depending of course upon the announced launch date, which for Microsoft is not rumored to be until October (a definite con for many anxious buyers out there).
“When comparing #nexus and #surface remember Google doesn’t charge licensees for software. Microsoft does. Big difference,” tweeted Michael Gartenberg (@Gartenberg), an industry analyst at Garter, yesterday morning.
In the end, the deciding factor — and main difference — between all the tablets out there could be their operating system. Many comments on Twitter last week surrounding the Microsoft Surface announcement focused on the OS that will be installed on the tablet. The rumored OS for Google’s Nexus 7 is their Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, a decision could make or break the tablet’s success. “It’s all about the software so let’s wait [to see] what Jelly Bean can offer,” tweeted Teemu Hynninen (@TeemuHyn), a tech blogger from Finland.
Nexus’ most direct competitor seems likely to be the Kindle Fire, which functions more like a tablet than an e-reader. Amazon.com is no stranger to utilizing its online store to promote its tablet. Google’s Nexus 7 tablet is anticipated to similarly be available for direct consumer purchase via the Google Play Store, but it’s not yet clear how well the site will be integrated with the tablet’s functionality.
Microsoft was markedly silent on Twitter yesterday about the leak. Perhaps it is waiting until Google’s official announcement to comment.