Google Tablet Delayed Until July [REPORT]

Google Tablet Delayed Until July [REPORT]
by Joann Pan on Mashable

Gadget lovers have been speculating about the 2012 release of the Google Tablet for months. Now, sources close to the project say the iPad competitor will debut in July.

The Verge reports Google is pushing back the tablet’s previously anticipated May release, in an effort to cut prices. Manufacturers are working to bring the $249 price tag down to $199 or less.

DigiTimes reports the lower price will help Google compete with Amazon’s Kindle Fire — which is now leading the 7-inch tablet market with its $199 model. It sold over five million units last quarter. The Barnes & Noble Nook Color Tablet — also running the Android operating system — is priced at $169 for the 7-inch touchscreen version.

By contrast, Apple is high-end, selling one of the most expensive tablets on the market with its lowest-priced 9.5-inch iPad (16GB Wi-Fi-only) costing $499.

The 7-inch Google Tablet will run on the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich OS with a Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core processor. The Verge mentioned reports speculating the delayed release could be due to Google’s nearly finished Android 5.0 Jelly Bean update, which Google could be waiting for before it releases its first tablet.

Once released, Google plans to sell its tablets through its own online store, according to last week’s WSJ report.

How much would you pay for a 7-inch Google Tablet? Tell us in the comments.




Source: Mashable

First Google tablet now expected in July due to price cutting effort

First Google tablet now expected in July due to price cutting effort
By Verge Staff on April 6, 2012 04:13 am on Theverge.com

Google’s first foray into the tablet market with a co-branded Android device won't be with us until July at the earliest. The current design was ready to go for May, but Google pushed back the planned release so it could tweak the device, sources close to the project said on Friday.

The Mountain View team plans to make some design changes and hopes to lower the price from the current $249. The tablet, made in partnership with Taiwan’s Asustek Computer, currently comes with a 7-inch screen, an Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core processor, and is Wi-Fi-only. It runs Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich. The $249 price tag on the current Google-Asustek tablet is higher than previous reports of a $149-$199 device. Amazon’s Kindle Fire, another 7-inch tablet that retails for $199, is the obvious competitor that Google will be taking on in that size and price range.

There are also reports that Apple is planning a smaller tablet with a 7.85-inch screen, called the iPad mini, which Google may be trying to preempt. Some reports have suggested Google wants to delay its tablet until after June so it can install the next version of Android, codenamed Jelly Bean, but that’s unlikely, the sources said. The current product is designed for Android 4.0, and new software could cause a much longer delay. Asustek is working with Google the way the US internet giant partnered with companies on Android Nexus smartphones, to make better phones and to jumpstart the market. Manufacturers say the co-branding was a huge boost, since Google is a household name. The co-branding strategy in Android tablets opens the door for a number of other companies to work with Google in the future, including Samsung Electronics, Acer and others.



Source: http://www.theverge.com/2012/4/6/2929707/google-tablet-july-launch-exclusive