Google is risking the wrath of its original equipment manufacturers by launching its own seven-inch tablet, Informa Telecoms & Media principal analyst David McQueen believes.
The search giant is taking pre-orders for the Nexus 7, a tablet featuring a quad-core processor, and the latest version of Google’s Android operating system – v4.1, dubbed Jelly Bean by the firm. The device will be available with 8-GB or 16-GB of memory, priced at £159 (€197) and £199 respectively.
McQueen believes the introductory prices for the device will provide “a welcome shot in the arm for the Android platform in its effort to crack the tablet space.” However, he notes the product is also likely to “ruffle a few feathers,” among Google’s “OEM Android partners who also have 7-inch Android tablets in market,” despite having Amazon’s Kindle Fire in its crosshairs rather than other Android tablets.
Google’s choice of a seven-inch screen is likely to provide enough differentiation to avoid a direct confrontation with Apple’s iPad, McQueen notes, which may leave the device clear to “carve out a significant market share, while also hopefully pulling its OEM partners along with it.”