Gizmo enthusiasts the world-over had been waiting with bated breath for the newest tablet launch and Google sure didn't disappoint! At the annual I/O developer's conference, held in San Francisco, the search engine bigwig made its much-awaited debut in the tab world and unveiled its latest baby, the Nexus 7.
Can't wait to get your hands on the tab world's latest offering? Sorry, but consumers will have to wait a wee bit longer. Slated for a mid-July shipment, initially, Google intends on launching the 7-inch tab in U.S., Canada, the UK, and Australia. Priced at $199 for the 8GB version and $249 for the 16GB one, Google is clearly upping the ante with an aim to conquer the $78.7 billion tablet market and eat into other players' market share with its affordable option.
The hand-held Nexus 7 will feature "Jelly Bean", the latest Android (4.1) operating system. Moreover, Google Play, the company's marketplace for Android applications and games, will play a vital role by adding tools, which will make it simpler for users to download movies, games, books etc.
Interestingly, Amazon's Kindle Fire, which is seen as immediate competition for the Nexus 7 runs on Google's Android 4.0 operating system, Ice Cream Sandwich. Apple on the other hand can breathe easy as Gartner expects the iPad to remain the global tablet leader through at least 2016, even as it loses some market share. The iPad will account for an estimated 46 percent of shipments in 2016, down from a projected 61 percent this year. Android may have 37 percent by 2016, a gain from 32 percent.
Such is Apple's tablet market dominance that it has become iPad vis-à-vis the rest. But with the tab market estimated to double to 118.9 million units, Google, it seems, is determined to get a hefty share of the pie!
The Nexus 7, pitched as the inexpensive tab, is a viable alternative for gamers and will initially ship with a slew of pre-installed content like "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" and several e-books. The tablet will also come with a $25 coupon, which can be redeemed at the Google Play store. Weighing only 0.75 pounds, compared to Kindle Fire's 0.9 pounds, the svelte Nexus 7 boasts a nine hours HD playback and is designed to be a serious gaming device.
Pundits opine that Amazon's Kindle Fire, priced in the same bracket, could well be in for some stiff competition from Google. The Nexus 7 has way more features than the Kindle, including a front-facing 1.2 megapixel camera, making it a better bargain.
However, Google may face some setbacks and as Forrester analyst Frank Gilett predicts, "Google's user base for music, books, and movies is not nearly as strong as Apple or Amazon, so it will take time to build a strong customer base for the Nexus 7."
With a plethora of tabs to choose from, and at reasonable prices, the Nexus 7 tablet could well be on its way to becoming a universal companion, evolving from being a luxury for most to a necessity for everyone.
