Google to Launch Own-brand Tablet to Compete with iPad or Kindle Fire?

An Apple Inc's iPad 2 tablet and a Samsung Electronics' Galaxy Tab tablet are seen in this picture illustration taken in Seoul — An employee of KT holds an Apple Inc's iPad 2 (R) tablet and a Samsung Electronics' Galaxy Tab tablet as he poses for photographs at a registration desk at the headquarters of South Korean mobile carrier KT in Seoul, in this picture illustration was taken on April 22, 2011. Samsung Electronics Co filed patent lawsuits against Apple over the U.S. firm's iPhone and iPad in a tit-for-tat case after Apple claimed Samsung's smartphones and tablets "slavishly" copied its products. Samsung's counter lawsuit, its first against its biggest client, comes days before it launches a new product and could jeopardize business ties between the two companies, as Apple relies on Samsung for component supplies such as chips and LCD displays. Reuters

Internet search engine giant Google will reportedly launch its own-brand tablet, prompting Android fans to wonder which kind of device the company plans to make - will the Google tablet compete with the affordable, $199 Amazon Kindle Fire or the high-end, $499 (and above) Apple iPad 2?

DigiTimes reported, Thursday, that Amazon's 7-inch tablet might be Google's rival, instead of the iPad, citing Google's upstream supply chain. According to the unnamed sources, the anticipated Android tablet would probably launch in the spring of 2012, around March or April, with a price tag less - hold your breath - than $199.

The purported tablet will sport a 7-inch screen and run on Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich).

However, Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt has a different story to tell. Speaking to the Italian newspaper Corriere della Ser in December, Schmidt said Google plans to market a tablet of the highest quality in the next six months. It is believed that Google might copy Galaxy Nexus' strategy and make its own Android tablet.

It seems hard to predict which path Google will choose. However, according to CNet, DigiTimes is notorious for its inaccuracy.

For instance, DigiTimes reported last week that two new iPad models will release at the Macworld/iWorld event on Jan. 26. It also reported that iPad Mini, with a 7.85-inh display, will launch in late 2012 to compete with Amazon Kindle Fire. However, the report was largely rebuffed by many tech experts and industry analysts.