Google Nexus Tablet: Kindle Fire Killer or Threat to New iPad?

By Surojit Chatterjee | March 20 2012 12:28 PM

We’re sure you have heard of the rumored Google Nexus Tablet being built by Asus. This little wonder tablet is expected to come with a 7-inch display, similar to that of the Amazon Kindle Fire, which is the most successful Android tablet, but it isn’t recognized by Google, as Amazon is using Google’s own OS to compete with it. If the Google Nexus 7-inch tablet is real, would it compete with the new iPad, or the Amazon Kindle Fire? We think it’s the latter of the two.

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A model displays ASUS's new product, the Eee Pad, at a media preview of the 2010 Computex exhibition in Taipei (inset) Google Android Logo

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The rumored Google Nexus tablet is expected to be Google’s second shot at a chance of getting any significant footing in the tablet market controlled by Apple and its iPad. Apple has been controling the market since 2010 with an iron fist, and even though competitors have tried to usurp the title of best tablet maker from Apple, with a range of products, some overflowing with hardware features and what-not, none were able to shake Apple’s dominance.

Google’s latest attempt could be what the company needs right now. But instead of competing directly with Apple, we believe the Asus-built Google Nexus will go head-to-head with the Amazon Kindle Fire.

The new iPad is a different beast. There is no way Google is expecting to compete against Apple’s latest feature-rich tablet with a measly 7-inch tablet. It first needs to control its own roost before gunning for Apple. The Kindle Fire is the top Android tablet, but it is not Google-centric. Heck, you would be lucky to find any Google services on the device and to make matters worse, it does not have support for Google Play – you only get the Amazon App Store.

The device from Google-Asus, if priced at $199 (as is widely expected), will definitely undercut the Kindle Fire, setting up Google to release a larger screen version to compete with the new iPad. Previous reports suggest that the tablet could come featured with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Some suggest Jelly Bean, but we are certain this device would come with Ice Cream Sandwich.

Amazon on the other hand, could counteract Google’s move with a newer version of its Kindle Fire 7-inch tablet. This could make things more difficult for the big G and Asus if this were to happen, and we are sure it will.

Nonetheless, 2012 will be a good year for tablets and for consumers alike. We can’t wait to see what surprises await us in the coming weeks and months.

(reported by Vamien MacKalin, edited by Surojit Chatterjee)

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