Sell it for halfway between the 7 and 10 (e.g. to 1920×1080), 2GB RAM, 32GB storage (or less with an SD card slot, but that won’t happen). What I’d quite like next from Google’s Nexus tablet line is a “Nexus 8″ with, say, Tegra 4 (or equivalent), 8” screen, an increase in screen res (e.g. For anyone else though, I’d say the Nexus 7 remains the preferred buy, as it has pretty well has since its launch. I would say it’s swings and roundabouts really – if an SD card slot and a rear camera are the most important aspects of a tablet to you, then you might be a potential buyer. So far, so good, but then they wreck it with 1024×600 screen res (seen on the PlayBook from 2 years ago and it’s only just about usable), only 8GB flash as standard and a noticeably worse CPU than the Nexus 7. HP have managed to beat the Nexus 7 price, include an SD card slot and provide a rear camera (though of a dubiously low 3MP resolution). Most obvious are a rear camera (which is the only sensible way to scan QR codes or take photos to be honest) and an SD card slot. The OS should be vanilla and based on at least Jelly Bean, but the Nexus 7 does leave some gaps in its specs waiting for someone to fill them. With the suspicion that Asus is getting a subsidy from Google to sell at or near cost, it’s been proving very difficult for anyone to match or beat the Nexus 7 specs and charge the same or lower price.
In the long-term, if they continue to invest and other companies react, WE end up with better options throughout the entire spectrum of devices (low-end to high-end) from different and more reputable sources.Īny 7″ tablet running Android is going to be immediately compared to the Nexus 7. HP’s entry changes the purchasing dynamics for consumers and strengthens the lower-end of the market in the short-term. Price was his motivation after having felt burned by his Apple purchase and a name-brand with decent reviews was my motivation. My brother-in-law, who now hates his iPad, refused to consider the higher-end 10.1″ Android tablets and I wasn’t about to suggest a generic overseas brand. He opted for a $129 Chinese knock-off (no google play) at a **local store** (local, walk-in support was his preference) – despite my strong warnings against the brand.
This past Christmas, a cousin of mine refused to pay for Google’s Nexus 7 ($200, Taxes, Shipping, faceless-entity, questionable support) or a Samsung 7″ (about the same price last time I checked). It’s a ripple effect.īargain basement shoppers will buy low-end from a more reputable source (with support) and those who shop by specs will have an increasing variety in the upper range as companies consider other market strategies. We might see two similar low-spec devices with the only difference being the aspect-ratio.
Instead of a keyboard dockable 8″ tablet (with bells & whistles) at $600, we could see this mythical beast listed at $400. What I meant… when you have a big player enter the arena, other players may need to do more to differentiate their products.