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Adrian Kingsley-Hughes
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Report: Google branded 7-inch tablet in the pipeline

By | February 25, 2012, 7:49am PST

Summary: Will Motorola manufacture it?

Google is getting ready to enter the Android tablet market with a 7-inch offering, according DisplaySearch analyst Richard Shim.

Speaking to CNET, Shim said that the search giant is working on a Google branded tablet that will have a 1280×800 resolution 7-inch display and be powered by Android 4.0 ‘Ice Cream Sandwich.’ Shim says the tablet will be priced at around $199 in order for it to be able to compete against the Amazon Kindle Fire. He expects production to start in April and for the initial production run to be between 1.5 - 2 million units.

Shim doesn’t know about how Google plans to market the device. ”I don’t know how they plan on marketing it. If it’s going to be a premium device, or if it’s going to be a Kindle Fire type competitor,” he said.

My immediate question is who will manufacture this tablet? Given Google’s ongoing acquisition of Motorola (which has three tablets of its own already - 10.1-inch Xoom, a 10.1-inch Xyboard, and an 8.2-inch Xyboard), that seems logical. But what does a Google-branded Motorola tablet have to offer over a Motorola-branded Motorola tablet? Google might have the flagship Android smartphone with the Nexus, but when it comes to market share, Google is a small player when it comes to hardware.

Shim doesn’t speculate as to why Google feels that a 7-inch tablet will be better than what Motorola has to offer. Perhaps it’s driven by the rumors that Apple is working on a ‘mini’ iPad 3, or maybe it’s purely a response to Amazon’s success with a smaller, cheaper Kindle Fire. It’s clear that Apple has the large form-factor tablet market stitched up, and given Motorola’s mediocre success with tablets that compete against the iPad, maybe Google feels that there’s a space at the smaller form-factor end of market.

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Should Google release a branded Android tablet?

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Google Inc., Tablets, Notebooks, Hardware, Notebooks & Tablets, Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes is an internationally published technology author who has devoted over a decade to helping users get the most from technology.

Disclosure

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

All opinions expressed on Hardware 2.0 are those of Adrian Kingsley-Hughes. Every effort is made to ensure that the information posted is accurate. If you have any comments, queries or corrections, please contact Adrian via the email link here. Any possible conflicts of interest will be posted below. [Updated: February 23, 2010] - Adrian Kingsley-Hughes has no business relationships, affiliations, investments, or other actual/potential conflicts of interest relating to the content posted so far on this blog.

Biography

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes is an internationally published technology author who has devoted over a decade to helping users get the most from technology -- whether that be by learning to program, building a PC from a pile of parts, or helping them get the most from their new MP3 player or digital camera.

Adrian has authored/co-authored technical books on a variety of topics, ranging from programming to building and maintaining PCs. His most recent books include "Build the Ultimate Custom PC", "Beginning Programming" and "The PC Doctor's Fix It Yourself Guide". He has also written training manuals that have been used by a number of Fortune 500 companies.

Adrian also runs a popular blog under the name The PC Doctor, where he covers a range of computer-related topics -- from security to repairing and upgrading.

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Google tablets
jorjitop 27th Feb
Since the iPad 2 will probably be selling at a significant discount soon, Google will be late again. Just look at the price difference between the iPhone 4 and the 4S.
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1 Vote
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The big question will be
Michael Alan Goff 25th Feb
what can it offer me, or anyone else, that makes it actually worth making it? Tablets are, by and large, getting the update. They won't have the advantage there.
0 Votes
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Too Late for Google's Traditional Marketing Scheme
jonathanlahdo 25th Feb
If Google are to be releasing a tablet, it's what they should've done with the release of 3.0. It was the only version not to have a Google Nexus device and you can't really market a Nexus tablet now with ICS unless it features something new that no other tablet has. In my opinion, this tablet should be a Nexus device running the next 4.x
0 Votes
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It's a shame Steve didn't live to see this
matthew_maurice 25th Feb
I'm sure he'd have enjoyed critiquing a 7" Nexus Tablet.
-1 Votes
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If true a grim turn of events for other Android OEM's.
James Quinn 25th Feb
Who already find themselves in a cut throat, low margin or no margin business (In the case of selling below cost to make up on the other end with content sales). In a case like this if true again it just might be a good idea to go with Windows phones and tablets. At least MS hasn't announced it is going to make tablets itself at least yet and while Nokia did get aid from MS they MS do not own Nokia like Google does or will with Moto.

Pagan jim
0 Votes
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How will it differ
Cylon Centurion 25th Feb
From the dozens of other crappy Android tablets out there that have failed to take off?
0 Votes
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I'm more interested in...
kris_stapley@... 27th Feb
how their partners will react to this. It seems like a shady move by a shady company.
0 Votes
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GoogleFire
dheady@... 25th Feb
Since it's generally assumed Amazon is selling the Fire at cost if not at a loss, is Google going to follow the same business model? At least Amazon had the track record of eInk readers for branding halo. Google has Chromebooks. I don't see the halo. And how long are the myriad OEMs using Android going to tolerate playing second fiddle? I see a huge opportunity for MSs Win8. Don't you just love watching the bottom feeders eating each other?
1 Vote
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Chromebooks are NOT Google branded hardware
wackoae 25th Feb
The only Google branded hardware is the Nexus .... and the brand is considered a failure by any standard.
0 Votes
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This is all about Amazon's Kindle Fire tablet
Rabid Howler Monkey 25th Feb
Watch for Amazon to put out a 10-inch form factor tablet later this year, priced significantly below the iPad (eTextbooks anyone?). Then Google can match this 10-inch tablet as well. Amazon can subsidize tablets via it's content sales revenue. Google can subsidize tablets via it's advertising revenue. From here on out, Amazon and Google will fight each other with enhanced tablet features and lower prices while everyone except Apple quietly disappears.

Reminds me a bit of calculators in the 1970's.
0 Votes
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Google tablets
jorjitop 27th Feb
Since the iPad 2 will probably be selling at a significant discount soon, Google will be late again. Just look at the price difference between the iPhone 4 and the 4S.
-1 Votes
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Google Branded 7" Tablet
pjtmgt@... 25th Feb
A tweener? The chances of a tweener succeeding are less than 10%.
Unless, they give it away for free. If it's anything like their software, that would be the right price. I'd take one for free.

If a tweener really does come out, Apple's VPs will be laughing so hard, I think Googler's will hear it 10 miles away.
-1 Votes
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But why?
Robert Hahn 25th Feb
Were I a shareholder in Google, I would get out now. This whole business with Motorola makes less sense every day. The decision making behind all of it is bizarre. When a company starts making senseless decisions, it's time to run the other way.

What does Google get by buying Motorola Mobility? Some patents, a brand name, some people. If the first thing they do is can the CEO (they did) and the second thing they do is announce they won't be using the brand name, then why did they even buy it? The patents? For twelve billion dollars?

If Google wanted to get into the low-end hardware business with a Google-branded device, I'm sure Foxconn would have been happy to design and build it for them. They didn't need Motorola.

This is good enough news for Windows 8 that it could get Ballmer back out on the dance floor. He's probably getting calls from Samsung already.
-1 Votes
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Google purchased Motorola as a DESPERATE move
wackoae Updated - 25th Feb
Motorola threatened to suing other Android OEMs, Google management panicked and they made a ridiculous offer for a division that wasn't even worth 10% of what they paid for.

As many has pointed out, MotoMob only had about 18 patents that could be considered useful in today's post-pc market and they weren't that valuable.
0 Votes
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i'd love a 7" tablet!
jimmery 25th Feb
and who says nexus is a failure... excuse me as you don't seem to know what you're talking about. i have no use for a 10" tablet. i need 7" that's why i've been waiting and i want it pure google. but only if it surpasses a samsung g.tab.... i'm not really very confident with motorola.

and they're right it shouldn't be an ICS.. it should have the new OS version! i won't be excited with just an ICS.
0 Votes
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Yeah they should!
Peter Perry Updated - 26th Feb
They said they were going to bring a $99 tablet to market so why not? Reality is, this is to combat the Kindle Fire and any other tablets it beats will be collateral damage.
1 Vote
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I like the 7" - 8" form factor in the tablet market.
marbo100 25th Feb
The main point in owning a 7" tablet is portability as the size makes it easy to take with me wherever I go as opposed to larger tablets. However I do not like the currently growing trend of eliminating the microSD slot in mobile devices. The main reason I won't buy a Galaxy Nexus is that it doesn't have one and I won't buy a Tablet without one either. I do not need to waste my data allotment downloading things from the cloud when I already have it on a microSD card. For me, a mobile device does not live in an ever present wifi connection.

Essentially, if Google wants to try to sell me a tablet, they need to let me use it the way I want to and not delete features that enable me to do that. If they can't do that, then don't even bother trying.
-2 Votes
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Report: Google branded 7-inch tablet in the pipeline
Loverock Davidson- 25th Feb
I'm sure this will sell as well as the chromebooks did, meaning not well at all.
-2 Votes
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Interesting thought here.. We've all seen the rash of Google
James Quinn 25th Feb
related "spyware" reports. Seems Google actually writes spyware but gets away with it by calling it Applications. So what would a device hardware made by Google or it's minion Moto. OS made by Google and Applications made by Google do for me? Or better put what would this device do for Google and the organizations that pay for MY information weather I want they to have said or not?

Pagan jim
-1 Votes
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Sounds desperate.
dave95. 25th Feb
I just don't see any good reasoning for them to release a tablet, especially if it will be little difference from what we have out now that's based on Honeycomb/ISC. If they are working with Moto on this tablet then I could see it being seen as special favoritism by the other Android tablet makers. More reason for them to continue skining, and maybe like Amazon completely fork their Android offerings.
0 Votes
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umm
Peter Perry 26th Feb
Kindle fire?
0 Votes
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hope it doesnt fail like nexus
raj.tripathi 26th Feb
Google seeing the competition from ipad 3 (which might be small screen)and popularity of small tablet like kindle is doing the right step in launching its tablet.
Hope google launches with good hardware specs and there should be support for the local Exchange.I hope it has volume buttons on the device itself rather than goin into dashboard (Kindle fire) happy
r tripathi
www.mobitily.com
0 Votes
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suva
suvacreations 27th Feb
that is not for all
0 Votes
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After playing with a demo playbook...
kris_stapley@... Updated - 27th Feb
I've really found no useful purpose for tablets. I prefer to browse the web using a laptop as the proper keyboard means I am actually able to type at a reasonable rate when commenting on stories such as this. When out and about, I use my phone. If I were a train commuter or something similar, I suppose I could get some use out of a tablet, but then again I would prefer to use my laptop even in that instance. I play video games at home on my xbox 360, and on my phone when on the go.
BTW, I've had the demo for over a week now; I was not referring to an instore demo.

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