On 7/10/2012 12:12 PM, Richard Pieri wrote:
The fact that Google put their name on a 7" tablet says one thing:
Google is afraid to go head to head with Apple. If Google wanted an iPad
killer then we'd be looking at Nexus 10 at $279. But that's not what we
have; we have yet another 7" tablet. The only serious competition are
Amazon and B&N. For small values of "serious": Nexus 7 handily beats
Kindle Fire and Nook Tablet which will give Google a solid second place
in the tablet market, albeit a distant second behind Apple.
1. I'm not sure they could do a Nexus 10 at $279, in part because
people's expectations of a tablet that size are higher. Aside from the
bigger screen (and higher resolution; I think they'll need to do at
least 1080p so the screen looks as good as the Nexus 7 screen) and
bigger battery to match, a 10" tablet will also need to have more
storage, as well as the second camera and SD slot that got left out of
the Nexus 7. (Though they might take my suggestion about the Nexus 7 and
only include those last two things in the step-up model.) That's
sounding more like a $350 product unless Google is willing to actually
take a loss rather than merely break even, though it would still
undercut the $500 level that comparable tablets sell for now.
(Brief aside about the competition: the screen resolution of the Windows
RT-based Microsoft Surface has only been talked about vaguely by
Microsoft. I believe that if they come in at anything less than 1080p
the product will tank; it just won't look good enough when placed next
to a new iPad. MS is clearly trying to position Surface as a premium
product with stuff like the VaporMG case; they need a display to match.
I suspect the RT-based tablet will flop anyway because the market
doesn't need a third OS in that space; the one with full Windows 8 has a
chance because it will be seen as a more portable laptop replacement.)
2. ASUS is one of the few modestly successful Android tablet makers in
the 10" space. They might not be interested in cannibalizing their own
brand, which means Google would need to find another manufacturing
partner. Maybe HTC would be interested; they badly need a successful
product.
3. Who says that won't be Google's next product?
That approach makes sense to me. First, establish the brand with a
product in a space that Apple isn't yet occupying. Later, introduce a
brand extension that takes on the iPad more directly.
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