HTC May Be Behind Google's 8-inch Tablet
Could this be Google's last tablet?
Unnamed sources in the upstream supply chain claim that Google is expected to release the 8-inch Nexus tablet in third quarter 2014. The company has also teamed up with phone-maker HTC to produce the device instead of Asus, which designed and manufactured the two Nexus 7 tablets.
According to the sources, Google wants an entirely new design, hence its move to use HTC. Sources also claim that Google originally chose HTC for the first-generation Nexus 7, but the company was tied up in pushing its own smartphone business and had to refuse.
Meanwhile, Asus hasn’t really pushed Google into creating the next Nexus tablet because the search engine giant has placed restrictions on the partnership. Just last month, sources said that Asus put its Transformer Book Duet TD300 tablet on hold due to pressure from Google. The search engine giant is fighting to keep its platform out of dual-OS scenarios with Windows. It’s bad enough Windows will be provided on small tablets: Google likely doesn’t want Windows to piggy-back Android’s success.
That said, without the Google order for another Nexus tablet, Asus can fully focus on its own branded tablets and smartphones.
Surprisingly, Google isn’t really pushing to get the Nexus 8 tablet onto the market either. The company accomplished its mission with the current three tablets: boosting Android’s penetration in the tablet market. That said, “market watchers” believe that the Nexus brand no longer has a significant influence over the tablet market, and that this 8-inch model may very well be Google’s last branded tablet.
Could this be Google's last tablet? Probably not. The company likely wants to set the standard, raising the bar with each generation. Then again, the first Nexus 7 did extremely well while the second generation, from what we understand, hasn't been quite as successful. Could it be that the hardware in the first Nexus 7 was enough for most consumers?
And do we really need an 8-inch variant? As we saw with the Kindle tablets, there's enough room on the market for an 8-inch version alongside the 7-inch tablets. Guess we'll see what happens in Q3 2014.
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Kevin Parrish has over a decade of experience as a writer, editor, and product tester. His work focused on computer hardware, networking equipment, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, and other internet-connected devices. His work has appeared in Tom's Hardware, Tom's Guide, Maximum PC, Digital Trends, Android Authority, How-To Geek, Lifewire, and others.
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thundervore It is nice to see HTC and Google teaming up again. HTC was the one who gave Google their shot in the mobile market when they made the first Android phone the G1.Reply
I cant wait to see this. -
InvalidError The choice between the N7v1 and anything else was pretty simple since almost nothing else came anywhere near the 16GB N7v1 at the $200 price point. When the N7v2 launched, it was $225 while the N7v1 was down to $170 but on top of that, there was also a flood of devices with features and prices everywhere in-between so picking a winner was no longer such a clear-cut thing.Reply
And then there are people like me who bought multiple N7v2 and ran into technical issues with ALL of them so we gave up on owning one, which does not help either. I have a first-gen N7 and it still works fine as far as I can tell after ~20 months. -
kamhagh I can't live without nexus , nexus rocks ! Its awesome !!Reply
BTW can't wait ! Will buy it once it comes !! (Have n4 currently) -
vaughn2k The problem that Google is anticipating, and always one step forward, is because, Microsoft has the ground on PC OS. the integration on mobile with PC is kinda suck till now. Even theWP 8 to Windows 8 for PC does not have a direct integration, WP 8.1 and Winddows 8.1 might be the solution. I guess this is the reason Google is very agressive on this. Holding the Dual Boot OS from Asus might also pave a way for people to figure out that we can have both OS running on the same device...Reply -
tntom The LG G-Pad 8.4 GPE has been high on my list for my next tablet. Unless the N8 blows it away but when I get the money I do not think I will wait for it.Reply