As rumours of a Google-branded tablet continue to gather steam, a Wall Street Journal report has now added that Google plans to open its own online tablet store to sell such a device. The move is seen as an attempt to accelerate adoption its Android-powered tablets.
While rumours to date have suggested that there will be a single Google-branded tablet, the report adds that the Google tablet store is likely to carry a number of co-branded tablets. Partners such as Samsung and ASUS will be responsible for the hardware manufacture.
Google could also subsidize the cost of future tablets to better compete against Amazon’s low-cost Kindle Fire tablet. It is also expected to throw significant marketing support behind the tablet store.
Google’s move is reminiscent of its attempt to sell the original Nexus One directly to customers. That first attempt resulted in sales of some 100,000 devices in the first three months. Not being the success Google had hoped for, it eventually stopped selling devices directly. Lessons learned are very likely to shape this second attempt.
The Wall Street Journal‘s sources also confirmed that Google would release the next version of Android, codenamed Jelly Bean, around the middle of the year.
Read more: The Wall Street Journal