Rumours that Google will leave behind the 7-inch tablet market in favour of a slightly larger model picked up steam today. Citing unnamed “sources from the upstream supply chain,” the hit-and-miss Digitimes today suggests that Google will work with HTC instead of ASUS on a new 8-inch Google Nexus tablet.
The report adds that the HTC-built Google Nexus 8 will launch sometime in Q3 (July-September) 2014. No further details about the tablet or its pricing were revealed today.
For its part, ASUS, freed of having to supply Nexus tablets, will reportedly be able to focus more on its own tablets and smartphones.
Perhaps more interesting is the report’s claim that Google will not be as aggressive (presumably with pricing) as it has in the past. Android tablets have solidly established themselves and Google no longer has to use its Nexus line to develop awereness in the same way. Some rumours have gone as far as suggest that Google could discontinue its Nexus line in 2015 but that remains unsubstantiated at this point.
The original Nexus 7 tablet was built by ASUS and launched at Google I/O 2012 to great success. A slimmer and more powerful second generation Nexus 7 was also built by ASUS. Announced in July 2013, sales were not as strong as those of the first generation model partly because far many more 7-inch Android tablets were on the market by then. Rumours began to circulate earlier this year that Google would not launch a third-generation Nexus 7, opting instead for a slightly larger Nexus 8 tablet. Other rumours have suggested a July launch with Android 4.5. The announcement could also take place at Google I/O 2014 in late June.
Whether Google also releases a larger Nexus 9 tablet which HTC is also rumoured be building remains to be seen as well.
Source : Digitimes