[Izick]

What incentive do I have to pick up a 7 inch ipad over the Nexus 7 though? I mean I don't use any of Apple's shit, nor do I want to. I think it might sell to a very select few people who are trapped in the Apple ecosystem, but can't fork out the dough for the highly priced iPad, so they go with that instead.

I'd rather have a solid tablet, that will definitely be cheaper, and can do all the shit I want it to do, and more. I guess if people really love Apple products, but haven't picked an iPad up for some reason, then there's that, but it just doesn't make sense to me really.

[Cheebo]

What incentive do I have to pick up a 7 inch ipad over the Nexus 7 though? I mean I don't use any of Apple's shit, nor do I want to. I think it might sell to a very select few people who are trapped in the Apple ecosystem, but can't fork out the dough for the highly priced iPad, so they go with that instead. I'd rather have a solid tablet, that will definitely be cheaper, and can do all the shit I want it to do, and more. I guess if people really love Apple products, but haven't picked an iPad up for some reason, then there's that, but it just doesn't make sense to me really.

The tablet app scene on google play is still a ghost town, the app store is slightly different to put it lightly. The App Store has far better third party support.

[Izick]

When are they supposed to announce this mini iPad?

[Vic]

The tablet app scene on google play is still a ghost town, the app store is slightly different to put it lightly. The App Store has far better third party support.

You think it still will be the case with the Nexus 7 now in the game?

[Cheebo]

When are they supposed to announce this mini iPad?

September/October is what the reports are, launching alongside the next iPhone. An iPad around $250 during the holiday season will be a madhouse.

You think it still will be the case after the Nexus 7?

Well the smart phone market is a lot more in favor of Android than it is on tablets yet the google play store is still lacking in phone apps compared to app store. Most of the great iOS apps it gets like Flipboard, Instagram, etc come much much later still. It's a much better situation than tablets obviously but it still pales in comparison to the App Store so I can't see how the situation would somehow be the complete opposite for tablets. iOS is the primary platform for third parties when it comes to phones despite Androids better market share, that isn't a good indication the tablet market place will match the iPad's any time soon even if Nexus 7 does great.

[Izick]

September/October is what the reports are, launching alongside the next iPhone. An iPad around $250 during the holiday season will be a madhouse.

Okay, that's fine then. That likely won't hinder the Nexus 7 blowing up this Summer, and likely gaining momentum into the holiday season.

I'm not sure, I know that Apple can just sit back and rely on its cache with the iPad name, but the Nexus 7 just looks so damn good, and it's just so cheap. I think expecting the iPad to be under 300$ isn't realistic really.

[Kurdel]

When are they supposed to announce this mini iPad?

My guess would be september during the iPod refresh conference.

[Cheebo]

Okay, that's fine then. That likely won't hinder the Nexus 7 blowing up this Summer, and likely gaining momentum into the holiday season. I'm not sure, I know that Apple can just sit back and rely on its cache with the iPad name, but the Nexus 7 just looks so damn good, and it's just so cheap. I think expecting the iPad to be under 300$ isn't realistic really.

iPad 2 is already $399. How isn't it realistic?

[Emily Chu]

If Apple releases a 7" tablet, the company is Cooked. Apple heads are going to find themselves in a sea of Apple devices and won't know what to do, begin to question themselves and everything they stand for, eventually bailing from the Apple lifestyle.

if only coppy if only....

but theres probably an entire untapped market hungry for 300$ apple products

the 7" ipad will replace the iTouch line if anything or it'll be there best selling product ever.

[Izick]

iPad 2 is already $399. How isn't it realistic?

It's a new Apple product though. They know they can catch Apple "enthusiasts" with just that new product allure. 300$ sounds right.

[Cheebo]

It's a new Apple product though. They know they can catch Apple "enthusiasts".

this product isn't for that user group. It'd be a low-end tablet for those who can't afford the main iPad to cut off 7 inch devices like the kindle fire and nexus 7. I'd put good money on $250 for 8 gigs $299 for 16 gigs and crush every tablet on the market place this fall, including the regular iPad.

People will be fighting in stores come holiday shopping season over a a iPad that is under 300. iPad already sells about 15 mil a quarter, it'd be mind boggling what it'd grow to if they get that cheap 7 inch iPad out this year.

[Vic]

Well the smart phone market is a lot more in favor of Android than it is on tablets yet the google play store is still lacking in phone apps compared to app store. Most of the great iOS apps it gets like Flipboard, Instagram, etc come much much later still. It's a much better situation than tablets obviously but it still pales in comparison to the App Store so I can't see how the situation would somehow be the complete opposite for tablets. iOS is the primary platform for third parties when it comes to phones despite Androids better market share, that isn't a good indication the tablet market place will match the iPad's any time soon even if Nexus 7 does great.

But I'm not questioning whether the Google's app selection will match Apple's. It doesn't have to. What it can, and will do, is getting the Android tablet app situation out from the gutter it's in right now.

[Cheebo]

But I'm not questioning whether the Google's app selection will match Apple's. It doesn't have to. What it can, and will do, is getting the Android tablet app situation out from the gutter it's in right now.

Oh I agree it will improve. I was referring more to the post of someone asking why he would want a 7 inch iPad over the Nexus 7 when he isn't interested in using Apple's applications. Which is that Apple has far better third party support and almost assuredly will for a very long time on tablets going by how iPhone remains the OS of choice for third parties for phones still despite Android having a stronger market share. It's a clear advantage that likely isn't going to go away. There are tons of reasons to pick Android over iOS (I am getting a Nexus 7 after all), but strong third party support isn't one of them.

[Vic]

Oh I agree it will improve. I was referring more to the post of someone asking why he would want a 7 inch iPad over the Nexus 7 when he isn't interested in using Apple's applications. Which is that Apple has far better third party support and almost assuredly will for a very long time on tablets going by how iPhone remains the OS of choice for third parties for phones still despite Android having a stronger market share. It's a clear advantage that likely isn't going to go away. There are tons of reasons to pick Android over iOS (I am getting a Nexus 7 after all), but strong third party support isn't one of them.

Oh, ok. You're not wrong about that.

[Izick]

this product isn't for that user group. It'd be a low-end tablet for those who can't afford the main iPad to cut off 7 inch devices like the kindle fire and nexus 7. I'd put good money on $250 for 8 gigs $299 for 16 gigs and crush every tablet on the market place this fall, including the regular iPad. People will be fighting in stores come holiday shopping season over a a iPad that is under 300. iPad already sells about 15 mil a quarter, it'd be mind boggling what it'd grow to if they get that cheap 7 inch iPad out this year.

Why would people want this over the Nexus 7 though? Do you think it will be more powerful than the Nexus 7? Do you think it's going to sell solely on branding alone? I'm honestly curious to know.

[LM4sure]

It's a new Apple product though. They know they can catch Apple "enthusiasts" with just that new product allure. 300$ sounds right.

It's a new product that is the exact same as an existing product, only smaller. No one is going to line up for this. Oh wait, these are Apple fans. Of course some people will line up, but it won't be a huge launch.

[Zeppu]

It's a new product that is the exact same as an existing product, only smaller. No one is going to line up for this. Oh wait, these are Apple fans. Of course some people will line up, but it won't be a huge launch.

It'll be massive.

[Kurdel]

Why would people want this over the Nexus 7 though? Do you think it will be more powerful than the Nexus 7? Do you think it's going to sell solely on branding alone? I'm honestly curious to know.

Hold your horses bro, we don't even know if this thing exists yet, never mind comparing it to an existing product.

[Izick]

It's a new product that is the exact same as an existing product, only smaller. No one is going to line up for this. Oh wait, these are Apple fans. Of course some people will line up, but it won't be a huge launch.

See, I think that as well. I really don't know about Apple products, because I feel like no matter what the quality (which is usually high to be fair) they're always going to be massive just because of brand-name appeal.

[Cipherr]

Hold your horses bro, we don't even know if this thing exists yet, never mind comparing it to an existing product.

This, not to mention that its irrelevant. The Nexus 7 establishes a beach head for Android tablets to be done properly. It has the entire back half of this year to do its thing. It doesn't even need to sell more than an iPad, the first Nexus phone sure didn't, but it did exactly what it needed to. It created a starting point that Android phones spring boarded from over the next 4+ years.

I have seen this movie before.

[tino]

You can always sell the Nexus 7 and and buy the iPad mini.

IMO the iPad either has lower resolution and cost similar (250-300) or has iPad 3 resolution and cost higher (350-400), so there is no point to compare the Nexus 7 to iPad mini.

For 2 years, I was obsessed with the idea of a smaller, portable iPad ever since the iPad 1 came out. That is, until I brought a Note. I know the chance of the iPad mini having higher resolution than the Galaxy Note is slim to none. So no point to look forward to it anymore.

[TheChewyWaffles]

What incentive do I have to pick up a 7 inch ipad over the Nexus 7 though? I mean I don't use any of Apple's shit, nor do I want to. I think it might sell to a very select few people who are trapped in the Apple ecosystem, but can't fork out the dough for the highly priced iPad, so they go with that instead. I'd rather have a solid tablet, that will definitely be cheaper, and can do all the shit I want it to do, and more. I guess if people really love Apple products, but haven't picked an iPad up for some reason, then there's that, but it just doesn't make sense to me really.

Um, I think that demographic is rather small, don't you? 7" iPad will bring in people that were on the fence (thrifty, undecided, curious). As much as I want a viable 2nd place competitor in the marketplace, a 7" iPad priced at $200 to $250 would kick the Nexus 7 and Fire 2 in the teeth. And Apple has to price it that low, imo, to fulfill my prophecy, otherwise they're creeping into 16GB iPad 2 territory and that will end up hurting the product.

[ShowDog]

Is there any way out of this $14 shipping charge? It seems ridiculous when it won't ship for 2-3 weeks anyways. That with tax is jacking the price up 15%

[adroit]

Is there any way out of this $14 shipping charge?

GameStop is going to be selling them. Unknown when they'll have them in stock, though. Could be on the same day as Google. Or it could be later. Nobody knows.

[Neverender]

EB Games Australia has these listed for release on the 27th.

[saunderez]

EB Games Australia has these listed for release on the 27th.

Good pricing too....I think I'm gonna just pick one up locally now.

[BertramCooper]

Um, I think that demographic is rather small, don't you? 7" iPad will bring in people that were on the fence (thrifty, undecided, curious). As much as I want a viable 2nd place competitor in the marketplace, a 7" iPad priced at $200 to $250 would kick the Nexus 7 and Fire 2 in the teeth. And Apple has to price it that low, imo, to fulfill my prophecy, otherwise they're creeping into 16GB iPad 2 territory and that will end up hurting the product.

I cannot see Apple pricing the 7" iPad at anything less than $300.

[numble]

Why would people want this over the Nexus 7 though? Do you think it will be more powerful than the Nexus 7? Do you think it's going to sell solely on branding alone? I'm honestly curious to know.

It will sell a lot more simply because it sells in more places. Something like 60-70% of Apple revenue is from overseas, including China being the 2nd largest market. Google doesn't even operate its search engine in China, let alone run Google Play or sell Nexus devices.

[Raistlin]

What incentive do I have to pick up a 7 inch ipad over the Nexus 7 though? I mean I don't use any of Apple's shit, nor do I want to. I think it might sell to a very select few people who are trapped in the Apple ecosystem, but can't fork out the dough for the highly priced iPad, so they go with that instead.

I'm not following the logic at all. What incentive does a person not in the Android ecosystem have for getting the Nexus 7? I don't see how the argument is different.

I'd rather have a solid tablet, that will definitely be cheaper, and can do all the shit I want it to do, and more. I guess if people really love Apple products, but haven't picked an iPad up for some reason, then there's that, but it just doesn't make sense to me really.

How do you know it will 'definitely be cheaper'?

Also, objectively ... iPad can do more due to far better tablet software (assuming the smaller iPad uses iPad SW).

[cereal_killerxx]

I would possibly interested in one of these for reading manga. The screen is 7 inches, right? Well, does anyone know how big a typical manga page is?

[gohepcat]

I think it might sell to a very select few people who are trapped in the Apple ecosystem, but can't fork out the dough for the highly priced iPad, so they go with that instead.

I think this "select few" you are talking about is a gigantic number.

The Apple ecosystem is one of the reasons I lean toward the iPhone/iPad etc. I don't always buy Apple products, but the ecosystem is a very compelling reason for me to do so.

[Izick]

Now I'm on the fence. I kind of want to wait and see what this mini-iPad has in store. I know it's going to be at least 100$ more though.

I think this "select few" you are talking about is a gigantic number. The Apple ecosystem is one of the reasons I lean toward the iPhone/iPad etc. I don't always buy Apple products, but the ecosystem is a very compelling reason for me to do so.

Yeah, I'm saying people in that ecosystem already likely have an iPad.

[Eusis]

When I think about it, I think I'd rather wait to see what a revision or two brings to the possibly mini iPad anyway. One of the things I care about here, a lot more on dedicated handhelds and even (at this point at least) smartphones is a high DPI, because I want text to be as smooth as possible for ebooks and for PDFs to be as faithfully recreated as is reasonably doable, and getting a very high DPI on a reasonably sized tablet (7 inches or higher) is crucial for that.

[outunderthestars]

Why would people want this over the Nexus 7 though? Do you think it will be more powerful than the Nexus 7? Do you think it's going to sell solely on branding alone? I'm honestly curious to know.

Apple's versions will actually have App support.

[Andrex]

Apple's versions will actually have App support.

[outunderthestars]

.

[Raistlin]

Are you seriously trying to argue that Android's tablet SW ecosystem isn't far behind Apple's?

[Andrex]

Are you seriously trying to argue that Android's tablet SW ecosystem isn't far behind Apple's?

That isn't what he posted, though.

[AdrianWerner]

The tablet app scene on google play is still a ghost town, the app store is slightly different to put it lightly. The App Store has far better third party support.

I agree that ultimately software rules all. THat's also the reason why I would never use OSX over Windows.

That said, I doubt people who are willing to spend only 199$ on tablet worry much about apps. Most will just use it for browsing and media consumption. Unless you get tablet to completely replace a laptop (or close to it) then apps aren't the king of all

[AdrianWerner]

I would possibly interested in one of these for reading manga. The screen is 7 inches, right? Well, does anyone know how big a typical manga page is?

Mangas will fit perfectly. Tankobons are 5" × 7".

[Danj]

Mangas will fit perfectly. Tankobons are 5" × 7".

Is the ppi of the screen sufficient though? Has anyone tried reading manga on these? And finally, are there actually any legitimate ways for people not in the US or Japan to buy English-translated manga on an Android device?

[Vic]

Google Nexus 7 Teardown

In that website, there's a sheet showing the evaluated cost of every components, but a form needs to be filled. Apparently, the 8GB Nexus 7 costs $184 to build.

Powering the Google Nexus 7 is NVIDIA’s Tegra 3 processor. Since the processor’s first design win inside the ASUS Transformer Prime, NVIDIA’s latest processor has been finding itself gathering socket wins. A quick search inside our IRIS database shows at least 5 design wins, including a major one with the new Microsoft Surface tablet. The Tegra 3 is a 1.3 GHz high-performance, low-power system-on-a-chip and was the first mobile applications processor to incorporate four cores for the CPU and four cores for the GPU. The Tegra 3 features “Variable Symmetric Multiprocessing” (vSMP) that uses a single low power core for tasks requiring less power consumption. The Google Nexus 7 also features design wins from a gamut of semiconductor manufacturers. The usual suspects are evident in companies like Maxim providing the main power management IC with the MAX77612A and Texas Instruments with two design wins related to the power management as well. Hynix also scores the socket win for memory with their 2 Gb DDR3 SDRAM modules finding their place on the main board. A Kingston memory module (in this case 8GB in density) once decapped revealed the memory manufacturer as SanDisk/Toshiba. NXP also gains another design win for the PN65 NFC secure module. This device was also recently found in the Samsung Galaxy S3. Broadcom is also a notable design winner, as their BCM4330 802.11n with Bluetooth wireless transceiver and their BCM4751 integrated GPS receiver are both found within the Nexus 7. In the case of the BCM4330, it was located with an AzureWave AW-NH665 802.11n WiFi / Bluetooth / FM Radio module. Of note within the Nexus 7 tablet are the semiconductor manufacturers you’re not used to seeing in high-profile electronics. Amongst them were companies like ELAN Microelectronics, who provided controllers for the Nexus 7’s touchscreen. Notably, we’ve usually seen ELAN’s microcontrollers in handsets manufactured for the Chinese market so this is a major design win for the Taiwanese semiconductor manufacturer. Time will tell if the Google Nexus 7 achieves the market traction that Google hopes to gain at the expense of Apple, Amazon, and other tablet manufacturers. With the use of a high-end processor and a multitude of applications designed and optimized for their proprietary open-source operating system Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, in combination with a price point of $199 USD for the 8GB model, apparently makes for an easy purchase. Key Component Listing NVIDIA Tegra 3 – Quad-core mobile applications processor Hynix H5TC2G83CFR – 2Gb DDR3 SDRAM Kingston KE44B026BN/8GB – 8GB Memory Module Realtek (RMC) ALC5642 – Audio CODEC + Headphone Amplifier Maxim MAX77612A – Power Management IC Texas Instruments TPS63020 – Buck-Boost Converter Fairchild FDMC6675BZ – P-Channel Power MOSFET Texas Instruments SN75LVDS83B – LVDS Display SERDES ELAN Microelectronics eKTF3624BWS – Controller for Resistive Touchscreen ELAN Microelectronics eKTH1036BWS – Controller for the Resistive Touchscreen Broadcom BCM4751 – Integrated Monolithic GPS Receiver InvenSense MPU-6050 – Six-Axis (Gyro + Accelerometer) MEMS Device AzureWave AW-NH665 – 802.11n WiFi / Bluetooth / FM Radio module NXP Semiconductor PN65 – Secure NFC Module

[GroteSmurf]

For the dutchies who are interested in buying. Bright has some information from an asus employee that the 16gb version will be released in the Netherlands in September. For 250 euro.

Source Bright

[DagsJT]

For the dutchies who are interested in buying. Bright has some information from an asus employee that the 16gb version will be released in the Netherlands in September. For 250 euro. Source Bright

Although I guess you could import from the UK much sooner without much problem?

[Maiar_m]

For the dutchies who are interested in buying. Bright has some information from an asus employee that the 16gb version will be released in the Netherlands in September. For 250 euro. Source Bright

France's heard the same, seems like it'd be an European (bar the UK) launch.

[GroteSmurf]

Although I guess you could import from the UK much sooner without much problem?

Don't have any experience with importing these kind of products. But I don't see the problem. Especially since Play absolutely sucks in the netherlands concerning books, music and movies.

[coldfoot]

Yeah, I'm saying people in that ecosystem already likely have an iPad.

There are far more people with iPhones and iPod touches than iPads. And since you're going to be in one of the app ecosystems anyway, the Apple App Store is by far the best one to be in.

[Cheebo]

I love Google but come on man, there is no denying the app ecosystem on Android is far behind iOS. Smartphones and Tablets, but especially tablets. I mean on smartphones the pattern is app gets released on iOS first and if its a hit it comes to Android months (even years!) later. On the tablet side that is far more extreme. As I said there are many reasons to pick Android over iOS but third party apps are not it. Buying a Android expecting great third party support is like buying a modern Nintendo console expecting great third party support. It's just not part of the ecosystem for these products.

There are far more people with iPhones and iPod touches than iPads. And since you're going to be in one of the app ecosystems anyway, the Apple App Store is by far the best one to be in.

That's the big thing. iPad sells around 15 mil a quarter which of course is pretty damn massive. But iPod Touch sells 7-8 mil a quarter and iPhone 35 mil a quarter. Huge huge user base of people in the apple ecosystem as potential customers. That's over 40 mil each quarter of new Apple customers who have probably yet to get a iPad.

[Andrex]

The reason for the eyeroll is that the post stated that unlike Android, the iPad "actually has App support." Which is ludicrous. There are a couple standouts, but the vast majority of non-game apps are available for both.

The tablet argument is a bit more compelling, but as The Verge's review notes, it's not a big issue on a 7" tablet. Twitter for example has only the phone UI, but it still works very well on the Nexus 7. The whole thing is a big nonissue that people are trying to turn into this big deal.

[Cheebo]

Phone apps work but for the most part phone apps are way too simple, iOS and Android included. One of the major appeals of iPad for iPhone owners is just how much better and feature rich tablet apps are compared to phone apps.