“Google’s 7-inch Android tablet is real — it’s even being passed around inside the Googleplex,” Jon Fortt reports for CNBC. “That’s what I’m hearing from Googlers who have seen the device… The Google I/O developer conference on June 25 in San Francisco would be an ideal time to unveil it and maybe hand a few out to developers.”
“I’m hearing that this device is aimed squarely at Amazon’s Kindle Fire (which runs Amazon’s tailored version of Android),” Fortt reports. “It’s likely to start in the $200 to $250 range, have a higher resolution screen, and perhaps a camera. Google needs this tablet to defend Android. The arrival of Amazon’s Kindle Fire blew a hole in the ecosystem, with Amazon setting up its own app store and its own look and feel for Android itself. If this 7-inch tablet is a hit, Google can argue that developers should still build tablet apps to Google’s specs, not Amazon’s.”
Fortt writes, “What does it mean for Apple? My take is that it means very little. If Apple’s iPad sales were going to get hurt by 7-inch tablet sales, the Kindle Fire would have done it already. Apple is aiming at the higher-end tablet customer, who so far seems to be the larger and more profitable group of consumers.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Somebody ought to tell Google that Amazon’s Kindle Fire sales have fallen off a cliff as the majority of the ignoranti were suckered by Amazon this past Christmas. On second thought, shh! The mole et al. could use a good bath.
Meanwhile, Amazon continues processing tiny screen Kindle Fire Christmas returns.
Related articles:
Amazon looks to peddle ads on tiny screen Kindle Fire ‘welcome screen’ – May 18, 2012
Why have Amazon’s tiny screen Kindle Fire shipments dropped off a cliff? – May 9, 2012
Amazon’s Kindle Fire shipments fizzle to anemic 4% market share – May 4, 2012
Apple cements tablet market dominance with new iPad – March 16, 2012
iSuppli estimates Amazon shipped 3.9 million tiny screen Kindle Fire units in Q411 – February 18, 2012
Why Amazon’s tiny screen Kindle Fire can’t pierce Apple’s iPad sales – February 6, 2012
Amazon cuts tiny screen Kindle Fire orders in half, sources say – January 20, 2012
Tablet display shootout: Apple iPad ‘excellent,’ Amazon Kindle Fire ‘major flaws’ – December 20, 2011
If Amazon’s Kindle Fire is so hot, why is it still in stock? – December 19, 2011
‘Kindle Fire: The Missing Manual’ author to return Kindle Fire, keep his ‘years ahead’ Apple iPad 2 – December 15, 2011
Amazon touts Kindle e-reader sales with few details – December 15, 2011
Amazon’s tiny screen Kindle Fire’s big security problem – December 14, 2011
Lack of parental controls on Amazon’s tiny screen Kindle Fire lets kids charge up a storm – December 12, 2011
Disgruntled early adopters of Amazon’s tiny screen Kindle Fire have slew of complaints – December 12, 2011
Amazon’s tiny screen Kindle Fire estimated to play distant second fiddle to Apple’s market-dominating iPad – December 6, 2011
Usability expert Jakob Nielsen tests Amazon’s tiny screen Kindle Fire: ‘A disappointingly poor user experience’ – December 5, 2011
Instapaper creator reviews Amazon’s tiny screen Kindle Fire: Bad game player, bad app platform, bad web browser, bad video player and bad Kindle – November 18, 2011
PCWorld reviews Amazon’s tiny-screen Kindle Fire: Flawed, unimpressive, subpar; can’t hold a candle to iPad – November 16, 2011
Mossberg reviews Amazon’s tiny-screen Kindle Fire: Frustrating, clunky, much less capable and versatile than iPad – November 16, 2011
Apple iPad 2 vs. Amazon Kindle Fire: Bootup, browsing, and Netflix streaming (with video) – November 16, 2011
Wired reviews Amazon’s tiny-screen Kindle Fire: Web browsing sucks, emotionally draining, makes reading a chore – November 14, 2011
NY Times’ Pogue reviews Amazon’s tiny-screen Kindle Fire: Sluggish, ornery, unpolished – November 14, 2011
The Verge reviews Amazon’s tiny-screen Kindle Fire: Uninspired, confusing, incredibly unoriginal – November 14, 2011
Engadget reviews Amazon’s tiny-screen Kindle Fire: Sluggish, clunky, too limiting and restricted – November 14, 2011
Kindle Fire a hit? I read the return rate could be as high as 25%. I know a guy who got one and after a couple of weeks it bricked itself.
OMG!. Too much serious competition!
Is it possible that Amazon is accepting returns on Kindle Fire FIVE months after purchase???
did ur kindle fire bricked after 5 months
If I had to choose, I’d take the Amazon POS over the Google crap.
7″ tablet: too small for what you want a tablet for, too big to easily carry around.
Maybe Apple is actually making a 7″ iPhone! That’s it! It comes with a dividend, too.
Whatever happened to the 7.85″ iPad? Or was that, oh, so last week?
… It’s oh so 2012 stupid Apple rumor. It sure is persistent! And it sure is BS.
If the great god Steve were still with us I’m sure he would tell all of these wana-bes to go brick themselves.
Google’s 7-inch Android tablet is real
~7″ OtherPads:
– No market
– No profits
Have fun with that Google. It’s just another hole into which to throw money. 😛
LOL