“Google is unveiling a small tablet computer bearing its brand in a challenge to Amazon’s Kindle Fire,” Michael Liedtke reports for The Associated Press. “The Nexus Seven is designed specifically for Google Play, the online store that sells movies, music, books, apps and other content — the things Amazon.com Inc. also sells for its tablet computer.”
“Both tablets have screens that measure 7 inches diagonally, smaller than the nearly 10 inches on Apple Inc.’s popular iPad,” Liedtke reports. “The Nexus Seven will also be light — at about 0.75 pound, compared with the Kindle Fire’s 0.9 pound.”
“The Nexus Seven will ship in mid-July starting at $199 — the same price as the Kindle Fire,” Liedtke reports. “Customers can start ordering it through Google on Wednesday, initially in the U.S., Canada and Australia.”
“Although the tablet carries the Google brand, the machine will be made by AsusTek Computer Inc.,” Liedtke reports. “There are already other Android-powered tablets on the market, but none have proven nearly as popular as the iPad or Kindle Fire.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Piss poor reporting. The Kindle Fire is not at all popular and does not even deserve to be in the same article, much less the same sentence as Apple’s revolutionary iPad, without which, neither Amazon nor Google would be peddling tiny screen e-shopping front-ends to the ignorati.
We’d call it a “Kindle Killer,” but Kindle Fire’s pretty much dead already.
• Apple’s revolutionary iPad widens lead as tablet sales surge – June 15, 2012
• Apple’s massive domination of tablet market unabated as Amazon’s tiny screen Kindle Fire demand tumbles – June 5, 2012
• Apple’s iPad remains dominant in Q112 while Amazon’s tiny screen Kindle Fire fizzles – June 4, 2012
• Amazon’s tiny screen Kindle Fire shipments have dropped off a cliff – May 9, 2012
• Amazon’s Kindle Fire shipments fizzle to anemic 4% market share – May 4, 2012
Related article:
Google ‘Nexus 7′ tablet ships in July with Tegra 3, 7-inch display, $199 for 8GB, $249 for 16GB (with video) – June 27, 2012
Will they be including sandpaper for your fingertips?
You will all hate me and speak ill of me, but that Google Developer Conference rocked. It made Apple’s WWDC look like a parade of geezers on stage. The skydivers with Google’s Glasses were awesome. Google+ is clearly the wave of the future. Too bad Apple is at war with Google. Partnering with Facebook… again… that sense of technology for older people.
And can I just say, Google knows how to treat its developers. Free phones, free tablets, and free NexusQ (GoogleTV).
Of course it is free – if they had to pay for it they would buy an iPhone, an iPad, and an Apple TV 😉
Skydivers and free stuff… Why do you think all the people were there??
You’re right, I do hate you. And I plan to speak very ill of you at my dinner table this evening. You’re in for quite the tongue lashing.
Of course Google gives free stuff to their developers–they develop for Android. none of them can afford to buy their own devices.
I’d say, with iOS, Apple offers its developers something Google never could, a way to make a living.
Yeah free stuff, yeah heh heh… we like free stuff…
Hey theopolis, did it occur to you that when an event has to give out lots of swag to get people to show up there is a big problem (as with the MS store openings giving out free concert tickets)
Apple didn’t’ have gimmicks or giveaways and sold out the largest venue they can hold in a mater of a couple hours? (they are already in the largest facility in the bay area)
I don’t think you are thinking this through, the gimmicks and giveaways are a sure sign all is not well.
You know what the biggest difference between the WWDC and Google’s conference is?
Google’s conference doesn’t amount to a hill of beans. Android is still a fractured trainwreck where developers make pocket change if they’re lucky enough to make money at all, Google TV is still a dud, most of their services outside of search, maps, and email are still going nowhere, their business model is still being displaced by popular dedicated apps that do not serve Google ads, and they still have not emerged with a workable strategy for the post-PC era.
All the sky divers, magic glasses, and free swag in the world does nothing to solve their problems. Pomp is the opiate of a troubled empire.
Apple does not have to rely on the gimmick of “free” to be cool. When a company like Google rides on the “free” bandwagon, it shows that it does not have the imagination to excite the minds of people to think out of the box. People who relies on free stuffs are bottom feeders. They are not discriminating and tend to stuff in rubbish of all kinds into their stomach and minds. If the world is made up of such people, arts or fine culture would not be able to develop fully in order to distinguish a cultured from barbarized community.
Yeah, you’re all right. What was I thinking. Apple doesn’t have to rely upon having people parachute into Moscone from a zeppelin overhead and do BMX tricks off the side of the building to demonstrate anything. Apple doesn’t have to top that off with a free iPhone, free Apple TV, and Free iPad. No they don’t.
But… as the folks over at Mashable put it…
“… the bar for tech demos was forever raised. As I said to a senior Facebook executive after the keynote: is Zuckerberg going to have to hang glide his way into the next f8 conference now?…”
“We hope Apple was taking notes, and that Cook can make his next product unveiling more sensational than this. If he can, we’re in for one hell of a show.”
Piss poor reply, don’t like it when people know your wrong do you.
Move on, He’s trolling again.
Thelonious Mac is a BLUE member here a REGULAR.
you are, “HERE WE GO AGAIN” oh yeah now who is the TROLL?
Thelonious Mac has been a LONG TIME APPLE FAN.
AND he has an opinion others don’t like… Ooooops.
But I think he has a excellent POINT.
PASSION and EXCITEMENT are lost under COOKS command. NOT THAT COOK is doing a BAD job. Its just not the SAME APPLE as before. Yes, Cook is keeping Apple going and strong… but it lacks the passion and true creative drive in product development as before it became Apple Inc.
While everyone is haling IVES on his brilliant designs…
it seems that Design is less and less about seeking to improve itself but more to protect its cash flow. A COMPANY that does not take RISKS – will not SURVIVE. Apple is playing it SAFE… minor updates and slow to innovate. ITS 100% BS and anyone not seeing this is a LEMMING.
LOOK at iPHONE 4 – beautiful but that product will run a long long life time without a new design.
SIMILARLY look at MAC PRO desktop, the enclosure remains the same fro many years.
AGAIN look at iMAC, the design has be slight improvements.
LAST, look at iPAD it will remain the same forever.
NO DESIGN is perfect, once you refuse to see ALTERNATIVES (that your design is the only ONE) and can only provide revisional designs as improvements; BETTER destroy and start again fresh. This is where Ives stands now. On all Apple products… simply revising things when technical advancements come along which generally HAVE only allow for SLIMMING the design down.
Essentially, SAYING he has the perfect design and waits for the engineers to FIT his initial dream. What is that exactly IVES? A PIECE of GLASS as the FORM and FUNCTION to all computing — you can not OWN the rights to a WINDOW. What RUBBISH idealism is that simplicity. Google’s eyewear computing has a much higher conceptually thinking than a plane of glass does. Sorry, to me APPLE does not seem to have a DIRECTION any more…. they are LIVING off the DESIGNS and PRODUCTS they have in place now where other companies have a range of PRICE POINTS and DESIGNS that shame Apple’s ONE DESIGN ONE SOLUTION ONE CHOICE – our WAY only ATTITUDE.
IN CONCLUSION, do not expect anything NEW or exciting regarding DESIGN from APPLE… they are relying on what they HAVE NOW to keep them GOING.
The only MIND BLOWING experience from APPLE this year has been RETINA screens.
Retina is not so impressive to excite the world.
When we see a 27 inch iMac RETINA at a 2,000 bucks fully integrated television and Siri controlled — THE WORLD will TAKE NOTE.
When we see a 17 inch iPad Pro RETINA at 1,600 bucks running OSX 10.8.5 with Siri control — AGAIN the WORLD will TAKE NOTE.
When we see a 4.5 inch iPhone 6 with RETINA at 800 bucks running iOS6.5 totally controlled by Siri — AGAIN the WORLD will TAKE NOTE.
WHEN APPLE showcases all THREE feats on the very same day… I will PRAISE Tim Cook as the BEST EVER CEO world wide – confessing – as he claimed, APPLE will BLOWN our MINDS this year.
UNTIL then… BS – the year is HALF OVER and its not even CLOSE COOK… not even close… he is LAUGHABLE.
Apple is not Winning the SIRI advancements yet.
Apple is not Protecting its UI well enough.
Apple is not Designing more gorgeous products then before.
Apple is not innovating other then advancing its OSX and iOS.
IT IS making MONEY YES… because it need to pay for its STORES and DATA FARMS. GOOGLE already has those things and ADVERTISING to maintain their business.
THIS IS APPLE direction:
SIRI, voice computing assistance – search and answer
3D maps, with location pin point – advertising zones
Virtual point and purchasing VIA your iDevice
APPLE TV – gaming and apps to come – needs a METAL casing.
iTV — why if it is NOT a RETINA TV then it is INFERIOR and not up to APPLE new standard.
… do you really need to be quite so hostile? You know most of us – the non-trolls, at least – agree with your assessment. If not the tone of it, the facts of it.
The Nexus 7 could, if anything, be a “Fire” killer. Except the Fire has a bunch of content behind it. Which is one of the reasons the much-better iPad has not yet disposed of it. Face it … there is a niche market for the Fire and (maybe) one or two other models that will allow it (them?) enough of a profit to keep going. Maybe they will never challenge the iPad, all they need to do is make, or support, a profit.
MDN is right, by definition. Here’s why:
If a “standup comedian” performs, some will say he was too loud, for others, not loud enough. Some will say he swears too much and for others a bit more would be nicer. If he talks about God, some argue he should not, other may hope he tears God apart. In the end, the people chose to go.
When a performing artist starts to listen, he will change and people will say he lost it. Thus, by definition, MDN should not listen but do as they please, even if it means that we are all a bit disappointed at times.
What happens when Apple sells a 7 inch display? Will it be the tiny iPad?’
MDN stated quite clearly two articles ago:
“Note that Mr. Jobs never said word one about 7.85-inch devices. ;-)”
“Mini-Pad” and the 13″ will be called “Maxi-Pad” 😉
They’re breaking the golden rule of successful software companies;
– don’t ever try and become a hardware manufacturer because you will suck at it.
Somehow, Google just always seems to come off as a group of teenagers trying very hard to be relevant; loud, over-the-top, trying to be heard. They don’t have much to say, but they seem to be trying to say it as loud as possible. Just impression, of course, but based on the success of their past branded products…
Anyway, with that Nexus 7 running around now, somebody call Deckard! Time to retire this new replicant variant!
Coming off as a bunch of teenagers is infectious. The Google presentation made WWDC look stodgy, with wrinkled old Tim Cook walking around doing a rather unimpressive imitation of Steve Jobs and all. He really needs to give that up. He’s not Steve Jobs and pretending to be Steve Jobs is just embarrassing. He’s a brilliant guy, but he should be behind the scenes, except for one on one type interviews. Apple needs a YOUNG lively enthusiastic, able to think on her feet affable zealot on stage, not a guy who looks like he’s a year or two away from wearing depends. They should find someone who is a bit of the Verizon Girl a bit of Steve Jobs a bit of Olivia Munn. Someone who has a discernible pulse. I watched people falling asleep on Cook. The guy next to me started snoring 3 times. That never happened with Jobs. Just sayin.
Look at this, we have another one.
See that can’t diss Apple products so they start on the Managment, WOW, and how is thoes numbers working for you chief.
In febuary of this year alone:
Apple’s stock market capitalization was $456 billion, a number that is greater than the values of rivals Google and Microsoft combined, now it’s even more.
Tim Cook is doing what he does best, making money and keeping the Apple philosophy and dream alive.
Google looks like a bunch of koolaid drinking kids tring to sell lemon aid that smells like rancid water, it may look okay on the surface but it sure is a disappointment when you get it.
Google phones flop.
Google TV flop.
Logitech loses millions on Google set top boxes.
Google spends 12.5 million on Motorola that’s patents are waist paper.
Still so much more to even list.
Apple has what it needs, a man with respect and intelligence that has taken and moved Apple with the dignity and perseverance into a new age, and since Steve Jobs gave his blessing to Tim Cook and Cook has shown he is a great leader, why would anyone think a show piece is what Apple needs.
More like Google needs more age and wisdom and to get over its “we can do anything”and pay the consequence later attitude.
Googles presentation was a ripoff off Apples lineup, they made fools of themselves as did Microsoft, it didn’t work for Mircosoft and it’s not working for Google.
So you’re suggesting Apple needs to superficially change their DEVELOPER CONFERENCE to somehow appeal to undiscerning youngsters who can’t pay attention to important details? Color me unimpressed by your logic.
the blade runner reference is very funny actually.
That is the same youthful energy which started Apple you speak of.
Yeah, I have to agree, the MDN snarkiness is a bit too much. Competition is good, Apple is on top now because of it and MDN doesn’t have to set fire to everything that resembles a challenge to Apple. Just report the news and can the hostility.
You, sir, are an idiot.
MDN, never change!
I think MDN’s “Snarkiness” is understood to be a bit tongue in cheek. We know MDN is going to respond this way and it’s a bit of entertainment actually. It’s part of the fun of this site.
Watch what u say Tim might into iPad mini. No way after Jobs comment. Steve did lots of 180s on things. If he did not there would be no app store for example. A smaller low cost iPad mini would not be the best product. But for those who can not afford an iPad it be GREAT
7-inch ≠ 7.85-inch
iPad mini?
7-inch ≠ 7.85-inch
I don’t think MDN is being snarky enough. This ‘story’ was summed up by another MDN take a long time ago: there is no tablet market, only an iPad market. Apple’s competition will be fighting over table scraps. This AP story appears to be what is happening.
Yawn, pft.. Is there anything else that needs to be said? Yawn, pft!
If a an iPad mini was ever on the drawing board, Tim Cook is signing its death warrant right now. Apple doesn’t play in this kind of race to the bottom.
OTOH an iPod Touch refresh seems more likely.