Google Play the new Android marketplace:
Rumors are that Google have been snapping up domains linked to the term Google Play but in all honesty we have no idea what the name of their new tablet will be….and woudl Google really leave thing that late to ensue they had A) the right domain and B) potential affiliate marketing variations that could muddy their brand….unsure myself though when seize and desist letter are pretty cheap.
Anyway the likelihood of their new tablet being called “Google Play” does make sense, as Google have been releasing various multimedia options for Android devices in the music, video and applications sector, and have now re-branded their marketplace Google Play….a direct competitor to iTunes.
Google Play – Kindle Fire Rival?
Google are likley to be mixing it in tablet land pretty soon with either the Google “Play” or some other name such as keeping the “Nexus” device name.
Their new 7 inch “Google Experience Device” will be packing an Nvidia Tegra quadcore SoC, with ASUS being the manufacturer and incorporating Android Ice Cream Sandwich as the O/S of choice. There are also talks of a 10 inch larger brother to this new entreat to tablet land.
The expected price point for the smaller tablet is a Kindle Fire competing $199.
News sources:
Started at the Mobile World Congress last week, the talk of the new tablet device is no revelation in the tech industry, Google have been worried about the rise of various devices and were bound to forge some plan to capitalize on their traffic, reach and operating system before too long just as they have done with the Samsung Galaxy Nexus.
With Android being “open” to developers Google have seen two things happen:
1 – Devices are developed with a pure Android O/S (Ice Cream Sandwich etc) and access Google owned markets and service such as the Android Application Market and Gmail.
2 – Companies such as Amazon developing tweaked versions of the Android O/S (non-certified devices) and taking owners of these devices to a totally separate marketplace controlled by their company.
The latter version is where the issues for Google stem and the fact that the Amazon Kindle Fire is the runaway tablet success on Android means that Google are now tipped to bring out their own competing tablet.
Talking at the MWC last week, Android chief Andy Rubin talked up the potential of Google stepping up to Amazon on the tablet front:
“2012 is going to be the year that we double down and make sure we’re winning in that space,….we’re going to do a better job at making people understand what ecosystem they’re buying into.”
Loss leader to gain market control:
Google will likely take a hit financially per device, just as Amazon did in order to lock people into their own marketplace, such is the lucrative benefits of gaining a client who buys apps and downloads films for the duration of tablet ownership that this initial hit is deemed worthwhile long term.
Release Date?
Expect to see the tablet getting into production next month and perhaps being retailed properly in June/July, we will keep you posted on any further news we hear.
Anthony Munns