The year 2012 has witnessed the introduction of many innovative tablet PCs from the likes of Apple, Google, Samsung and Microsoft. In the burgeoning touch-based device market of today companies face stiff competition from others equally capable of producing a high-tech device. So far Apple has come out to be the clear winner with outstanding sales of the latest version of its iPad.
But if any two companies have the technological prowess to outshine Apple by producing a superior device, it’s probably Google and Samsung. Both have already made a mark with their own tablets and if rumors are to be believed then the two companies could be collaborating on a high-end tablet in the hopes of taking on Apple.
According to Richard Shim, an analyst at NPD DisplaySearch, Google and Samsung are planning to team up to create a 10-inch tablet directly competing for market share with Apple’s third generation iPad launched earlier this year. Neither Samsung nor Google have made any comments on this report yet. Shim told CNET that his speculation is based on “supply chain indications” which he believes usually mean that the probability of the product ending up on the market is extremely high. Earlier this year, Shim had accurately predicted the launch of the new Kindle Fire tablets that came out in September.
Shim has said that both Samsung and Google will be adding their respective brand names to the tablet. This co-branded tablet will have a 10-inch display boasting a high pixel density surpassing even that of the third generation iPad. The third generation iPad’s 2048×1536 Retina display has a PPI (pixels per inch) of 264.
But according to Shim, the 10-inch Nexus tablet will not only have a higher screen resolution of 2560×1600 but consequently also a staggering PPI of about 299. Since the Nexus tablet will bear the brand names of both Google and Samsung, it goes without saying that both the companies will put in their best marketing budget and efforts behind making it a huge seller to consumers.
Google entered the tablet market a few months ago with the $199 Nexus 7. A compact, yet relatively inexpensive tablet, the 7-inch Nexus is targeted at a large consumer base. Google produced it in collaboration with the Taiwanese hardware manufacturer, Asus. The Nexus 7 has perhaps been one of the hottest sellers of the year second only to Apple’s iPad. Google is also supposed to start production on a new $99 tablet by the end of the year which will also be in partnership with Asus.
The 10-inch Nexus would mark a clear change in Google’s choice of hardware partner as well as the targeted consumer group. This time around it will be Samsung supplying the hardware to go along with Google’s Android mobile operating system. But this won’t be the first time that the two technological giants would be joining hands. The popular Galaxy Nexus smartphones have been jointly produced by Samsung and Google.
The 10-inch Nexus will also mark Apple’s entry into the high-end tablet market. Shim has said that it is more likely that the tablet will be in the $500 price range like the iPad and not in the $200 range like the previous Nexus. And it can be ascertained from the display tech specs above that the 10-inch Nexus could prove to be quite a challenge for Apple.
The air has also been rife with speculations over Apple possibly launching a smaller and less expensive version of the iPad called the iPad mini. These rumors have become much more widespread since the release of Google’s Nexus 7 as the iPad mini would only be the logical next move for Apple if it seeks to compete with Google’s Nexus 7 tablet. So while Apple prepares to take on the Nexus 7 with the iPad mini, Google and Samsung could well be partnering on a device that could finally challenge the iPad.