iPad Mini Release Date, Google Nexus 7 Tablet's 'Worst Nightmare,' Expert Says
In the battle of tablet market domination, Google released it's Nexus 7 tablet to enthusiastic buyers. However, rumors are swirling that Apple will announce the release date of it's iPad Mini this summer.
Bloomberg reports that there are "plans to debut a smaller, cheaper iPad by year-end, [according to] two people with knowledge of the plans." The iPad Mini is reported to be 7.85 inches, as opposed to the current 9.7 inch iPads. It would cost about $199, similar to the Google Nexus 7 tablet.
"It would be the competitors' worst nightmare," said Shaw Wu, an analyst at Sterne Agee & Leach Inc. told Bloomberg. The Google Nexus 7 tablet and Amazon's Kindle Fire would be directly targeted by an Apple iPad Mini, challenging it's smaller screen, Forbes says.
"Apple's plan for a tablet with a smaller screen is part of a textbook business strategy: to lure customers who want different sizes of tablets into the iPad product family, say analysts and technology industry executives," The New York Times reports.
Google recently started shipping their latest tablet device, but already a host of retailers have said that they are now sold out and are applying for urgent re-stocking.
GameStop is one of the shops to have fallen short on inventory and has been forced to pull the tablet from its website. Other stores caught in a similar dilemma are Adorama and Staples, which are both waiting for re-stocking because their allotted share of the device sold out so fast.
According to various reports GameStop is getting more inventory in and are looking to start selling again with a promised availability date set for August 7.
New York's Adorama store announced through its Twitter account on Friday that their stock of Google Nexus 7 Tablets had sold out, and that it was shipping its stock based on orders received. The store's next batch of Google tablets are not expected to become available until mid August.
One of the largest stores stocking the Google Nexus 7 Tablet, Staples, has also reported that it has sold out of the device on its website. Customers are being asked to check back between July 14 and 18, as the store believes it should have new inventory in by then.
However, the Google Nexus 7 can still be purchased directly from Google in the Google Play store. The device comes in two models; the 8GB model which is being sold for $199, and the 16GB version which is being offered for $249. According to the Google Play store, the tablet can be delivered within one to two weeks.
The Google Nexus 7 was unveiled by the company last month and it features the latest build of Android, known as 4.1, JellyBean. It also comes with a 7-inch display and a quad-core processor.
