@Google Nexus 7 Tablet to upgrade to 3G or LTE - @GoogleNexus 7 is a ParaNorman Bladerunner to kill the @AmazonKindle Fire 2

Google obviously had something in mind when they had rebranded Google MarketPlace, their smartphone and Tablet Android App Store to Google Play as stated in the article “Android Market checks out, Google Play moves” Published Wednesday, March 07, 2012, The Jamaica Observer.

So when they eventually launched their competitor to the Amazon Kindle Fire and the Barnes and Noble Nook, a pair of 7” Google Nexus 7 Tablet made with hardware supplied by Asus as stated in the article “Google's Nexus 7 guns for the Kindle”, published Wednesday, July 04, 2012, The Jamaica Observer, it was the obvious “Google Play” toward the eventual enemy: The Apple iPad. 

After all, why the name change for their Android Store to something that so closely mimics the Apple iTunes Store, after already being a poorly organized version of the more organized Apple Apps Store?

More interestingly, Google thrust into the Tablet market is aimed initially at the other 7”Android e-reader/Tablets that have so far been a hit, even taking some of the shine from off the Apple iPad during the Christmas period as noted in my blog article entitled “Amazon Kindle Fire is now No. 2 behind the Apple iPad 2 - Deathrace to London Olympics 2012AD”and “Apple iPad 3 Launch on March 2012 - Amazon Kindle Fire is a Sweet Dream but a Beautiful Nightmare for Apple”.

Even the Barnes and Noble Nook Color, despite it cheeky name, has been a surprisingly with women, who love its small purse-centric size and the fact that it renders glossy magazines so well as opined in my blog article entitled “Women adore the Barnes and Noble Nook Colour – Free e-reader Home Improvement” .

With a Tablet market set to hit 100 million units by 2012AD based on the statistics of analyst ABI in the article “Tablet sales could top 100 million”, published Friday, August 24, 2012, The Jamaica Observer, the market is growing with the proliferation of Wi-Fi Tablets and very few Mobile 3G or LTE Tablets.

More interesting Stats from analyst ABI:

1. Tablet shipments worldwide (quasi-sales in a sense) are up 36% or 77% year-on-year for the Second Quarter of 2012AD with 25 million units sold
2. 69% of those shipments are for the Apple iPad with 17 million Units
3. The Apple iPad shipments of in the Second Quarter of 2012AD nearly matches its total shipment for the year 2010 which was 17.3 million when they just launched
4. 1 million of Second Quarter of 2012 figures is Older Model Apple iPad 2 and Apple iPad First Generation, mainly for schools and universities
5. South Korea's Samsung is No. 2 in shipments with 8%
6. Taiwan's Asus and Amazon are fighting for the No. 3 position
7. Dell and LG have effectively pulled out of the market

It comes in two models:

1. 8GB Model priced at US$199
2. 16GB Model priced at US$249

The specs on the Google Nexus 7 Tablets are not that much different from the Amazon Kindle Fire with which it shares the same price of US$199:

1. 7” screen, with a resolution higher than the Amazon Kindle Fire
2. Google Android 4.0 aka JellyBean
3. Low-resolution Front Facing Camera
4. Microphone, GPS, Accelerometer, NFC (Near Field Communication)

Google aims to kill of these rogue Clones with its pure Nexus 7 that runs on the latest version of Android, Jelly Bean, with which it hopes to conquer the world as per the Geezam blog article “Apple’s Revolution: Android @ Home and IceCream Sandwich in 2015AD”.

The name of the product is a play  on the movie BladeRunner (1982) in which the character played by Harrison Ford is tasked with killing off all the other rogue Human Android clones, called Nexus. The name suggests that these Human Androids are a gateway to connect Humanity with a more advanced version of itself, as this is what a Nexus is; a gateway to another dimension.

Harrison Ford’s character is a Nexus 7, a more advanced form of Human Android. He’s captures or kills these escaped rogue Human Androids. This despite earlier protests to these electronics gadget makers that Google Android was not suited for Tablets.

As such, this symbolism resonates well with the obvious dual aim of Google first Tablet; catch and destroy in the marketplace the other Tablets that are using Google Android incorrectly in Tablets back in 2010AD and 2011AD such as the Samsung Galaxy Tablet as described in the Geezam blog article entitled “Samsung Galaxy - Apple iPad's contender for the Christmas”.

And what’s been the response to the Google Nexus 7 Tablet? Sold out in the same month of July 2012AD folks as noted in “Google's Nexus 7 Tablet already out of stock at Key retailers”, published July 16 2012, Lance Whitney, CNET News. No surprise as at a “Fire Sale” price of US$199 for the 8GB Model and the equally reasonable upgraded 16GB Model priced at US$249 despite the poor specs, what’s not to like?

Our European cousins seem to agree, with the Tablet going on sale on Monday August  27^th 2012AD in the EU (European Union ) at equivalent market prices of EU199 for 8GB Model and 16GB Model priced at EU249 as stated in the article “Google launches Nexus 7 Tablet in France, German, Spain” published August 27 2012 by Don Reisinger, CNET News.

Interesting first for Google: pricing that matches and mirrors those in terms of dollar figures of the US, a sign that they see the market for their products as being global and not the US alone. Another first for Google; advertising their product on the Google Search page the following day on Tuesday August 28^th 2012AD as noted in “Google's Nexus 7 Tablet pops up in rare home-page ad”, published August 28 2012 by Roger Cheng, CNET News.

This advertising first for Google not only indicates their faith in their product, but it also reveals their strategy to be equivalent to that of the Amazon Kindle Fire; use the Tablet to extend their presence into the growing Mobile Computing market and thereby use the Google Nexus 7 Tablet as an additional storefront to sell products from its Google Play Store recently rebranded in March 2012AD of this year.

Thus it is revealed in full; their name-change for the Google Android Marketplace is a move from a less organized online app and music experience to a more structure walled-garden approach of Amazon and Apple iTunes model.

Interestingly a new Kindle Fire 2 is on the way, with the inventory stock of Kindle Fires being completely sold out since, with Amazon calling it “their most successful product launch in history”  as stated in the article “Kindle Fire 'Sold Out' as new model looms”, published 30 August 2012 by Lance Whitney, CNET News.

With two (2) Kindle Fire 2’s now confirmed to be a reality to be launched on Thursday September 6^th 2012AD as stated in “Kindle Fire won't go big to take on iPad”, published 31 August 2012 by Roger Cheng and Steven Musil, CNET News, Google needs to step up its game it want to be a 7” Tablet killer.

Interestingly, no increase in size, indicating that Amazon is comfortable carving out it niche market and merely using the Kindle Fire as a digital storefront for its retail website; chasing the bigger 10” Apple iPad is not on their agenda

Based on the words of Analyst Richard Shim as stated in the article “At least three Kindle Fire 2 Tablets, one with 4G, on the way”, published July 5th 2012, by Lance Whitney, CNET News, there is a strong possibility of there being two (2) Kindle Fires, one with Mobile 3G or LTE Wireless Broadband Internet Subscription from one of the major Telecom Providers.

With improved specs based on Amazon Customer Feedback, the Mobile Wireless Broadband element, be it 3G or LTE means that the Google Nexus 7 Tablet may also need to go 3G as is rumoured in “Is a Google Nexus 7 with 3G joining the traffic jam of tablets” published September 3 2012, CNET Staff, CNET News.

The use of a Tablet in a storefront model based around its recently rebranded Google Play needs to become a ParaNorman (2012) BladeRunner (1982) to kill the Amazon Kindle Fire duet of 7” Tablets, whose armament have improved.