$99 Nexus Is One Step Closer to Free Tablets

The tablet wars will continue to heat up if rumors are right that Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) will release a $99 machine. Although it may not be as feature rich as current products from Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) — the Surface — and Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) — the Kindle — as well as the iPad, the price alone will cause some consumers to reevaluate what features they need and what they should pay for them. CNET reports:

The company is currently working with Taiwan-based Quanta Computer to produce a $99 Nexus tablet boasting a single-core processor that will launch by the end of this year, Digitimes is reporting today, citing sources. According to the tech-news blog’s sources, the tablet isn’t being developed in partnership with Asus, the company that helped Google build its Nexus 7. The cheaper tablet is, at least right now, separate from the Nexus 7 lineup.

Digitimes reported on the possibility of a new Nexus tablet last month, saying that Google was prepping a version that would cost $99, as well as another that would retail for $199. At that time, the blog indicated that the device would be called the Nexus 7 and would be developed in partnership with Asus. Its sources seem to indicate now that neither of those are claims are true.

Soon, to get market share and sell ancillary products, these companies will give the devices away for free.

Douglas A. McIntyre