Next-Gen Google Nexus 7 Coming This June – Report

Google is preparing to launch a second-generation version of the Google Nexus 7 tablet this July as it intensifies its efforts in the seven-inch tablet market, according to Reuters.

The tablet will be manufactured by and co-branded with Asus, who also made the first Nexus 7, which was released last June.

It will apparently boast a higher screen resolution, a thinner design and be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. This would be a blow to Nvidia, which provided the chip for the original Nexus 7, but the decision was reportedly made for power reasons.

Google Nexus 7 2G

Google hopes to sell as many as eight million units during the second half of 2013, while Asus will hope the tablet can contribute to its target of shifting 12 million tablets this year. Google has never revealed sales figures for its tablets, but it is estimated to have sold 4.6 million original Nexus 7 devices during the same period last year.

Pricing remains a mystery, but it is almost certain that the new tablet will be priced aggressively to get it in the hands of as many people as possible and combat the threat of rival devices from Amazon and Apple.

It has been suggested that the new Nexus 7 could go on sale for $199, the same price as the first generation tablet, or even as low as $149. The previous model could either be discontinued or receive a price cut.

Google will not expect to make much money from the tablets and will instead hope they will expand the reach of its advertising platform, from which it derives almost all its revenue.

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