With a slew of tablets hitting the market this fall season, many manufacturers are aiming to differentiate themselves from the rumored iPad Mini that Apple will be releasing. Some companies, like Amazon, will probably be offering more options and models to the consumers in order to hedge their Kindle Fire 2. Google is the current small budget tablet king with its Nexus 7 tablet, and it looks like the tech giant might be releasing a 3G version of its popular tablet soon.
Paul O'Brien over at MoDaCo wrote:
"There's not a huge amount to say... a 3G version of the Nexus 7 is coming, with no other hardware changes. Asus is currently ramping production in preparation for launch in around 6 weeks, with the exact launch date and territories still to be confirmed."
He states that the information comes to him from a "well placed insider."
Most likely, it will be an unlocked GSM model.
The move, while unexpected, does seem like the natural course for Google to take. Although a report by industry analyst Chetan Sharma states that 90 percent of tablets are Wi-Fi only, the two main Nexus 7 competitors this fall will all be offering cellular capabilities.
Apple's new iPad introduced 4G into the iOS, and there is good reason to believe that Apple will offer a 4G version of the iPad Mini when it launches. Amazon will also reportedly offer 4G (or at least 3G) models of their upcoming Kindle Fire 2 series. These two are Google's Nexus 7's main competitors, with both of them hovering around the $200 price range and offering 7-inch tablets as well.
While cellular capabilities on tablets are growing slowly, in an increasingly online world it could be an important factor for consumers to know that they can be constantly connected rather than being tethered to Wi-Fi hotspots.
Does the prospect of a 3G Nexus 7 tablet have you excited? Or will you still wait for the Amazon Kindle Fire 2 and iPad Mini to be revealed?