Many retailers sold out of Google’s Nexus 7 tablet this weekend, while some customers who pre-ordered the device complained that their tablets hadn’t arrived yet. The only retailer we found that still seems to be shipping the tablet this week is Office Depot, which is selling it for $249. Google sells its tablet for $199, but says it will not ship for 1-2 weeks.
The Google Nexus 7 is similar to Amazon’s Kindle Fire in both size and price, but offers a wide range of capabilities that Amazon’s product does not. It runs Android 4.1 on a Tegra 3 quad-core processor, and sports a high-definition display and a 1.2 megapixel camera for video chat. The Wall Street Journal is calling the Nexus 7 the “first tablet that might give Apple some competition.”
Amazon is clearly feeling the heat. The online retailer has discounted its basic Kindle e-reader to $79. The Wi-Fi version is now $99 and the Wi-Fi plus 3G version is $149. The Kindle Fire still sells for $199. Needless to say, loyal Amazon customers who come to the site looking for the Nexus 7 will not find it there.
The Nexus 7 is made for Google by Taiwan’s Asus, and IHS iSuppli has estimated the manufacturing cost at $152. Google has said it does not plan to make a profit on the product. The company is more interested in promulgating its Android operating system, increasing page views generated by its search engine, and selling more content through its Google Play store. On its website, Google describes the Nexus 7 as “a tablet made for Google Play.”
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http://www.officedepot.com/a/products/120742/Nexus-7-From-Google-7-Tablet/?hijack=Nexus%207&type=Search
