Asus and Google look like they could be joining forces to release the first Nexus tablet this June at Google I/O for as little as $199 while still packing it with a quad-core processor. The news comes from Android and Me and while it isn’t the first we’ve heard about the Nexus tab, it’s the first mention of Asus being involved.
With the success of the Asus Transformer Prime and the speed with which Asus have updated their hardware to ICS, it won’t surprise many that Asus have been chosen to propagate Google’s tablet vision. That said, with the first Android tablet, the XOOM being a Motorola device and Google having acquired Motorola towards the end of last year, many took it as a given that Motorola would be involved.
So why Asus? Jelly Bean or Android 5.0 will likely be heavily tablet optimised. Google are also looking to take on Windows 8 and the laptop form-factor towards the end of 2012. Out of all the Android manufacturers other than perhaps Samsung, Asus have the most experience building laptops. That Asus have also had success with their folding Android tablet range makes even more sense that they be chosen.
The final nail in the coffin is the Asus MeMo announced at CES in January. With Google wanting to slap on a $199 price-tag on their Nexus tab to directly rival the like of the Kindle Fire and expected iPad mini, Asus already have a quad-core 7-inch slate on the cards that costs $249. A few tweaks and memory cuts and $199 seems like a realistic prospect.
Expected for a June reveal at the Moscone Center in San Fransisco during Google I/O, the Nexus tab takes our tablet speculation for 2012 to new heights. Lets hope it’s true and a quality sub-$200 is indeed on its way sporting stock Android. We can expect more in the coming months and official confirmation between the 27th and 29th June.
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