Nexus 7, Made for Google Play • Hacker News Board

Re: Nexus 7, Made for Google Play

#131

Post by exhilaration » Wed, Jun 27, 2012, 8:02 PM UTC

guywithabike wrote: post #108

runjake wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What are you talking about? This is a 7" $199 tablet we're talking about. And besides, the talking head on stage mentioned JB is coming to the Xoom in the next month or two.

They've made a lot of those kinds of promises -- they don't often deliver, so parent poster is right to feel uneasy about future support.

No, Google keeps its promises when it comes to supporting old devices - Jelly Bean will be released in mid-July for the Nexus S, a phone first shipped in Dec 2010. It also got the ICS upgrade months ago.

It's the other Android manufacturers - Samsung, HTC, etc - and the mobile carriers that approve each OTA update that often don't fulfill their promises.

Re: Nexus 7, Made for Google Play

#132

Post by marbletiles » Wed, Jun 27, 2012, 8:02 PM UTC

al_james wrote: post #59

dt7 wrote: post #7

£159/£199 in the UK... very reasonable I think, compared to the current prices of Android tablets in the UK.

Yes, nice to see there is not a huge mark-up for the UK prices. $199 is £127 + 20% tax = £152... Close enough.

... except that they add the tax on top of the £159. It's actually £168 here, I've just discovered.

Re: Nexus 7, Made for Google Play

#133

Post by ok_craig » Wed, Jun 27, 2012, 8:03 PM UTC

k3n wrote: post #31

guynamedloren wrote: post #22

I loooove Google, but I can't get over this "Play" nonsense. I get that it's short and (maybe) easy to remember, but it just sounds stupid. They certainly could have come up with a better name than that.

Kind of flies in the face of conventional wisdom, too IMO, as productivity and business-related apps certainly aren't something to "play" with. What's next, a "work" marketplace, but with conrflower-blue themes and more mundane blurbs and graphics?

Tablets still aren't generally thought of or used as productivity devices, they are viewed and used more as consumption devices. I'm not saying this can't or shouldn't change, I'm just saying this is how it is right now. It seems smart to market to that.

Re: Nexus 7, Made for Google Play

#134

Post by narrator » Wed, Jun 27, 2012, 8:04 PM UTC

warfangle wrote: post #127

jamesaguilar wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I love that people accuse Apple of planned obsolescence in the phone market when Google releases operating systems that don't even work on devices that came out in the current year.

"don't even work on other companies devices that they have no control over " Fixed that for you. The Nexus (minus the G1) line of phones gets regular updates - my old Nexus One was always updated within a few weeks of a new version of android coming out. If you want updated OS software on your phone, be smart about which droid phone you get. Ain't goog's fault Samsung won't allow updates to Phone #4123.

You know, the point of a computer is to do work or play games with it. You do not need the absolute latest release of whatever to do useful work or play games.

Re: Nexus 7, Made for Google Play

#135

Post by grecy » Wed, Jun 27, 2012, 8:05 PM UTC

guynamedloren wrote: post #18

Splines wrote: post #12

No SD card slot? Urgh. 8/16GB is not a lot of room, especially for a tablet that is not going to be online all the time.

but nobody complained when the original ipad didn't have one (with same internal storage).

January 2010 was a long time ago...

Re: Nexus 7, Made for Google Play

#136

Post by ok_craig » Wed, Jun 27, 2012, 8:06 PM UTC

nsns wrote: post #123

Am I missing something? Why is this made by Asus and not Motorola Mobility?

Google has stated very often and very clearly that they're trying to maintain a separation between them and Motorola. They don't want owning Motorola to mess up their relationships with other hardware companies.

Re: Nexus 7, Made for Google Play

#137

Post by frazerb » Wed, Jun 27, 2012, 8:06 PM UTC

I struggle here with Google's business model, and the impact their efforts have on other Android tablet vendors. At this price point the profit (if there is any to speak of) must be wafer-thin.

But Google can handle such wafer-thin margins because the secondary markets that this tablet secures for them. No other Android tablet vendor can enjoy the same control over the underlying OS, the same footprint in terms of Apps ecosystem (and importantly the revenue derived from this), the same intimacy between online applications/services and hardware. All these things mean Google can 'get away' with pricing this tablet as cheaply as they do.

But where does that leave Samsung, LG, and the others ? The big risk for us as consumers here is that Google will in fact reduce, not increase, the amount of credible competition against Apple by jeopardizing the competitors' capacity to derive profit from tablets.

Re: Nexus 7, Made for Google Play

#138

Post by ConstantineXVI » Wed, Jun 27, 2012, 8:07 PM UTC

nsns wrote: post #123

Am I missing something? Why is this made by Asus and not Motorola Mobility?

The acquisition closed a little over a month ago; communication during a buyout before it's approved is seriously restricted. A month isn't anywhere near enough time to get a product from scratch to market. Besides the logistical issues, Google's stated that Motorola doesn't get special treatment, so going by their word, Motorola has to compete for Nexus bids just like everyone else.

Re: Nexus 7, Made for Google Play

#139

Post by gvnonor » Wed, Jun 27, 2012, 8:07 PM UTC

greedo wrote: post #105

MartinCron wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I just did too. I hope that I don't regret this decision like I did the Kindle Fire. It seems that $200 is my price point for impulse-buying tablets. If Microsoft can manage to get their Surface out for $200, I guess I'll have to get one of those, too.

$200 for the Surface? Sure, in Bizarro World.

Never say never. If someone had told me that i'd be able to buy a high-end(processor and brand) tablet for $200, I would've laughed in their face.

Re: Nexus 7, Made for Google Play

#140

Post by jonny_eh » Wed, Jun 27, 2012, 8:10 PM UTC

frazerb wrote: post #137

I struggle here with Google's business model, and the impact their efforts have on other Android tablet vendors. At this price point the profit (if there is any to speak of) must be wafer-thin. But Google can handle such wafer-thin margins because the secondary markets that this tablet secures for them. No other Android tablet vendor can enjoy the same control over the underlying OS, the same footprint in terms of Ap…

But it's Apple that already has this advantage, controlling the HW and the app/media ecosystem. Someone needs to step in and compete with that, and it looks like Google (and MS someday?) is the only one in a position to do that.

These other vendors like Samsung just aren't hitting it off. So it's a choice of "Apple and a bunch of overpriced tablets that can't compete" or "Apple and Google". Despite there only being two options with the latter, at least the second option is actually viable.