Were you one of the many people that, on hearing the Nexus 7 was going to start at $199, reacted with a “Hell yeah!”? If you were, then thought of a starting price of $99 for the same tablet will probably having you squealing like a teenage girl at a One Direction gig.
But that’s exactly what Google are planning, at least for the future of the device. While the tablet took everyone by surprise with its ultra, wallet friendly cost, Google are looking to push the device price point down to the sub $150 mark with the ultimate goal of hitting the $99 target.
Digitimes are citing display component maker O-Film Tech as their source for the lower priced Nexus 7, with a release planned for Q2 in 2013. It’s the glass-glass film tech that O-Film provides Google that will help drive the costs of the device down. And it will also make it thinner!
The rumour mill has the Nexus to hit the $99 mark over a period of time, first getting to $149, then $129 and finally, the magical $99 mark.
With the iPad Mini starting at $329 and the Surface still a lofty $499, the only real competition is the $199 Amazon Kindle Fire. But by pricing themselves below Amazon’s offering, Google will be hoping that the difference in price will be what drives customers to their product.
Your move Amazon!