Google is expected to announce its second-generation Nexus 7 tablet at an event today in San Francisco, according to a news report citing details released by retailers.
The new 7-in. Nexus 7 will cost $229 for a 16 GB version and $269 for a 32 GB version and will go on sale next week, according to information on Best Buy's website that was later removed, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Earlier reports indicated the upcoming Nexus 7 would run a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor and would be built by Asustek, which produced the original Nexus 7 released last year. The original device ran Nvidia's Tegra 3 processor.
The original Nexus 7 sold for $199 and ran Android 4.1. The new model may run Android 4.3. One report by AndroidCentral indicated the new Nexus 7 would have two cameras, a 5-megapixel rear camera and a 1.2 megapixel front camera, instead of the single camera in the original version. No storage expansion slot is expected to be included with the new Nexus 7.
The original Nexus 7 sold 1 million units per month at one point and is seen as a head-on competitor with the $159 Amazon Kindle Fire tablet.
Smaller tablets in the 7-in. to 8-in. range are the fastest growing segment of the tablet market. The original AppleiPad, now in three generations, measures 9.7 inches, but Apple also launched a 7.9-in. version last year.
Apple reported slower iPad sales on Tuesday, selling 14.6 million units from April to June, down from 17 million in the same quarter in 2012.
IDC recently said 230 million tablets running Android, iOS and Windows will ship to retailers in 2013, up from 145 million in 2012. In May, research firm NPD DisplaySearch predicted tablet shipments will outpace laptops in 2013.
Matt Hamblen covers mobile and wireless, smartphones and other handhelds, and wireless networking for Computerworld. Follow Matt on Twitter at @matthamblen or subscribe to Matt's RSS feed. His email address is mhamblen@computerworld.com.
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