Google to take on Apple and Microsoft with own-brand tablet

Quad core devices will cost $199/£199

Google is planning to trump Microsoft and Amazon by launching its own low-cost, branded tablet computer on Wednesday.

The machines will run the latest version of the Android operating system and will feature a 7in display. Called the Nexus 7, it will be based on Nvidia's Kai system-on-a-chip platform, featuring a quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3 chipset, based on the ARM Cortex-A9 running at 1.3GHz, and a GeForce 12-core graphics co-processor.

The 7in screen will offer a resolution of 1280×800, and the device will also have a built-in 1.2-megapixel camera and a battery capable of going nine hours between charges.

The devices will include 1GB of memory and either 8GB of internal storage for $199 or 16GB for $249 – most probably retailing for £199 and £249 in the UK. The devices will also have a near-field communication chip to run both Google Wallet and Android Beam electronic wallets.

However, the Nexus 7 will be Wi-Fi only – there will not be any 3G versions – and there may not be the option of plugging in extra storage either, with Google expecting users to store their data "in the cloud".

Unlike the Microsoft Surface, which is based on Windows 8, the Google devices will be available worldwide from July. Acer, Asus and others are also planning imminent launches of Android-based devices based on the Kai platform, while HTC has already released quad-core microprocessor smartphones based on Kai.

Google's tablet will not be the cheapest Android device on the market. Ebuyer, for example, offers a number of sub-£100 tablets, with some popular 10in-display models for around £180. However, it is the first to offer quad-core power at such a low price.

Google to take on Apple and Microsoft with own-brand tablet

Quad core devices will cost $199/£199

Total control
Underlying the battle for the tablet computer is a desire to control the distribution channel for games, books, magazines and other media that will run on tablet computers. Both Google and Apple have their own marketplaces, to which users of their respective devices are directed for downloads.

Amazon subsidises sales of its Kindle Fire. Although based on Google's open-source Android operating system, it has been modified so that users download apps from the Amazon Apps store, not Google Play.

Microsoft, meanwhile, is hoping to make up lost ground by tying its desktop, phone and tablet computers together under Windows 8 in a bid to make it a compelling corporate purchase.

It has produced a version of Windows 8, called Windows 8 RT, specific to ARM to enable it to compete in the lower cost tablet computing and smartphone space. All versions of Windows 8 share a common code base and are united under the common Metro interface.

Windows 8 RT will not be able to run legacy Windows applications, unlike standard Windows 8 for x86, but apps designed for Windows 8 x86 ought to run on Windows 8 RT. However, Windows RT devices will be "locked down", so that users of Windows RT will only be able to run apps from the Microsoft-controlled Windows store.

Furthermore, Microsoft's decision to brand its own devices risks antagonising the channel partners that have been crucial to the company's success – they will have to pay extra for licences that may make their devices uncompetitive against Microsoft's own devices, let alone open-source Android devices.

The big losers so far have been the handheld computer games companies, such as Sony and Nintendo, who are being savagely undercut. While physical cartridges for their games need to be purchased at a cost of £25-£30, downloads for tablets – which can be bought for as little as £99 – are often free and supported by advertising, or typically cost only £1 or £2.