In case anyone somehow missed the news this afternoon, Apple announced and made official their new 7.9-inch iPad mini. At the same time they nicely gave Google’s Nexus 7 some free advertising by comparing the two tablets and letting the Nexus 7 take center stage. With the new iPad mini finally here what does Google need to do in response? Nothing actually, but here’s what we are expecting.

Apple took a few minutes to showcase the iPad mini along side the Nexus 7 on stage during their event. Comparing the larger screen, smaller bezels, and all of those iOS tablet apps. However, they didn’t mention the other side of the isle. Obviously the screen is bigger so you’ll see more of a webpage, but how about resolution? Apple failed to mention the 1024 x 768 resolution isn’t “truly” HD, and is still the old 4:3 aspect ratio. Movies, YouTube videos, and more will all look better on the 1280 x 800 HD IPS display of the Nexus 7.

Price? The iPad mini 16GB WiFi will run users $329, while Google’s Nexus 7 is currently $249 for the same size. However, come October 29th almost all signs are pointing to the Nexus 7 being $199 for the 16GB model, and Google will introduce the already in some stores 32GB Nexus 7 for $249 — making it obviously a better price. The iPad mini comes with older iPad 2 internals like a dual-core A5 processor, while our beloved Nexus 7 is powered by an impressive quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 and 1GB of RAM. About the only selling point in regards to being “better” is the larger screen (for those that need it) and the rear facing camera.

So what does Google need to do in order to eclipse the iPad mini? Like we said above, nothing! Still, Google has a slew of announcements up their sleeves and we have a feeling their October 29th Android event next Monday will be aiming for more than the iPad mini. Rumors are suggesting a 10-inch “retina-beating” Nexus 10 with a 2560 x 1600 HD resolution made by Samsung. Pair that with the multiple rumors that Google will also be releasing a 3G Nexus 7 into the Google Play Store — they are sitting pretty.

Rumors suggest Google’s 3G/HSPA+ Nexus 7 will be announced on the 29th and here’s the pricing strategy they’ll likely set forth to compete with the new bite-sized iPad. Their 16GB Nexus 7 will be $199, 32GB for $249, and the Nexus 7 32GB HSPA+ for $349. Compare that with the 16GB 4G LTE iPad mini starting at $459 the Nexus 7 is already the clear winner regarding price.

In the end the Nexus 7 will not eclipse the iPad mini, nor will the iPad mini wrestle too many buyers away from Google. Both are great products, and both will sell extremely well. Google’s yet to announce any details on how many tablets they’ve actually sold — but we have a feeling that number is coming soon. We’ll end with a question. What do you think Google needs to do in response, if any, and what are your thoughts on the iPad mini?

25 COMMENTS

  1. I think they have to really mention and adress the iPad mini, maybe making some jokes, and show how much better the Nexus 7 is, especially in value. Also, the distribution need to improve badly. They could sell so much more if they would make it more available worldwilde.

  2. With a HDMI-out (MHL or pure micro-hdmi) function on the Nexus 7, it would be pretty complete. And larger storage memory option.. =)

  3. The iPad mini is a POS! As for the nexus 7 they need to add a worth back facing camera & improve the FFC & then all 2 speakers & increase the internal storage up to 64GB.Even then I’m still staying away from it as the Note 10.1 just simply blows erorything elseOut of the water.

  4. What kinda blog title is that? That’s like asking..How much heavier of a mallet do you need to kill that ant?

    The Nexus 7 already eclipses the sh!tPad mini.

  5. “What Google needs to eclipse the ipad mini”
    MicroSD and MHL.
    If the Nexus7 had those two features, it would be no contest.

  6. Micro hdmi and front facing camera. The size needs to be increased slightly as well 7.7″ because of the wave of 5 to 6″ phablets that will be launching this qtr and beyond. Smartphones are slowly evolving to this size factor. I have to admit, the ipad mini nailed
    That part which will give it an upperhand in the market. Other than that. Thats about it.

  7. I own an iPad but I can’t wait to see what Google has on Monday. If Nexus 7 goes down to $199, I’m definitely getting one.

  8. Google needs content. Apps meant for a tablet, television and movies in a decent library – a dying Netflix doesn’t cut it and a better than crappy bookstore. Otherwise it will lose share in the coming months to both iPad and Kindle.

    • Actually, play has now surpassed amazon as the largest ebook store due to their recent deals. As for tablet apps, there are plenty. It is a pretty dated concept to use that argument. With that said, there are still some notable omissions like twitter and facebook but there are great third party alternatives. Also, since facebook is making a native android app, that will likely come with tablet support.

      • “Largest” doesn’t mean best. Amazon still kicks butt in terms of pricing and packaging. Google doesn’t have any kind of exclusives like the Prime lending library or Kindle singles.

        Also, your entire argument completely misses the killer use case for tablets, which, as noted, is video watching. Google’s video store is terrible by comparison to iTunes or Amazon, and Netflix and Hulu are dying a slow death.

      • In pricing? Yes. Not sure what you mean about packaging. I would still also prefer a larger pool to get those obscure books than some limited time exclusives. Also, you can get the amazon book store on the Nexus anyways so that is irrelevant.

        As for video watching, I would hardly say that Netflix is dying. This has been talked about and is a possibility but they are still posting huge profits. Also, the play store it seems each month adds more content deals with studios. It won’t be long now.

      • You cannot get any of the lending library books via the Kindle app on Android. I’ve been reading lots of books this way and it saves a tremendous amount of money. It’s proven to be a very lucrative business model for them, people who borrow also buy. Further, within Google Play, there’s no equivalent to the book+audio and book+movie packaging that Amazon does which also brings in a lot of business to Amazon.

        Netflix doesn’t have a lot of the television programs that I’d actually want to watch. No “Game of Thrones” or “The Wire” for instance. I can’t watch “The Hunger Games” either. I’m not an HBO subscriber for the former so getting those via Amazon was a very good deal. Also, Netflix is losing exclusivity and their subscriber growth is slowing. Today’s stock price and their “underperforming” rating by Macquarie shows how hurt they are.

        As for Google Play videos, “It won’t be long now” doesn’t cut it. Google should have had this in place a year ago before Apple got the chance to stick its foot into the smaller tablet territory and before Amazon had a chance to solidify its position with a solid #2.

        Hey, I’m an Android fan. I have both the Galaxy S3 and an HTC Incredible, both rooted with Jellybean ROMs. I actually WANT Google to succeed here. But they’re in trouble if they don’t do something very big very soon.

        I have to take off my fandroid hat sometimes and recognize the warts in Google. Their devices are great but their content library and their overall marketing is still lacking. It’s the reason that sadly, the Nexus isn’t even the #1 Android based tablet, much less a leading tablet in the overall market.

  9. Right now, whatever size iPad will still get you goofy maps! And we all know where we are, don’t we!! But a rear facing camera would definitely be nice, even a 5MP one. Also, set aside this cloud thing and give us microSD. Oh yeah, HDMI out, and game over.

  10. I would rather see Google have a 10 inch and a 7.7 or 8.2 inch. I have a 7 inch and it’s just a tad too small and 10.1 a tad too large. If they can package a 10 inch or 8.2 in a 7inch package, that would be fantastic.

  11. Personally, i think google has the better product. They need more advertising dollars if they are going to seriously beat out the ipad mini. They’ve won on specs, price, and product options. The only thing that will hold it back from being a winner against the ipad mini is advertising. They need to throw alot of money at it.

  12. I use the Nexus 7 for quite some time now and all I need is a front facing camera. Not for taking videos but for RQ Code and scanning documents. And of course I like to show things and places when I’m skyping.

  13. Every news story I read about the iPad Mini (with a few exceptions) lists the Kindle Fire and the Nook as the new Apple tablet’s biggest competition. No mention of the Nexus 7! I don’t get it. I love my Nexus 7, way more than the first gen iPad I had before. I just don’t get it.

    • I think the reason is that other than Tech websites, not many publications know much about the Nexus 7. Google doesn’t do very much advertising other than the one commercial I’ve seen a bunch of times.
      I think if Google marketed better they would definitely sell more but the iPad user isn’t really their demographic.

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