Google tablet: It really IS coming soon, new report suggests

A new report backs up other recent information suggesting Google will soon be launching its own tablet device to take on Amazon's Kindle Fire and Barnes & Noble's Nook Tablet.
The wait for Google’s much-anticipated tablet could be soon be over, if a new report from Taiwan-based DigiTimes is to be believed.

The tech news site said on Thursday that the 7-inch device, developed with Asustek, will go on sale in July, with shipments of up to 600,000 units expected in June. The report added that total shipments of between 2 million an 2.5 million units are targeted for this year.
The information – which DigiTimes said it had received from sources in the upstream supply chain – fits in with other reports and rumors that have been circulating in recent months.
“Google originally planned to release its entry-level 7-inch tablet PC in May, but design and costs did not reach its expectations, and the product was delayed to July for some minor adjustments,” the report said.


This corresponds with a report last month that suggested the launch of the Google tablet had been postponed while the company reworked its design in an effort to force its price down. It’s believed the Internet giant is aiming for a price tag of between $150 and $200.
Google has been keeping tight-lipped about its forthcoming tablet, a device which it hopes will perform well against Amazon’s Kindle Fire unit and Barnes & Noble’s Nook Tablet. Both the Kindle Fire and the Nook Tablet sell for $199.


Besides a 7-inch screen, it’s thought Google’s device will also sport a quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3 processor and run on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich
.
With the Mountain View company shortly to throw its own device into the mix, the low end of the tablet market is starting to fill up with some big hitters. If Google hasn’t compromised on too many key features in an effort to force down the price of its tablet, it could well have a winner on its hands.