Did the Nexus 7 kill the tablet market?

Justin Stepp

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So when the first nexus 7 came out it was a pretty big deal. It was affordable with decent specs. It had a few drawbacks though that didn't allow it to dominate the market. It didn't have a rear camera, and the speakers and screen were only ok.

When the second one hit the shelves it changed the way we though about tablets. It had bleeding edge specs for the time at an unbeatable price. The only way Google was able to offer the super low prices was that they subsidized it through the gains of having more users in their ecosystem.

This made it so that the other manufacturers couldn't compete. Now all of your tablet manufacturers are trying to build tablets in the same budget as the Nexus 7. The only problem is that the specs are hardly an upgrade from the 2013 Nexus 7.

This year we haven't seen an viable replacements for the Nexus 7 or really any tablets better than the Nexus 7. Did Google kill off the tablet industry? Did they set it back 3 years?

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SpookDroid

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No, but it did bring on the kind of mindset you're sort of portraying: cutting edge hardware at low tech prices are a must.

There ARE 7-inch tablets out there with very good specs but higher price tags. There are cutting-edge hardware tablets with larger screens and obviously larger price tags to go along. The Nexus 7 didn't kill the tablet market (if it did it'd either still be selling like hot cakes, which it isn't, or made Apple lower their iPad prices, which it hasn't). It just made room for a segment that would take passable hardware at a lower price since they're not power users.
 

Justin Stepp

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No, but it did bring on the kind of mindset you're sort of portraying: cutting edge hardware at low tech prices are a must.

There ARE 7-inch tablets out there with very good specs but higher price tags. There are cutting-edge hardware tablets with larger screens and obviously larger price tags to go along. The Nexus 7 didn't kill the tablet market (if it did it'd either still be selling like hot cakes, which it isn't, or made Apple lower their iPad prices, which it hasn't). It just made room for a segment that would take passable hardware at a lower price since they're not power users.

Apple did respond with the iPad mini and the only other small tablets right now with cutting edge specs are from Samsung. Everyone else cut some type of corner to hit that $300 price. And once again what tablets really have bleeding edge specs other than Samsung pro series regardless of size or price?

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SpookDroid

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Again, account for when it was released. And the fact that it was a bad screen doesn't mean it wasn't the latest tech. Just badly implemented.

To many, the Shield is still the tablet to beat when it comes to performance. Me? I'm quite happy with my Tab S.
 
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On the contrary, I think that the Nexus 7 actually forced the industry to move in a more affordable direction for the consumer. Some manufacturers got priced out, but those who were able to make the cut were able to capture the market...hopefully this means that not all tablets will come out priced like the iPad and your typical everyday consumer can actually afford to buy one without breaking the bank.
 

tidbituniverse

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I have and Nexus 7 here and the only qualm I have with it is that if you play games it doesn't seem to charge as fast as it drains the battery. Other than that it looks and feels great! I don't think Google killed off the tablet industry though
 

Justin Stepp

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On the contrary, I think that the Nexus 7 actually forced the industry to move in a more affordable direction for the consumer. Some manufacturers got priced out, but those who were able to make the cut were able to capture the market...hopefully this means that not all tablets will come out priced like the iPad and your typical everyday consumer can actually afford to buy one without breaking the bank.

So now we are all stuck buying budget devices unless we buy Samsung? Sounds like Google killed the tablet industry to me.

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vtpmt81

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No, but it did bring on the kind of mindset you're sort of portraying: cutting edge hardware at low tech prices are a must.

There ARE 7-inch tablets out there with very good specs but higher price tags. There are cutting-edge hardware tablets with larger screens and obviously larger price tags to go along. The Nexus 7 didn't kill the tablet market (if it did it'd either still be selling like hot cakes, which it isn't, or made Apple lower their iPad prices, which it hasn't). It just made room for a segment that would take passable hardware at a lower price since they're not power users.

Actually - Apple has had a lot deals on iPads lately.

For example in November Staples was selling a brand new 32GB iPad Air (which is still a great tablet) for $369. Best Buy has had a bunch of deals on iPads as well.

I think Amazon and Google have changed the tablet market for the better. Even Microsoft OEMs 2 in 1s are affordable now. I have an ASUS T100 - it is a great machine that runs full windows for $349.
 

steelrain82

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I think I would personally buy either a tab s 8.4, or an ipad air. I think the value of the nexus 7 is there. But I hated the huge bezel and awkward screen the n7 has. I understand that when the nexus 7 it was a great buy, but even then I would get the mini.

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