There has been a lot of talk about a $99 Google Nexus tablet, it would be from ASUS and roughly have the same specs as the current Google Nexus 7 and would be released at the same time as a new Nexus 7 from Google that would be thinner and lighter. That’s how the rumor has been running so far anyways.
Digitimes has released some new information that actually put the $99 tablet being released this year. The tablet would come with an ARM processor and only sport one core, they claim it is will be running a VIA Wonder Media WM8950 processor. It is a single core ARM Cortex-A9 processor, which is clocked at 800 MHz and an ARM Mali-400 graphics has part. The chip is included to be able to play back 1080p video hardware accelerated.
Take this with a grain of salt, Digitimes doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to spreading reliable rumors.
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with the falling prices of the nook color ($70 for a good used one last I checked) why would anyone really want a tablet with this low-specced a processor. The only thing that could really save it is low weight, IPS screen, and high battery life but for $100.
A low price one for kids, or for a budget that can’t stretch to $170 bucks (A real issue for may families at the moment.) Or who want to try out a tablet but don’t want to spend around $200 dollars one one. Or who want extra one for various uses. A $99 tablet would sell like hot cakes, imho.
A 3G version just got passed the Taiwan lab for telecommunications certification.
If Google is considering the $99 thing then minimum should be dual core, 1gb, 1024×600 IPS. A single core doesn’t cut well in 2013, no matter if its $99 or $49
On a side note wonder media do have an unnamed series which is rumored to be a single core Cortex A9 2GHz CPU with PowerVX 544 single core clocked at 500MHz GPU.
If this is the case then it is totally a different ballgame altogether. Whichever the case, one thing is fornsure, Google and android is going to get the hell lot of market share with this.
There are plenty cheap RK3066 tablets that will run circles around that single core VIA Wonder Media WM8950 for $99. Yet, that 2GHZ SoC you mentioned would make many look twice at it. Add to it that its built by a Tier 1 manufacturer, and I believe it would sell faster than the closeout HP Touchpads.
It’s true, I want to get my hands on one of those new Rockchip Quads that are just hitting the street now! If they had gone with Rockchip I would have been really excited! I would have preferred to have heard that!
Indeed,
The rk3066 tablets are very fast, I’ve used a yuandao n70 Chinese tablet. around $120 delivered price a few months ago.
1024×600 IPS screen 1GB ram 3700mAh battery etc. And that thing was very fast absolutely similar to nexus7 if not better, with fantastic screen. Now similar things are selling for around $99.
But i think Google won’t go for rk3066, the reason being could be it’s very good performance. If a $99 tablet can give you $199 tablet performance why would any one go for the $199 tablet. May sound odd from a consumer point of view but this doesn’t make a good business decision form Google’s point of view.
So I think Google will intentionally go for a roughly 30 to 40% lower performance chip then its Tegra3 running Nexus7.
Anyways this is just a rumor and I’ve not seen any real proof of this rumor yet. Which is a very unlikely case