Fans of  tablet devices are getting excited by news of Google’s latest project: a Google Pad tablet computer with a rumored 7 inch display and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich software.
While the Google Pad was initially going to be released in May, plans changed when it was found that the current manufacturing process would have pushed the Pad past Google’s planned price point.
That price point is one of the biggest features of the Google Pad, and is one major reason why it could become one of the most popular tablet PCs in the world. Priced at just $200, the Google Pad costs a fraction of what people are currently paying for iPads, Playbooks, and other tablet devices.
The Pad is also expected to feature a quad-core processor. However, the lower price point does mean that the Google Pad will lack the features of devices like the iPad: it won’t feature a camera, and its processing power will also have to take a hit. The display has not yet been finalized, but it’s unlikely to be as crystal clear as other higher end devices on the market today.
For all of those reasons, the Google Pad is expected to compete with the Kindle Fire, a similarly affordable tablet PC. However, the Kindle Fire has struggled to compete with Apple’s iPad, mostly due to its lack of hardware features and limited app marketplace.
If Google wants its tablet PC to succeed, then it needs to improve on all of the things that the Kindle Fire missed out on. If it can provide decent performance and visuals alongside a wide variety of applications, customer will surely have a positive response. If not, then it’s going to be as much of a dud as Google Plus.
The Google Pad should be hitting stores near you starting this summer.