I have a theory about why The Wall Street Journal’s Walt Mossberg, David Pogue at The New York Times, and venture capitalist/TechCrunch columnist MG Siegler seem to compete to see who can say the nicest things about Apple’s products: Apple’s products are usually pretty good.
Of course, I couldn’t prove this theory true beyond all doubt until today, when all three acknowledged that someone has finally built a very serious contender to Apple in a portion (albeit just a portion) of the market that Apple originally ignited with the iPad.
Well it’s finally happened: MG Seiger became the last of the trio of high-profile Apple admirers in the tech press to gush about Google’s Nexus 7 — which went on sale last week — Monday morning. Let’s recap:
[T]he iPad still makes a far more compelling total package (hardware, software, store). But at 9.7 inches, you’ll never fit that puppy into your breast pocket. If something smaller and lighter and far less expensive appeals to you, you’ll be thrilled by the Nexus 7, even if you have to wait awhile before you can find everything you want to read, watch and play on it.
…last Tuesday, Mossberg weighed in, with an even more positive writeup…
“After testing the Nexus 7 for a couple of weeks, I consider it the best Android tablet I’ve used. It’s a serious alternative to both Apple’s larger $499 iPad and to a more direct rival: Amazon’s $199, Android-based, 7-inch Kindle Fire. I prefer the Nexus 7 to 7-inch models from Google partners like Samsung, whose comparable product costs $250.”
And on Monday, Siegler caved:
Having used a 7-inch tablet for the past week, I now see it as an absolute no-brainer that Apple has to make an iPad with this form factor as well. Of course, such rumors have been swirling for a while — and now the smoke seems too thick for there not to be a fire. It’s coming — but when it does, Apple will find itself in a position it hasn’t been in for some time: being a second-mover to a good product already on the market (as opposed to being a second-mover to a bunch of mediocre-to-shitty products, as has been the case many times in the past).
…
If you’re an iOS person like myself, you obviously have to think about Apple moving into this space as well. And I think the Nexus 7 shows a few places where Apple can improve the 7-inch tablet space — namely in making a device just a bit larger so it’s easier to hold with two hands, and using their existing pay-as-you-go carrier deals to offer up 3G/4G connectivity. We’ll see.
But for now, Apple’s not in this space. And the clear winner in this space is the Nexus 7.
Apple’s got to play catchup. You heard it from Siegler first.
Comments
Is that all you got?
Much rather be in Apple’s position.
Apple has locked so many people out of even thinking about
buying the Nexus 7 by announcing the iPad mini.
Why not have it all in the Apps department, iOS solar system and design aesthetic and don’t forget the the 7.8″ Mini screen will be 40% bigger than the Nexus 7!
Just remember to get your N7 tablet on craigslist early or end up
with another Goodwill donation/tax deduction!
Apple hasn’t announced ANYthing dude, and noone has stopped buying the Nexus 7, the 16GB is now as of this morning completely sold out and no longer available on the Playstore until they can replenish stock.
So ummm…. yeah… nice try on that. Not even the rumors of a smaller iPad is stopping this thing from selling.
Brian,
Shame on you for giving MG too much credit for being the voice of Apple’s users.
5 years ago he was just starting to use Apple products and road the wave of success with the iPhone.
He does not represent long time Apple affectionates and speaks solely to the recent PC converts like himself.
He is a joke. Of course he likes the Nexus, he knows how to surf.
Alright, so in order for Apple to compete w/Nexus 7 they’d have to release a similarly-priced (i.e. $200) 7″ tablet. What are the odds of that happening? Will they release a 7″ retina tablet for $200? I highly doubt it. I don’t see them matching that price even with a non-retina one. Or is it that Apple iSheep will be happy to shell out $300 or more for a 7″ iPad for the sake of rocking an iDevice? This latter scenario looks to me to be more plausible.