Search giant Google made its first venture into the Indian tablet market with the launch of its Nexus 7 on Thursday.
Google Nexus 7 had an international debut earlier in June and received rave reviews for its Jelly Bean OS. The entry of Google's highest-selling tablet to India's burgeoning tablet market was rumoured for quite some time. The announcement came only on Wednesday from technology firm Asus, which manufactures Nexus 7 tablets for Google. The tablet will be priced ₹19,999 onwards.
The Android-running Nexus 7 will be available for purchase through online retailers including HomeShop18, before its official launch in the country. It's reported that the 16 GB W-IFI version Nexus 7 will be the first to hit the Indian market.
Following the announcement of its global debut, 8GB WIFI version of Nexus 7 was presented as the basic version. Google later replaced it with the 16GB model.
Nexus 7 is one of the few devices which run on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system. The device is powered by a 1.3 GHz Nvidia Tegra 3 processor and sports a 7-inch IPS display screen with 1280x800 resolution. Google also recently announced a 32GB variant and a 3G-enabled model.
Will the Price tag Disappoint India?
Anticipating consumers are likely to be disappointed by the hefty price tag attached to Nexus 7. The ₹19,999 price of the 16GB W-IFI version stands far from the original price in terms of dollar conversion.
Consumers were expecting Nexus 7 to fall ₹10,000 and ₹12,000 after currency conversion. Unfortunately, the tablet comes through Asus which is not permitted to make sales at a subsidized cost in India. As a result, Google Nexus 7 will be priced a little higher in the country.