Google is getting battered in the tablet space. What can they do next week to change this?

Posted by markng on June 18, 2012 11:05 pm 131

Nexus 7

1) iPad dominates high end

2) Kindle Fire end dominates low end

3) Microsoft just announced compelling convergence tablet device that could potentially drag along existing Windows users

Android has no strong position at all in the tablet space. Their UI is lackluster, they don't have carriers to help them sell devices at retail like they did with phones, and no Android tablet offering so far has even come close to being as compelling as what Microsoft showed off today.

Everyone is anticipating Google to announce a Nexus tablet, but all rumors so far point to a rebranded Asus 7" tablet. Is it too late for Google to win the tablet wars or is there something that can realistically be done next week to turn the tide?

Here's some things I think Google could do next week with the rumored Nexus 7 to strengthen their position:

1) Instant availability worldwide via Google Play store with worldwide retail availability to follow in the coming weeks (no delays like what happened with the Galaxy Nexus).

2) In-store kiosks with Google branding to explain to customers that they are buying into the Google brand and ecosystem. Make it look attractive and inviting. I seriously get depressed every time I walk into Best buy and see the collection of Android tablets they have on display. They all look decrepit and run down and yet most of them still sell for $300-$500.

3) $199 price point

4) Android 4.1 with revamped tablet UI. They should put things that matter to the avg user on the home screen such as Facebook, Twitter, Gmail, and consumable content like magazines. This style of home screen should be the default while the traditional home screen with widgets should be optionally enabled (for power users). The average user doesn't care about widgets.

5) They should show off some impressive exclusive games like what Apple does with Infinity Blade, etc

6) Revamp of key applications such as G+, Twitter, and Facebook. Give them real tablet UIs instead of the epic horizontal rows of crud that we get now.