Three million Google Nexus 7 tablets have been sold, with sales climbing due to word of mouth. With a 3G model on the way, should the iPad be looking over its shoulder nervously?
Head beancounter at Asus, David Chang, reveals to the Wall Street Journal that the Nexus 7 has sold around 2.8m tablets in the three months since it went on sale.
Unlike big new gadgets like the iPhone 5 or Samsung Galaxy S3 that do boffo business from day one, the Nexus 7 has picked up steam as word of mouth builds up. The first month saw Google sell half a million tablets, rising to around 700,000 in the next month, and now hitting one million per month.
The Nexus still has some way to go to challenge Apple's dominance of the tablet market, but it's certainly doing better than most Android slates that -- despite often impressive technology -- have generally failed to sell in great quantities.
By contrast Apple sold around 14 million iPads in roughly the same period, and revealed at the launch of the iPad mini last week that it has sold a whopping 100 million iPads in total. But with the arrival of the Nexus and Windows 8 tablets including the Microsoft Surface, Apple's competition has never been stiffer -- could the Nexus 7 become more popular than the similarly sized iPad mini?
The Nexus 7 features a quad-core processor, high definition screen and Android Jelly Bean software. And all that costs just £160. Bargain!
The 7-inch Nexus 7 is now flanked by the 4-inch Nexus 4 smart phone and 10-inch Nexus 10 tablet, both announced this week with a refreshing minimum of fuss. If you're a lucky Nexus owner, check out our 25 essential Nexus 7 tips, learn how to root your Nexus, or find out how to boost your battery life.
Are you one of the 3 million Nexus owners? Can the Nexus lineup challenge Apple's dominant sales? Tell me your thoughts in the comments or on our Facebook page.
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Comments 16
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anonymous 31 October, 2012 12:09
I am a Nexus 7 owner and could not be happier with my purchase, it's fast, intuitive, pocket-friendly and Google Now is simply brilliant, although it is obviously hampered by the lack of mobile connectivity. I'll be buying the 3G variant when it arrives.
georg55 31 October, 2012 12:16
I bought my nexus 7 from day 1, bought a case for it from Tesco last week,it is rocking,best tablet I ever had,previously had 7" Archos, Tobshiba Thrive,Acer A500, All lacking but happy with my Nexus 7,screen is the best for 7" tabs,wont buy low resolution ithingy,all nexus owners
you bought a bargin
Leszcz 31 October, 2012 14:17
I want the 3g 32gb version. and nexus 4. Will be selling my s3 to do that.
anonymous 31 October, 2012 14:40
I love my Google Nexus 7. Got it for only £199.99 and not a penny more at PC World. Don't buy from Amazon if interested, not surprised it was overpriced there due to their kindle line-up. I enjoy reading on my tablet, watching HD movies, browsing the internet, and reading uni handouts on it as well, which is why I convinced myself to buy it in the first place. Who knew good things like this came in decent prices??
anonymous 31 October, 2012 14:47
We might get one for the kids, as they're cheap enough and I'd shudder at the thought of them breaking a more expensive tablet. Other parents we know have given them to their kids as well for the same reason, that they wouldn't want to spend too much money on a device intended for junior's use..
anonymous 31 October, 2012 15:04
I have the Nexus 7 and I think it is awesome, it has made my desktop nearly redundant in one fowl swoop. its perfect for the family and may invest in the Nexus 10 later on next due to the brilliant price point and technology available to hand.
anonymous 31 October, 2012 16:02
I think this will sell well and as said by @anonymous 31 October, 2012 14:47 - will be a good tablet for children to use.
Despite the plastic construction, it appears to be reasonably robust (in an Early Learning Centre sort of way - not meant to be derogatory) and should be able to deal with modest abuse.
It'll be great for car journeys too, being able to do games and videos.
anonymous 31 October, 2012 16:20
apple and the ipad still dominate and rule the tablet market and you lot know it!
anonymous 31 October, 2012 17:49
Incredible device, one of the best things I've ever bought. More than capable of handling school/university needs, in fact all of my work is done on it now, bye bye endless sheets of paper, hi having everything I need with me pretty much all the time.
It also bailed my friends and I out of being lost in the moors at night in the snow (yes, gps is useful/important on a small tablet).
I'd love 3G, but realistically I don't need my tablet much when there's no wifi and I can tether to my phone.
Without doubt the Nexus 7 is the best small tablet, only Google really seem to understand the form factor. If I'm honest I also don't see the point in 9 or 10 in tablets so I'd go so far as to say that in my opinion the Nexus 7 is the only tablet that really makes sense. I thought that bigger tablets would make more sense for productivity but I'm amazed by how well the Nexus 7 handles such tasks. Thumb typing is pretty handy.
anonymous 31 October, 2012 18:53
Another vote here on the child friendly theme.
I've got an iPad 3 and the children use it supervised by my wife or myself, but I'd also be very wary of letting them have it on their own as they are still quite young.
This Nexus tab looks just the job and if they break it, it won't be the end of the world (although I might be a bit miffed). It's also a more child friendly size and it means I can get to use my iPad whenever I want.
Peter Sharpe 31 October, 2012 21:35
I think Google/Asus have engineered the Nexus 7 just perfectly. Its specs are high enough that you feel like its just as good functionally as other tablets (*cough* iPad) but its smaller size, robust design and, let's be honest, relatively cheap prices make you willing to treat it a bit less carefully than other tablets. Your more willing to give it to kids, stick it in the bottom of your back pack or leave it on the sofa, all of which means you probably use it more.
If Google just wanted a cost leader to expand Android's market share, they could of done a iPad clone at a cheaper price. By making it smaller and and less delicate, they've made it more useful and a better product than the iPad.
anonymous 31 October, 2012 22:08
I have a 16gb model and have lost it to my teens.... I am waiting for 3g version to buy for myself. Best tablet ever. I have an Archios tablet now sitting in a drawer as it's useless compared to the Nexus.
anonymous 31 October, 2012 23:17
I thought it was strange that you never see them being use out and about, on the train, on the bus, in cafe's or bars. From the comments above, it looks like a lot of them are being bought by parents for their kids, which might explain it.
anonymous 1 November, 2012 09:03
The first rule of research is to make sweeping generalisations based on a single digit sample size on the Internet.
Tablets are not so prolific that everyone owns one, I don't even see that many ipads at university. These care not kid's toys as seems to be suggested by a few Apple fans again desperately clawing at tenuous reasons that Apple are falling behind Google. They're powerful and extremely versatile.
anonymous 1 November, 2012 17:15
I see little reason for most people needing a more expensive tablet, unless they would like a bigger screen. Then go nexus 10 XD
Nexus devices are the best, they get great LTS, super quick updates and are great for installing custom firmware if you want. They can be unlocked with only a few clicks
anonymous 2 November, 2012 16:11
The Nexus 7 is great. However, I still think it's rather expensive to be giving to small kids. I have one of those unbranded chinese tablets bought for £59 for the kids and it does everything they need it to. I keep the Nexus for myself.