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Google may soon be expanding its Nexus family of mobile devices.
Preorders for the rumored HTC-built Nexus 9 tablet may start Wednesday, with broader sales beginning November 3, according to tech news blog Bright Side of News. The report, which cited anonymous sources, also said the Nexus 9 will sell for $399 and include Nvidia’s Tegra K1 chip.
Separately, Taiwan-based news channel Focus Taiwan on Wednesday reported that HTC executive Jack Tong told a press briefing in New York that the Nexus 9 is expected to go on sale in Taiwan by the end of the year. While other tech-news sites have picked up this report directly from Focus Taiwan, it appears no other news organization published a similar report as an original source.
HTC spokesman Jeff Gordon said Friday the Focus Taiwan story is “incorrect,” adding that Tong said HTC is committed to returning to the tablet market after a years-long absence but “never stated a product name or any other details.”
“We believe the original journalist is conjecturing based on rumors floating around the Internet, and HTC doesn’t comment on rumors or speculation,” Gordon said, referring to the Bright Side of News report, as well.
Rumors have been swirling for months that Google and HTC, a Taiwan-based handset maker, are collaborating on a new Nexus tablet. For Google, the Nexus 9 rumors come at the same time as
reports that the Internet-search giant is working on a new large-screen smartphone, as well.
Earlier this month, @upleaks, a relatively new and apparently short-lived entrant into the mobile-image-leaking niche on Twitter, posted photos of what it claims is the upcoming Nexus 9. Also, last month, a report suggested that the device would debut next Thursday alongside the formal release of Google’s latest version of its mobile operating system, called Android
Apple has announced that it will host an event Thursday, with the tech giant expected to unveil new iPad tablets and Mac computers, which would seemingly rule out a major, competing product event that same day.
For HTC, the Nexus 9 would be another bright spot for a company that has significantly slimmed down its product portfolio, with much of its hope riding on a few mass-market smartphones and its flagship HTC One M8 phone. The company previously attempted to build a tablet, the Android-powered HTC Flyer, but failed to make a mark with consumers.
If HTC does have a big announcement next week it will prove to be a busy month for the handset maker. The company earlier this week unveiled the Desire Eye smartphone and Re handheld camera, continuing its focus on camera performance and features.
A Google representative didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
