Add another one to the growing list of rumors surrounding a Google-branded tablet.
The Verge today is reporting, citing sources, that Google has decided to delay the launch of its tablet until July “at the earliest.” The Verge’s sources say that the device was slated to launch in May, but the search company decided to push it back to improve its design. Google also wants to try to lower the tablet’s current price point of $249.
Google has been rumored to be working on a tablet for months now. According to The Verge, the device will, in fact, be a co-branded offering coming from both Google and Asus. Upon launch, consumers will find the long-rumored 7-inch display, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, the Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core processor, and Wi-Fi connectivity, according to the blog’s sources.
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Those claims from The Verge’s sources are the latest in a long line of reports surrounding the Google tablet. Last month, Android enthusiast site Android and Me reported that the tablet was a “done deal,” and would retail for between $149 and $199. Just a couple of weeks later, the Wall Street Journal said that the tablet would be sold exclusively through Google’s online stores.
Regardless of when it launches and how, it’s clear that the tablet — if it ever hits the market — is designed to take on Amazon’s Kindle Fire. That tablet, which retails for just $199, comes with the same 7-inch display and Wi-Fi-only connectivity. And according to some reports that have pegged its fourth-quarter sales at 5 million units, it has proven quite successful.
Google did not immediately respond to CNET’s request for comment.