
Nexus 7 review: The best $200 tablet you can buy - mtgx
http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/28/nexus-7-review/
======
kleiba
_Four years on we're buying better laptops than ever before and, with the
netbook class now more or less dead_

I still cannot get over the second part of that sentence. It's true though,
but I could cry bitter tears over it: when netbooks first arrived on the scene
I felt happy like a little elf: small, light, cheap computers made to run
Linux? That was _exactly_ what I had been waiting for all these years.

And a netbook has been my main computer ever since I bought one. It's ideal
for my personal usage in which I basically run four programs all the time: a
browser, an email client, shells, and Emacs. Add a compile every now and then
and you have a description of >95% of my computing time. I can code on the
kitchen table or on the couch, on the bus, even in bed if I feel like it. It's
fun.

I used to have a 12 inch laptop before but the netbook clearly beats it in
terms of portability. And the battery life is decent too, even though the
device is a few years old by now.

And I paid around $280 for the device.

And now the market for netbooks is dead. Taken over by tablets. Except, I have
no use for them. I mean, it's a selfish way of looking at it because
apparently many more people want tablets than netbooks. So let the market
decide. Unfortunately for me, the perfect match will slowly but surely stop
being available.

Ironically, I'm not even using a netbook the way it was supposedly designed to
be used: for browsing the web anywhere. As I've outlined above I use it
exactly like I use a desktop computer, except that I run heavier jobs remotely
on other machines.

Anyway. I am not even sure what point I am trying to make. Probably none. But
it does make me sad that a type of computer that is perfect for me is being
replaced by another type of computer that is unusable for the same tasks.

~~~
nl
You do realize that you can still get Netbooks, right? They are actually
better than they used to be, and if you look you can find the ones sold to
schools to run Linux (ie, with great Linux support)

~~~
kleiba
Yes, I do realize that, that's why I wrote the netbook "is being replaced" and
not "has been replaced."

------
majorlazer
_In 2008, when the Eee PC was revolutionizing the computing world and driving
every manufacturer to make cheaper and smaller laptops, Sony washed its hands
of the whole thing. The "race to the bottom," the company said, would
profoundly impact the industry, killing profit margins and flooding the market
with cheap, terrible machines. Sony was wrong, its stance lasting about a year
before joining the competition with its own VAIO W._

I actually disagree with this first paragraph, I think Sony was right. The
"race to the bottom" definitely did impact the industry, and for quite some
time, no manufacturer even offered a laptop with decent build quality, except
for Apple of course. People thought "why should I pay $1,000+ for this laptop
when I can get a much cheaper laptop that will do everything I need?" And then
the Macbook Air and the iPad come along and all of a sudden, people have no
problem paying more for a quality product. If it wasn't for Apple, the OEMs
would continue to release shitty machines until they all went bankrupt from
negative profit margins.

I don't think the tablet market is experiencing the same race to the bottom
because people are not buying these shitty tablets (which the Nexus 7 isn't).
Everybody is still buying iPads and will continue to do so until a tablet that
can actually compete with the iPad is released. (I have only seen two that
even come close, the Galaxy and the Transformer, and still...) I think Apple
has proven that consumers are willing to pay more if the product is good. And
this is all coming from someone that does not own a single Apple product.

~~~
bitwize
_no manufacturer even offered a laptop with decent build quality, except for
Apple of course._

Maybe in some alternate universe where Lenovo didn't exist...

~~~
majorlazer
I am huge ThinkPad fan. That is one exception that I was thinking of
mentioning, but really, ThinkPads (NOT Lenovo in general) do not appeal to the
average consumer. They are built great, and I have owned a few, but to
everyone but the techies, they look like boring/old machines. I actually had a
few people tell me that my 2 year old ThinkPad looks like something from the
90s.

And the build quality and fit/finish of the new unibody Macbooks are still
better than that of the ThinkPads.

------
AceJohnny2
Had there been a microSD slot, it would've been an instabuy. Without it,
however, I fear that in 6 months I'll be juggling which applications or media
I want to keep on it.

I understand that Google's "everything in the Cloud" is an answer to this. Why
keep music and movies on the device when you can offload storage? Because I
don't want to depend on connectivity, and the device doesn't have native 3G.

~~~
sliverstorm
You'd think they could just add the darn slot and migrate you gradually. The
sockets are not pennies, but they really don't cost much.

~~~
iMark
It's not just a matter of cost, it's a matter of space. Every millimeter
counts on a mobile device.

~~~
glhaynes
And perhaps even more a matter of product differentiation/market segmentation.

------
raganesh
So many questions.

Google says they are selling Nexus 7 at cost. So what is the revenue model?

If the idea is to follow Amazon's Kindle Fire (where revenue from content sold
in future, justifies the at-cost pricing of the device), is it not a huge
risk? Google Play is not established as a revenue generator yet.

What about the content itself? Does Google have agreement in place with
content owners? Even if Google has agreements, in reality that won't cover all
geographies. What happens in those geographies where Google can sell apps and
other stuff but not media content? Won't the tablet be sold there or will it
be priced higher?

Also, how does Asus make money or are they just a contract manufacturer?

~~~
agravier
The revenue is more users. Users are the air inside the Google zeppelin. Long-
term users against a tablet "at cost"? A great deal for Google!

~~~
raganesh
That is definitely a very valid argument in case of Search/Advertising. And to
a certain extent, in case of Android, too.

But is that a good enough reason to sell hardware at cost? Why not give it
away for free, then? That will attract a lot more users.

I guess my point is, when you are selling hardware, maybe you need to have a
tangible revenue stream rather than just potential ad revenue.

~~~
agravier
I guess it's an economic calculation. Moreover, it would be foolish to assume
that consumers are rational agents: I expect that the perceived value and
user's attachment to a free tablet would be much lower (again, another study
would find the "sweet price". Maybe they found it?).

~~~
raganesh
I'm sure there is a reason; Google doesn't seem to be selling all hardware at
cost. Nexus Q at $299 suggests so.

Just trying to understand what economic reasoning led Google to decide to sell
Nexus 7 at cost. I don't get it from where I stand.

~~~
jusben1369
This is the single biggest difference between Google and Apple. Apple designs
very elegant software (and hardware) so that they can sell hardware at a high
premium. Google views all monetization through search optimization. Search,
Maps etc. Now maybe there will be commerce streams (Play, Wallet?) too soon
which makes having a direct relationship very key.

So somewhere Google has a stat that says "A regular user is worth $22 a year
to us" or something (more sophisticated) but like that. If those users buy an
Apple device it's less and less clear they'll have a path to Google services
now.

If they can acquire that consumer "for free" (sell them a device that hooks
them into the platform at a wash) then it's a good deal. If they gave it away
for free then it would take x number of years to break even on that person. So
that $200 or whatever does matter. And Google has a very good idea about what
an Android/Google services tablet user is worth to them.

------
mangoman
Seems to me that Google won the 7" race to the bottom, I wonder if we'll see a
10" race to the bottom.

~~~
bayleo
I'm assuming since it's Asus made they did not want to interrupt sales of
transformer primes (essentially the same specs with a larger screen/keyboard-
plugin). I would love to see a 10" transformer as the next Nexus tablet
device.

------
sukuriant
is 7" really big enough for a tablet for most people? That's only slightly
larger than my phone :/

~~~
roc
I've never understood the 7" tablet argument.

Yes, the size and price makes it far more appealing for kids. And women who
want a Kindle++ that fits in the purse they already carry everywhere (but is
too small for a 10" tablet) could make a stronger case than most.

But, in general, half the size of a 10" tablet doesn't make it half as useful
as a 10" tablet and thus worth half the price. Half the size makes it really
hard to argue that the apps or browsing experience is notably better than a
phone. And not being able to pocket the thing, thus necessitating a bag only
raises the question of: is this thing good enough to justify bringing a bag
when you otherwise wouldn't? And half the size of a 10" tablet again makes
this a hard pitch.

Even if you're extremely price-bound, I just don't see the point. The price-
bound have, at this point, waited three years to make a tablet decision
_anyway_. Going without for a year or so to save for something that makes a
stronger case can't be all that unacceptable.

~~~
ajross
I don't see how that works logically. A 7" tablet is just about exactly as
much bigger than a 4" phone as a 10" tablet is bigger than a 7" tablet. Why is
one quantum more important than the other?

I could just as well say "Double the size makes it really hard to argue that
the iPad is notably better than a 7" tablet." with exactly the same
justification.

I think it's very much taste-dependent. I've used an iPad and been broadly
unimpressed with the form factor; you have to "put it on something" to use it,
it's too big to hold for long periods in one hand. I've never used a 7" tablet
but it seems like for simple browsing on a plane or whatever like it might be
a better fit.

~~~
drzaiusapelord
>Why is one quantum more important than the other?

I've owned both. Long story short, things like comics, magazines, non-mobile
web, etc are terrible on a 7". Consuming this media often involves lots of
tapping and zooming. Its annoying. Two people can sit together and watch a TV
show or movie comfortable with a 10" tablet. With a 7" its almost like
crowding around someone's phone.

Oh, and the 10" opens up this world of remote desktop/citrix apps that
suddenly are usable.

I'd also argue that a 10" is just a sexier and more futuristic device. A 7" is
typically fatter and has a larger bezel while a 10" has a lot more area to
spread this stuff out. There's something really fun about having a thin 10"
screen that weighs next to nothing in your hands. This is sci-fi territory
here.

I'd also argue that no 7" is really pocketable. Unless you're a woman with a
purse or are wearing massive cargo pants, you'll be carrying a bag anyway.

~~~
ajross
Right: taste dependent. I see what you're saying on some of that, but others
just sound ridiculous (e.g. Watching a movie on 10" is bad enough, but sharing
the screen? Not in my lifestyle, sorry.)

And some of your points (non-mobile web, remote desktop) mostly just amount to
"10 inches is closer to a laptop", which prompts the question of why bother
with the tablet when you already have a laptop?

And the rest just sounds like fanboism: why isn't it "really fun" and "sci fi
territory" to have a 7" screen that weighs next to nothing in your hands? (And
as I stated before, I have to quibble with the weight comment: the iPad is
definitely not a one-handed device; I get tired using it like that.)

I'm not really defending the "paperback" form factor, as I haven't used it.
I'm just very surprised at the level of resistance. It looks cute to me.

~~~
berntb
The GP argued functuonality, not taste.

My use case: A4 documents.

I've read arguments claiming fullsize pages can be read from 7" (or that the
reflow of pdfs works well). I've never seen anyone do that regularly in real
life and don't really expect to.

But sure, if you're rich, retired and only read literature -- not
documentation, documents, code, etc... :-)

~~~
ajross
I routinely read full-size PDFs in duplex on my laptop screen, which is barely
larger in physical size than a 7" tablet and actually lower resolution. That's
a clear functional use case, right? So by your logic that makes you
objectively wrong, not simply subject to different taste than me?

Stop it, this kind of flaming is beyond dumb. To claim that you prefer a 10"
screen is fine. To claim that you can't read a PDF on a 7" screen is absurd.

------
fragsworth
No 3G though? I guess when you're only willing to spend $200, it's not worth
it?

~~~
ConstantineXVI
Cell modem would easily add $100 to the price; not to mention having to pair
it with a carrier (which Google doesn't seem willing to do just yet). They
could do unlocked, but contract-free, tablet only SIMs aren't very common in
the US yet. Plus, don't believe Asus has shipped many cell-equipped tablets
yet.

Am a bit surprised they didn't do some sort of "instant tethering" feature:
tap your phone and tablet, they pick up over NFC and negotiate the config
automatically.

~~~
sachingulaya
I would have gladly paid the $100. The portability of the tablet is its
biggest appeal to me. Not having a cell modem kills a lot of my potential use
cases.

~~~
potatolicious
I suspect the lack of a 3G/LTE option is a power play on Google's part. One of
the biggest failings of Android thus far is the poor distribution of updates,
and carriers do not help the situation.

Without a modem Google controls 100% of the user's experience, with a modem
they're subject to the whims of AT&T, Verizon, et al.

I'd be very, very happy if Google wrested some control back, it might mean
sane support and updates for future Android devices.

~~~
mgkimsal
Which... I don't get.

Just because my PC came with a modem 15 years ago didn't mean I was tied to
AOL, Compuserve or the local ISP. I _gasp_ bought my service from whoever I
wanted.

Yes, a cell modem would add more to the cost, but a contract free 7" google-
updated android tablet with 3g that I could use on multiple carriers,
unlocked... what's not to like about that?

~~~
stcredzero
_Just because my PC came with a modem 15 years ago didn't mean I was tied to
AOL, Compuserve or the local ISP. I gasp bought my service from whoever I
wanted._

You do realize that there were laws protecting your right and ability to do
that?

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_System_divestiture>

~~~
wickedchicken
Hell, there were laws that had to be passed just to _let_ you hook a modem in:
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carterfone#Landmark_regulatory_...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carterfone#Landmark_regulatory_decision)

Before this, you could _only_ hook in an AT&T phone into the jack, and you
_had_ to rent that from AT&T.

------
levesque
The 16 GB model looks sold out in Canada (I only get a subscribe for
notifications option), is it the same in the US?

~~~
HorizonXP
Would also be interested in knowing this. Currently have the 8GB ordered
instead.

~~~
levesque
Seems to be on and off. I was able to order a 16GB not long after posting, but
when I look on the site right now it's gone again.

~~~
HorizonXP
Thanks dude, I cancelled my 8GB and ordered the 16GB.

------
methodin
I'll be curious to hear if the screen is sufficient for reading. I have an
e-ink Nook currently that's starting to feel a little old but the e-ink is
absolutely the best to read on. Would consider upgrading but I'm not sure if
it will be a good reading experience or not.

------
drivingmenuts
Ordered one. This will be interesting to play around with.

------
adventureloop
Any indication whether I will ever be able to buy one? I cant imagine walking
into the carphone warehouse tomorrow and picking one up.

~~~
jonzjia
In the Google Play store of course:

[https://play.google.com/store/devices/details?id=nexus_7_16g...](https://play.google.com/store/devices/details?id=nexus_7_16gb)

~~~
bookwormAT
"Sorry! Devices on Google Play is not available in your country yet."

~~~
2muchcoffeeman
I thought they were selling for cost price. AU249 for 8Gb and AU299 for 16Gb.

~~~
zizee
Why are we Australians getting ripped off again. 200USD < 200AUD, so why are
we getting charged $250AUD?.

It's not because of shipping because that is added separately. Even if it was
$50 is way too much.

~~~
jrockway
Actually, 250AUD is pretty much exactly 250USD. But remember, FX rates are
spot rates, they don't take into account the FX risk incurred by holding money
_over time_ in the foreign currency. So it makes sense to for a US company to
charge a premium to customers using a different currency. (Note the forward
prices vs. spot for AUDUSD here: <http://fx.sauder.ubc.ca/closing.html>)

Besides, by the time you pay for shipping and tax in New York, the $199 tablet
is $232!

~~~
zizee
I just bought one and in total it cost $268.99AUD which includes $24.45 tax
and $19.99 shipping.

Anyway, I think the kids will be pretty happy.

------
ChuckMcM
I hope that having these sorts of things (decent display size) will help
Google jump start the 'its not a phone' re-write for some of their 'mobile'
products. A touch based, high resolution, device for accessing Google
products. I use gmail and its not fun on the iPad, its fine on the iPhone. The
difference is display size and real estate.

------
zanny
No HDMI out and no SD card slot make me trends towards the infinity. That and
the dock might make it a reasonable email writing tablet.

------
antidaily
Not me. Google Wallet won't accept my credit card.

------
antman
An ebook reading device without an expansion port, how nice. Romance novels
in, reference books out.

------
horsehead
I was _just_ looking at reviews of this tablet. I really want one. It seems
like it's got some pretty decent specs for $199

~~~
pippy
Not available for New Zealand yet :(

~~~
joncfoo
Yank here in Auckland. I'm swinging by the states in a couple months. Want
one?

