The success and popularity of the Nexus 7 Android tablet has never really been in question, but recent announcements during ASUS’s third-quarter earnings call give us a little insight into just how popular the mid-range tablet really is. As part of the earnings announcement, ASUS Chief Financial Office, David Chang has announced that sales of the tablet have been rising on a monthly basis since launch and have now hit approximately one million units each calendar month.
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, the company’s CFO gave an insight into the sales trends of the Nexus 7: "At the beginning, it was, for instance, 500K units a month, then maybe 600, 700K. This latest month, it was close to 1 million." The first iteration of the ASUS Nexus 7 launched as part of the Google I/O conference in June of this year with 8GB and 16GB variants, both of which have proven to be extremely popular with new and existing tablet owners who want a premium Android experience at a mid-range price point.
The 7-inch tablet market is an extremely competitive space to be involved in, with the Nexus 7 coming at a time when Google wanted to compete with the likes of the Amazon Kindle Fire. Apple has ever since signaled their intentions to enter that space with the launch of the iPad mini coming this Friday, but with the iOS powered 7.9-inch creation coming in at a higher price point, it remains to be seen whether or not sales of the Nexus 7 will slow down as competition for market share increases.
Google has also recently announced the launch of a few new versions of the Nexus 7, with a larger 32GB model being available, as well as a cellular version that is capable of 3G/HSPA data connectivity. Google and ASUS will undoubtedly pick up a few new customers with the extension of the Nexus 7 range, but it will be interesting to see how sales are affected when you factor in the launch of the Apple iPad mini as well as the new Barnes & Noble Nook offering.
The Nexus 7 has already been one of the most commercially successful Android tablets to be launched, and here’s hoping that the success achieved so far continues into the new year and doesn’t get brushed aside by the competition.
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