Nexus 9 Is No iPad Killer: Google | TechTree.com

Nexus 9 Is No iPad Killer: Google

What it intends to be is a shining example for Google's partner manufacturers to follow

 

Google recently unveiled the HTC-built Nexus 9, and in all fairness it's the closest an Android powered tablet has ever gotten to the premium Apple iPads. However, Google's take on the device isn't that of an iPad killer, but instead a shining example to prove to manufacturers that the era of premium Android tablets is here.

"We wanted to accelerate the premium market for Android tablets," said Alberto Villarreal, head of industrial design for the Nexus 9, according to an Engadget report. “It [The Nexus 9] has a lot of attributes and definitely will bring the quality for other companies to do better."

He went on to speak about why Google chose HTC, a company that exited the tablet market a few years ago, as its partner manufacturer for the Nexus 9. "We saw the One and really liked how their designs were very simple, focused on usability and removed things that didn't need to be there," he added.

A simple glance at the device should make it clear that HTC worked closely with Google for the design and materials used. The Nexus 9 is unlike any device HTC has built before, and shares a lot with the LG-built Nexus 5 smartphone from last year, be it the design or the use of soft-touch plastic that makes up the rear of the device.

However, since Google wanted to move away from the high-performance, affordable device game this year, HTC added a metallic band that runs the periphery of the device, lending it that premium feel. The BoomSound stereo speakers are again a touch only the Taiwanese company could pull off, and even the colors chosen were in keeping with making the device more fashionable.

"We're moving away from technology-driven black and silver, which is very common in the industry, and trying to bring more of a fashion look to the portfolio," said Villarreal. The three shades the Nexus 9 can be had in aren't exactly flashy in any way, with Sand shade is supposed to be expressive, the Black is blue when you view it from certain angles and the White is closer to a gray to combat dirt and grime.

While the Nexus 9 won't be stealing any of the iPads thunder when it comes to being thin and light, it can however become a productivity powerhouse. The device is equipped with NVIDIA's 64-bit Tegra K1 SoC, that quite literally blows everything out of the water in the benchmarks. Still, while Apple's chips may not be up to that mark, it's the harmonious gelling of software and hardware that make for blistering performance on the iPads.

That said, Google clearly had productivity in mind when building the Nexus 9, case and point when looking at the keyboard case accessory the company is now offering. When it comes to building hardware for software, no other Android device comes close to the Nexus line, and in the case of the Nexus 9, the device was quite literally built to show off the prowess of Android 5.0 Lollipop.


TAGS: Google, Nexus 9, Android 5.0 Lollipop, iPad, Tablets

 
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