Showing the Flag for Android

 

5. It can be more iPad-like

One of the key issues with Android tablets right now is that Google has no control over the devices on store shelves. After providing the software, companies like Motorola and Samsung design the hardware. By developing its own Nexus tablet with LG, Google can control all aspects of the buying proposition. It would be following Apple's lead. As that company's success has proved, control in the tablet market works quite well.

6. It shines light on Android too

Google can do a lot to help its vendor partners by offering a tablet. But the company can also help its own cause through Android 3.0 "Honeycomb," the likely choice for a Nexus tablet. If Google can create the right value proposition for customers and improve the software in the coming months, it will be able to show the value customers could derive from Android 3.0 "Honeycomb." That would not undoubtedly help improve its position in the tablet space.

7. It would have the best chance of stealing market share

As the Motorola Xoom-arguably a more-capable tablet on paper than the iPad 2-has shown, trying to take Apple down in that market is practically impossible. The iPad 2 seems to be unbeatable for now. But Google's tablet would probably have the best chance of stealing Apple's market share in the tablet market. The device would get the most attention and, if Google played its cards properly, it would deliver better features. In the process, it would likely attract more customers. If it's market share Google's after, developing its own tablet is integral to controlling more of that space.

8. It puts pressure on Apple

Following that, it's important to note that Apple is not worried at all about the competition. It knows all too well that its competitors can't beat its iPad 2 and the chances of it losing a dominant share in the tablet space are slim. But by offering its own tablet, Google could put pressure on Apple. Its device would be the first of its kind in the Android space to gain mainstream consumer attention. Plus, it could sell well enough to steal market share from Apple. Cupertino is facing no pressure and can do whatever it wants in today's tablet space. A Google tablet will change that in a big way.

9. It's willing to take risks

There are some companies in the marketplace that are risk-averse. They view branching out of their core business model as too dangerous to even try it. But Google is different. The company has a proven track record of taking risks and seeing those risks pay off. Developing a tablet is undoubtedly a risk. Other Android vendors could see Google more as a competitor than a partner. But as the previous items have shown, the payoff could be huge for Google. If it has been willing to take a risk in the past, it shouldn't change its ways now.

10. It has all the information it needs

In order for a Google tablet to be successful, it must have the quality of components that would make customers think twice about the iPad 2. Luckily for Google, Apple has already launched the iPad 2, which means it knows that device inside and out. Then it can find ways to trump Apple's tablet when it comes to the display, the internal components and other key features that customers care about. If this were late last year, Google probably shouldn't launch a tablet, since it would be overshadowed by the iPad 2. By releasing such a device over the summer, as reports suggest, Google can deliver all the features that would make its tablet better than Apple's. Simply put, the timing is perfect for a Google Nexus tablet.