Google’s Nexus 7 is not necessarily a salvo at the iPad, the dominant player in the tablet market, but may be more aimed at notebook computers and smaller tablets like the Amazon Kindle and the Nook from Barnes and Noble. The iPad does not have 7 inch tablet, per the vision of its late founder Steve Jobs who voiced strong objections to a smaller tablet. Instead the Nexus 7 hopes to make headway against the other major players in the tablet market, Amazon, Asus and Samsung.

With pricing that is equivalent to the Amazon Kindle, Google is hoping that some of the Kindle’s present and prospective owners will find an Android 4.1 driven tablet more to their liking.

The Nexus has better resolution with 1280 x 800, compared to Kindle’s 1024 x 600. It is slightly thinner and lighter. Nexus will sport a quad core 1.3 gHz nVidia Ntegra 3 which surpasses the Kindle’s dual core 1 GHz TI OMAP4. The Nexus will also employ wireless technology that the Kindle does not. The Nexus will have NFC and Bluetooth functionality. NFC is a wireless technology that allows communication between the tablet and other wireless devices it is in proximity to. The use of this wireless technology should attract a sizable portion of the tech savvy market.

There is some speculation among industry analysts, that this new foray by Google into the tablets market will prompt Apple to release a 7 inch version of the iPad. Although there may be some resistance among Apple enthusiasts, who wish to remain true to Jobs’ vision for the company, there is an undeniable market for these mini-tablets that may prompt Apple leadership to answer Google. Of course, the problem with any Apple mini-tablet will be whether it can reach consumers who are not loyal to Apple. Most Apple products carry a heftier price tag, so that will remain a high hurdle.

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