Google Inc. (GOOG) May Have iPad Rival Sometime in ’13

Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) entered the tablet computer market space in pretty much the same way as Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) did with the Kindle Fire – develop a smaller, 7-inch display device. That particular market space is filling up with a new version of the Kindle Fire HD and the Nexus 7, along with the son-to-be-released iPad Mini by Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL). However, during this time, Apple Inc. (AAPL) has developed a couple different versions of its 10-inch iPad and has distinguished itself in that larger space with the device, which is currently on its third edition and is reportedly sending out a fourth sometime in the first six months of 2013.

Well, apparently there are rumblings that Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) is planning to more directly compete with the iPad but working on a new 10-inch tablet computer that is currently called the Nexus 10.  The chatter that is going around is that the new tablet – if it exists – would come out in the first half of 2013, though it may be timed to come out after the rumored iPad 4.It is bantered that Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) will be working with Samsung on this new tablet, which seems to make sense in that Samsung has been effective at producing high-resolution display screens for Apple devices, and it is rumored that Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) will be looking to develop a 10.1-inch screen with the resolution of 2,560×1,600 pixels (or just shy of 300 ppi), which is heavier than a 13-inch Retina display for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) and nears the resolution in the 4-inch iPhone 5 display.

The fact that Apple Inc. (AAPL) has developed a bit of a head start on market share and loyalty in the 10-inch tablet computer space puts Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) at a disadvantage, especially as it will be directly competing with a fourth-generation iPad that will be coming out at the same time. For investors in Google Inc. (GOOG) stock – like billionaire fund manager Julian Robertson of Tiger Management – to feel good about the chances of the Nexus 10 tablet, they will likely have to see a few state-of-the-art features and likely have innovative marketing to get a foothold in the market.