Why 7 ??

[radiocycle]

Was wondering what the significance of 7 is,  in the naming of our newest object of fascination.  I mean why not Nexus 1, for Google's first tab? How 'bout Nexus 3 for the Tegra 3 chip?  Nexus 4 with it's quad core?  Or a random Nexus 6 or 8 or since it was born this year, what about Nexus 12?  What am I missing here about 7?

radio

[Babyfacemagee]

Because the screen is 7 inches measured diagonal.

[samalex]

Yup, it has a 7 inch screen, hence the name     Rumors of a Nexus 10 have been floating around as well, but I don't think we'll see that anytime soon.

Something else I've seen are people referring to the new Nexus phone as "Nexus 7" too, but this is not correct.  Even on the This Week in Tech podcast Leo Laporte held up a Nexus phone calling it "the new Nexus 7" which made me double-check my order to verify I didn't buy a phone instead of a tablet. 

It's a good convention i guess, but how will they name subsequent versions?  Nexus 7 2?  With the name and the power they put into this thing I hope it'll be a current tablet for at least 2-3 years with the next few versions of Android working with it.  I hate seeing devices come out that are considered legacy within a year or two.

[Undo]

With the name and the power they put into this thing I hope it'll be a current tablet for at least 2-3 years with the next few versions of Android working with it.  I hate seeing devices come out that are considered legacy within a year or two.

Oh, I disagree completely. There's nothing more annoying than wanting/needing a new device and only being able to get an outdated version. The way technology moves, electronic devices need to be updated annually, if not semi-annually.

Updated Nexus 7s could be 7.1, 7.2, etc.

[samalex]

With the name and the power they put into this thing I hope it'll be a current tablet for at least 2-3 years with the next few versions of Android working with it.  I hate seeing devices come out that are considered legacy within a year or two.

Oh, I disagree completely. There's nothing more annoying than wanting/needing a new device and only being able to get an outdated version. The way technology moves, electronic devices need to be updated annually, if not semi-annually.

Updated Nexus 7s could be 7.1, 7.2, etc.

I'll stick with my opinion on this...  there's nothing worse then having to reinvest in your devices every year or two.  The Nexus 7 is one of the more powerful tablets on the market, so I'd like to see at least two years of life out of it.  The same thing goes for laptops and desktops, though many in the industry want us to buy new every couple of years I try to get at least three years out of each device I own and the Nexus 7 will be no less.

Google can continue to update the device via software and possibly add new features through the dock port or USB port when possible.

[Babyfacemagee]

Oh, I don't know that you two are necessarily disagreeing.  It all depends on which perspective you are coming from; a prospective buyer or current owner.  A new buyer wants the latest and greatest most up to date specs and software but once you make that purchase and are now an owner you want that device to be able to be relevant for as long as possible.

I think tablet technology is reaching a point now, similar to what happened to PCs about a decade ago, which is they'll run most software available for at least 5 years or even longer but if you have a very recent machine it will perhaps have certain apps that can take advantage of the increased power.

I'll use an example of playing and/or editing 1080p video.  The vast majority of Windows PCs from 5-10 years ago can run all the basic Office suite and financial applications like Microsoft Word, excel etc and also most other software and even most games if lower resolution or frame rates are reduce.  But if you want to play or edit full 1080p video on you PC typically only more recent machines with the latest and fastest processors and enough ram can handle it.

Does that make all older PCs obsolete if it runs everything or 90% of what a person uses it for?  Not sure that it does.  I have a 1st generation iPad that still runs 95% of apps available.  It doesn't have a retina display or camera but I don't think of it as obsolete...just not cutting edge anymore.

[radiocycle]

Because the screen is 7 inches measured diagonal.

Well, duh!!!

tnx bf

[S.Prime]

Choosing to have the latest and greatest is personal opinion and the depth of your pockets in my opinion, but just a bit of history from HTC and Lenovo tablets can give you an idea of the longevity you can expect and your options. In May of 2011 I purchased the HTC Flyer with N-Trig screen, stylus, palm rejection, and a promise of an upgrade to Honeycomb soon after launch with a $600 + price tag. In October HTC decided that the tablet market was not in the best interest of the company and put my tablet on fire sale at $199 and they sold out quickly. They also offered the ability to root your device if you agreed to a voided warranty. They eventually pushed a Honeycomb upgrade, but later announced that there would be no ICS for the Flyer. Basically in less than a year my device had no upgrade path remaining. Thanks to XDA Developers I now have ICS on my Flyer and it has new life. I purchased a Lenovo TPT in September and recently received my upgrade to ICS, but it is indicated that we will not see Jelly Bean on the TPT. My point is that we are dependant on the supplier for continued support for our devices and to have the latest version of the Android platform, unless we look to the development community. Tablet technology is changing rapidly and we can expect manufacturers to try and keep pace. I think 2 years + is not unrealistic for a tablet, but be prepared to see technology move past you. I had honestly planned to skip the Tegra 3 generation, but the buy in point and the excitement in this forum changed my mind.

[Drew]

I'm not a fanboy by any means, but I do hope that 4.1 and Nexus 7 will be the start of Android manufacturers leveling the playing field.  It is great that we are not walled, but there is nothing worse than spending good money on a product that is obsolete in a matter of months (weeks?).

[comiskeybum]

I'm not a fanboy by any means, but I do hope that 4.1 and Nexus 7 will be the start of Android manufacturers leveling the playing field.  It is great that we are not walled, but there is nothing worse than spending good money on a product that is obsolete in a matter of months (weeks?).

You can rest assured that this device will be relevant, supported, updated, and cared about for a very long time.  I would say AT LEAST 4 years.  Why?  Because the hardware is good enough to support ANY future OS by google. 

[Undo]

I'll stick with my opinion on this...  there's nothing worse then having to reinvest in your devices every year or two.  The Nexus 7 is one of the more powerful tablets on the market, so I'd like to see at least two years of life out of it.  The same thing goes for laptops and desktops, though many in the industry want us to buy new every couple of years I try to get at least three years out of each device I own and the Nexus 7 will be no less.

Google can continue to update the device via software and possibly add new features through the dock port or USB port when possible.

Who's to say you must buy a new gizmo just because yours isn't the latest greatest?

Asking technology to go at a snail's pace just so mine won't be outdated seems selfish. Updates happen, no matter the technology. If you buy a refrigerator today, chances are a new model will come out next week. Don't let it bother you.

My Nexus 7 is on order. I already look forward to seeing what they'll do with V2.

[samalex]

I can't compare the longevity of smartphones to tablets or even desktops or laptops because a smartphone is designed to have a two year lifespan due to most cell contracts being two years.  My two prior smartphones and the one I have now all started to equally fall apart and become unsupported right about that two year mark, and that's by design in hopes that I'll go back for another phone and a new 2 year contract.

For tablets, laptops, and desktops, I rank them up there with appliances like TV's, BluRay players, and even game consoles which generally last 3 years at least.  I've always gotten 4 years or more out of my computers, and the same goes for my TV and BluRay player, all of which get periodic software updates to keep them relevant with the latest services and options.  The Nexus 7 is a powerful beast, so there's no reason why it shouldn't be supported for at least two years if not further.

[DeadlyAura]

I think the way things work with these sort of things its probably more about software not hardware. 

Look at how xbox 360 games have improved over the years, the hardware is the same but the games have come on leaps and bounds.  Its more about how the software code utilises the hardware to gain the full potential of it.  If its lazy code and not efficient then it wont run quickly, write very efficient code and the performance will increase even though the hardware is unchanged.

I think a lot of new hardware is just about wanting the newest and 'more powerful' equipment, people buy into it and thats how they make so much money.  There will always be the hardcore fans that have to have the latest and greatest releases.

This will probably fire up an arguement, but the hardware in the PS3 on paper is more powerful than the 360, but having owned both I can confidently say that the 360 is a better machine.  I know this is about a tablet, but having graduated in I.T this is what I have taken from it, its not always just about hardware.  Its a bit like a car having 1500hp, its pointless if it cant put that power down to the road.  Give the car the ability to put the maximum power down for all given circumstances it will be awesome.

[coolbreeze]

With it being a Nexus you can bank on plenty of timely software support, and upgrades from Google and plenty of support from the development community like XDA. For me once I am out of warranty, I will root and depend on the dev's to keep my tablet relevant.