The VAR Guy

Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt has finally admitted Google plans to develop its own tablet, much like it did with smartphones and the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. I told you so. Read on, but be warned: You’re approaching the speculation zone …

The official quote from Eric Schmidt comes courtesy of SlashGear, which dug through a translated webpage of an article in Italian newspaper Corriere della Sea. The article quoted Schmidt as saying, “In the next six months we plan to market a tablet of the highest quality.”

There. It’s out in the open. Nobody can take it back. After building yet another Google phone, Google is officially building its own branded tablet. Why? As I’ve previously noted, Google has been aching for some tighter control over its open mobile OS. With Ice Cream Sandwich sweetening Android affection, Google knows its the perfect time to capitalize, optimize and specialize in building a Android tablet that can really go toe-to-toe with Apple’s offerings.

Nothing else is known, but confirmation is enough that other OEM vendors building Android tablets should really start to ramp up their innovation engines. Whatever Google will be cooking, it’ll be with Motorola Mobility ingredients, that’s a given, and could be a very unique product. I’ve been saying it since 2010, but this time, 2012 could be the first real year of tablet wars, as Android and iOS mature and Windows 8 tablets enter the arena.

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