As we saw from sales figures of ASUS's Transformer Prime tablet in our earlier report on Hasbro legal ramblings, it's not so easy to shift Android tablets without the brand power of a firm like Apple.
However, according to Wall Street Journal, this is where Google plans to step in. Following the success of the Google-Samsung-branded GALAXY Nexus smartphone, Google will look to open its own web store later this year, featuring tablets made by both ASUS and Samsung.
The idea, of course, is to bring brand-power and publicity to the Android tablets, how far Google will go, we're not so sure. We suspect to see more dual-branded products like the Nexus, though Google could also opt for complete self-branding or simply function as a reseller of approved Android hardware under the names of their respective manufacturers.
It's also been suggested that, much like Amazon, Google may look to subsidise the initial cost of tablets marketed on its web store.
Given the expected third-quarter release of Android 5.0 'Jelly Bean', the availability of quad-core ARM Cortex-A15 processors alongside unified-shader graphics technology and good stock of high-resolution panels, a September/October launch for Google's new store, along with a new tablet line-up could grant the serious boost in sales that firms are looking for, in-time for the holiday season.
With Apple's next iPad iteration typically a year away, Google can maximise sales, though, will have to keep Windows 8 firmly in its sights.
