Some Taiwan-based vendors estimate that as many as eight million second-generation Nexus 7s can be sold globally in 2013, but Taiwan-based supply chain makers have indicated that the volume will be difficult to reach because many vendors will launch competing models. The second-generation Nexus 7, co-developed by Google and Asustek Computer, will be launched at the end of July or the beginning of August, according to industry sources.

　　Sources from the supply chain revealed that the new Nexus 7 features a 7-inch 1980 by 1200 display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor, 5-megapixel rear and 1.2-megapixel front cameras and expected price will be around US$199-249 for a model with Wi-Fi support.

　　The sources pointed out that the first-generation Nexus 7 was able to achieve strong shipments of six million units mainly because of its low price, which only a few competitors could match; however, as more players have released 7-inch devices with competitive prices, the second-generation Nexus 7 will no longer have a pricing advantage.

　　Although the new Nexus 7 has specification improvements and a price of US$199, surrounded by sub-US$169 7-inch tablets from Acer, Hewlett-Packard (HP) and Lenovo, it will still be a challenge for Google to achieve further growth in its tablet business.