Asus: Nexus 7 Sales Nearing 1 Million Per Month

Asus, the Taiwanese electronics giant that partnered with Google on the Nexus 7 tablet, told the Wall Street Journal that sales of the tablet are approaching nearly 1 million per month. The device, which launched back in July of this year, has recently seen its entry-level $199 model’s storage space jump from 8 GB to 16 GB, and a new 32 GB model has been introduced at the $249 price point. There are also several cellular-enabled models that have recently been added to the line.

“At the beginning, it was, for instance, 500K units a month, then maybe 600, 700K. This latest month, it was close to 1 million,” said Asus CFO David Chang.

Of course, now the Nexus 7 has the iPad mini to contend with, and that’s no small task.

The two devices couldn’t be any more different; at least, in terms of hardware specs and ecosystem. The Android operating system is famously open, allowing apps far greater access to the underlying features of the OS, and giving users more room to tinker and customize. The iOS platform is famous in its own right; while apps have access to far fewer APIs, and users are given less options in terms of customization, Apple’s app ecosystem is second to none. The best tablet apps are found on iOS, period.

The hardware is where the Nexus 7 device puts the iPad mini to shame. The N7 boasts a quad-core Tegra 3 processor, while the iPad mini uses the two-year-old dual-core A5 chip found in the iPad 2. The iPad mini’s screen sticks to the same 1024 x 768 resolution found in the iPad 2 (to ensure compatibility with tablet apps), while the Nexus 7’s display sits at 1280 x 800. Those who have used a Retina-enhanced Apple device will find the ppi (pixels per inch) ratio of the iPad mini to be disappointing; 162 ppi, compared to the Nexus 7’s 216 ppi. The iPad with Retina’s ppi count is 264, for what it’s worth.

Still, there’s a reason — actually, multiple reasons — why the Nexus 7 sells at $199 and the iPad mini sells at $329. Brand recognition. Apps. Build quality. Three areas where Apple excels, and three reasons why the company feels comfortable selling its new miniature iPad at a premium price. It would be foolish to think that iPad mini sales won’t have some kind of effect on the sales of the Nexus 7, especially with the holiday season fast-approaching. Asus and Google can enjoy the Nexus 7’s sales numbers for the moment, but the fact remains: approximately 3 million Nexus 7’s have been sold in the third quarter. Apple’s iPad sales for the same quarter? 14 million.

The iPad mini won’t make closing the gap any easier.