Google tablet to arrive in the next few months

Google will begin promoting what could be the first official Nexus tablet within the next six months, according to chairman Eric Schmidt, the latest stage in the “brutal competition” between it and Apple. “In the next six months we plan to market a tablet of the highest quality” Schmidt told Italian newspaper Corriere della Sea, while also confirming that Google plans to leverage its voice recognition technology to better challenge Apple’s Siri.

Schmidt was at pains to praise Apple co-founder Steve Jobs for his work in transitioning the tablet from vertical and enterprise markets to a consumer-centric product. “Steve Jobs was the Michelangelo of our time” he told the newspaper, “[he] realized the revolutionary potential of the tablet and has created an amazing product like the iPad.” However, “our companies compete” Schmidt continues to say that you'll see "brutal competition between Apple and Google Android" in the smartphone market.

The translation from the Italian original may have lost some of the meaning (Google Translate no less…) so it's not clear whether this means that Google will be throwing their might behind a new tablet - a Nexus tablet if you will - or behind Android tablets in general.

Google lined up Motorola to supply their first tablet in the Motorola Xoom (pictured), which was a pure Honeycomb experience and the launch platform for Android 3.0. Unlike smartphones, which have seen great customisation by manufacturers, Android tablets have remained relatively unscathed.

What Android tablets have suffered from, however, is a lack of apps specifically for the larger screen. Despite Android scaling apps well, the use of space from third-party applications isn't always as effective as it perhaps should be - and critically, not always a match for the iPad offering.

The second thing that Android tablets have suffered from is diversification. Although consumer choice and competition should be applauded, as a general term, Android tablets range from the bargain basement to the high-end, with user experiences to match, in stark contrast to the simplicity, if pricey experience offered by Apple.

The comments come as part of a wider interview covering some of Schmidt's relationship with Italy.