At $99, future Nexus Tablets could fill the OLPC role

Taipei-based Digitimes does not have the best track record for predicting product launches; but if its latest rumor is true, Google’s Nexus tablet hardware could soon fill the One Laptop Per Child role. Digitimes claimed today that Asustek and Google are considering releasing two new, refreshed Nexus 7 tablets at new price points. According to the report, an upgraded model would take over the $199 category of the existing 8GB Nexus 7, while the companies would also introduce a $99 entry-level model. The OLPC initiative is still using the XO-1.5 hardware, last updated a couple years ago, but it does plan on producing the new XO-3 tablet at the end of the year. At $99, Nexus 7 could be a viable option going forward. We have not heard anything on these rumors, so we will have to take Digitimes report for what it is until then.