Venerable Nexus 7 Tablet Bids Farewell To Google Store, Prepares For Dirt Nap

It looks like Google might have just pulled the plug on its well-liked Nexus 7 tablet, as it's no longer listed in the Play Store. To see the latest iteration removed isn't too much of a surprise, as it was released two summers ago, but the fact that Google didn't release a third-gen version last summer (or since then) does seem to highlight the company's lack of interest in it. So, it's probably safe to say that the Nexus 7 is no more.

I admit that I consider that to be a bad thing. When the original Nexus 7 was released in 2012, it was an immediate hit. It offered great value, at its price-point of $200, and looked favorable amongst the rest of the Android tablets out there at the time. The first-gen Nexus 7 was my second tablet, and I simply loved it. It boasted a fast NVIDIA Tegra 3 SoC, had a great screen, and a stock Android OS - it was simply excellent.

Not a thing changed about its appeal when the second iteration came out in 2013. Our Paul Lilly took an in-depth look at release, and said that it was simply the best Android tablet at the time. Again, its value was high; it offered a gorgeous 1080p screen, and faster performance than the original. Like the original, it came in an LTE configuration as well.

While I didn't have intentions to buy the second-gen Nexus 7 since I had other tablets to fill its void, I always remained curious about what the third-gen would offer. It now looks like none of us will know what that would have involved, as Google seems more interested at this point in focusing on higher-end phones, and of course wearables. Perhaps the Nexus 9 will become Google's final tablet, though I could be jumping to conclusions.

One thing I can say with certainty is that I think the Nexus 7 goes down as a classic.