Yuhnke Commentary: Google, Apple and Microsoft planning major product launches in coming weeks

PHOENIX - The next few weeks of October could turn out to be interesting in the world of tech. Two heavyweights, Google and Apple, are planning big announcements. Apple is set to unveil it’s next product on Tuesday, October 23rd. Google is planning to unveil something the following Monday, October 29th.

Apple’s announcement seems like the worst kept secret since the iPhone 5. The consensus is that the house that Jobs built will show of a smaller version of the iPad, possibly called the iPad Mini . Based on rumors, we can expect an 8” screen with a $250-$350 price tag. It wouldn't be the best bargain for a smaller sized tablet, Google’s Nexus 7 and the 7” Amazon Kindle Fire start at just $200.

Nonetheless, Apple never seems to have a problem getting a premium price for its premium products.

As for Google, it’s hard to know what it'll announce on the 29th. There have been plenty of leaks of a new “Nexus” smartphone. Every year Google launches a “Nexus” Android smartphone. It’s typically made by a major manufacturer but designed alongside Google developers. Think of it as a smartphone designed specifically by the people who write the Google Android software. Rumors point to an LG smartphone with a quad-core 1.5 Ghz processor. It should be slick! This has a lot of us geeks talking but most consumers historically haven’t shown much interest in these Nexus models.

The more interesting rumors have to do with Google’s aggressive push to get into the tablet market. The "Goog" recently started selling the Asus Nexus 7, a $200 7” tablet. Online rumors point to a slight bump in the specs of the existing Nexus 7. We’re also hearing there could be a larger Nexus tablet on the table, similar in size to the iPad. This could be interesting if Google can keep the price well below the $500 iPad standard. If Google manages to launch a 9”-10” tablet with a $350 or less price tag and a major marketing push, we could be in for the beginning of the real tablet wars. Even Amazon hasn’t had much luck truly challenging Apple, Google has the money and chutzpah to do so.

On top of all this, Microsoft is about to take quite possibly the biggest bet in the history of the company.  It's releasing it's newest version of Windows, Windows 8 along with a new tablet that will run Windows 8, the Microsoft Surface .  The Surface goes on sale on Friday, October 26th and has some very unique features including the clip on keyboard accessory, an actual memory card slot and a cool flip out stand.  I'm a bit skeptical about the price.  The tablet starts at $500, the same price as the iPad.  The very cool keyboard is a bit steep at $130.  While many Microsoft loyalists will happily drop $500 for a Surface you can't expect most consumers to pass up the tried and true iPad for a Surface when there is no cost benefit.  Go ask HP how it worked for them when it launched the HP Touchpad over a year ago at $500.

The end of October is proving to be “go” time for the tech world. We’ll be watching closely and I’ll keep you posted as more rumors (and confirmations) come down the pipeline. 

(Thanks to Tyler Hurst for pointing out that the Microsoft Surface should be included.)