Ice Cream Sandwich Release Date: ASUS Transformer Prime Delayed, Will Run ICS
Asus postponed the Nov. 9 release of its Eee Pad Transformer Prime tablet-PC until early December to ship the device with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich preloaded, according to industry insiders.
Technology website DigiTimes learned from its sources that Android is now assisting ASUS in having Ice Cream Sandwich be the native OS for its device.
According to DigiTimes' sources, Android neglected to provide Taiwanese manufacturers with proper access to its software. Many manufacturers now affiliate with Microsoft and plan to have Windows 8 power their upcoming products.
Sources believe Android is now stepping forward to combat competition from Microsoft, whom is known for charging high prices for its licensing fee.
Recent reports indicate Asus also postponed the December release of its smartphone-tablet hybrid, the Padfone, until February 2012 so the device can ship with Ice Cream Sandwich preloaded.
Another Eee Pad Transformer tablet, rumored to be a 7-inch device, should release in February with Ice Cream Sandwich preloaded.
The Transformer Prime will be the first tablet powered by a quad-core processor.
Its specifications include a Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core processor, 1 GB of DDR 2 RAM, a 32 GB hard drive, and a 10.1-inch IPS display.
The tablet is able to operate on its own or with its optional keyboard attachment.
Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is expected to release in late November on the Samsung Galaxy Nexus smartphone.
