When the larger model of the Nexus 7 vanished from the Play store a week ago, it was generally assumed that demand outstripped supply. After all, the tablet has been insanely popular since its launch, and pretty much sold out everywhere. The fact that the 8GB model was still available in the store just suggested that people were more interested in physical memory than cloud storage.
But then the conspiracy theories began to kick in. There had been a lot of complaints about the 16GB model prior to its disappearance, with most focusing on screen issues, which led my colleague Joe Wilcox to question whether the model had been withdrawn for reasons other than just overwhelming popularity. His article certainly struck a nerve and generated some interesting comments, including further complaints about the device. Could he be right? Was there more to the story than Google was telling us?
Apparently not. From today the 16GB version is back on sale at Google Play, available to purchase in both the US and UK, and delivered as before in 3-5 business days. Those who preordered should start receiving their tablets very soon.
Quite how long the 16GB model will remain in stock is anyone’s guess, so if you’re thinking of getting one direct from Google, I suggest you hit the Add to Cart button sharpish.