Last week the slightly bonkers-sounding rumour hit the internet that Asus and Google were working on a stripped-down version of the already cheap Nexus 7 tablet – one that would come in at just $99 (£60).
It came to us courtesy of Taiwan's DigiTimes, and though the industry publication has been well wide of the mark occasionally in the past, this rumour is significant enough to Asus that it's come out and issued an official denial.
In other words, the story isn't so far off base that Asus thinks we'll figure out it's untrue on our own. Which means it could still be true – or that's how we choose to look at such things.
Anyhow, the original rumour claimed that Google and Nexus were working on a refreshed Nexus 7 – the budget-busting 7-incher released to showcase Android 4.1 Ice Cream Sandwich to the world.
The current model – according to the rumours – will be updated with a slimmed-down chassis, but will otherwise remain largely as is. But the real surprise will be a more basic model that will come with a price tag of just $99.
There isn't much by way of how the unlikely price tag will be achieved – just that the pair are targeting the end of the year to get the budget-buster on the shelves. For now, we're reaching for the ultra-bulk buy no-name super-cheap 50kg bag of Asda salt as we speak.
