Budget-Priced Tablets with Tegra 3 CPU Due in 2012, Says Nvidia

Apple’s newest tablet computer, simply called the New iPad, has been available for purchase in most major markets for the past few weeks, and for the most part, it’s so far, so good.

Sales have been impressive, perhaps enough to ensure the Cupertino, CA tech giant’s continued dominance of the tablet market. But what about the budget tablet market, which is presently considered the most formidable threat against Apple’s iPad series?

According to Jen-Hsun Huang, CEO of Nvidia, there will be a few inexpensive tablets with the Tegra CPU coming in the summer of 2012.

For those who aren’t in the know, this is news that Apple shouldn’t be taking lightly, especially since Huang believes there will be a good chance these tablets will cost about $199 or so. If these tablets don’t eventually usurp Apple’s share of the market as a company, then they just might help Android as an operating system take over the lead from Apple’s iOS.

Indeed, it looks like there’s no better time for low-priced tablets to shine. The Amazon Kindle Fire, for instance, skyrocketed to second in tablet sales charts last year, boasting of a dirt-cheap $199 price tag and a wealth of unique features. Some analysts are, in fact, predicting budget tablets may have control of the tablet market in about two to three years time.

Additionally, Huang did mention that there is a chance the Tegra 3 CPU may be used on a Windows 8-powered tablet. The forthcoming Windows 8 operating system has also been pinpointed as a potential threat to iOS.

This should make for some fascinating possibilities, even as Tegra chips are exclusively used at the present on Android operating systems.