Transformer Prime Release Date Moved To December, Awaiting Ice Cream Sandwich

ASUS’ highly-anticipated Eee Pad Transformer Prime has been pushed to early December, according to “sources from an upstream supply chain.”

DigiTimes reports that the sources confirm that Google has signed on to provide assistance to “help the machine to natively feature Android 4.0.” The tablet was originally set to launch with Android 3.2 Honeycomb earlier, possibly on November 9th.

So it looks like ASUS is waiting to get the brand new Ice Cream Sandwich OS in its new tablet. The news that they release date has been pushed at least a month will upset some, but it’s probably comforting for some to hear that the tablet will come already loaded with Ice Cream Sandwich – no “waiting for an update” (see Droid RAZR).

The sources add:

Since Google has cold-shouldered Taiwan-based PC brand vendors over the assistance of upgrading from Android 3.0 to 4.0, it has prompted these vendors to turn their focus from Android to Microsoft’s Windows 8, the sources noted.

So reaching out and helping the tablet upgrade from 3.2 to 4.0 might help Google in the long run.

According to ASUS, the Transformer Prime will be a faster, stronger, slimmer (and sexier) tablet and will be the first to feature NVIDIA’s bext-gen quad-core chip, which they say makes the device blazing fast.

If this rumor proves accurate, are you bummed about having to wait for the tablet? Or is it worth it to have ICS? Let us know in the comments.

There are 8 Comments. Add Yours.

seo
January 31, 2012 at 1:09 pm

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studat
November 19, 2011 at 6:10 pm

I have just purchased transformer 1, this unit is great but i will still buy the prime when it is released. Apple ipad2 is great but watch there is a new boy in town…
Michael
November 19, 2011 at 12:45 pm

Definitely worth the wait, besides this way they can pretest most of the bugs and it will release with ICS and be completely stable. Otherwise we would have to run the update and pray to the Android gods that there aren’t any unforseen bugs, then wait for patches to come out.
Black Friday Bedroom Furniture
November 18, 2011 at 7:20 pm

Wonderful site. Plenty of helpful info here. I?m sending it to a few friends ans also sharing in delicious. And of course, thank you on your sweat!
paul
November 17, 2011 at 6:45 pm

Totally not worth it. If there is no change in the hardware then let me buy the Prime ICS will launch when if does and you will get it then. I have a Galaxy S phone and Gingerbread arrived and upgraded without any problems. This isn’t like having a computer sold with vista when windows 7 is just around the corner.
Michael R
November 9, 2011 at 2:46 pm

Worth it. No question.
Adriasil
November 8, 2011 at 11:31 pm

Definitely worth the wait methinks. ICS should be preinstalled. Waiting for Android Software updates is one of the most tedious and annoying stages of any products lifecycle.
James
November 8, 2011 at 6:05 pm

ASUS has churned up interest in this Prime tablet and now delays the launch? This is frustrating consumers who do have some nice choices like the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1

We’ll see how ASUS handles the supply chain as well because they were behind the 8 ball when demand outstripped supply. Now the demand for the Prime should be high but will ASUS again frustrate consumers in the US and Canada by not being able to meet the demand? Time will tell. I’m not keen on a delay personally and will be looking. If we are talking two weeks maybe but a month more wait since June is asking too much imo.