Google plans 'Nexus' tablet to take on Apple iPad - Telegraph.co.uk

Mr Schmidt paid tribute to Steve Jobs' role in kickstarting the tablet market, describing the iPad as "amazing".

"Steve Jobs was the Michelangelo of our time," he said. "A friend of mine and a unique character, able to combine creativity and visionary genius with an extraordinary engineering ability."

"Steve realised the revolutionary potential of the tablet and created an amazing product like the iPad," he said.

In the smartphone market, Google designs the Nexus range as both a testing ground for new versions of Android and to show off cutting-edge hardware. The most recent device, the Galaxy Nexus, is manufactured by Samsung.

Mr Schmidt said that competition between Android smartphones and the iPhone will be "brutal".