Tablet Wars: The Last Pixel Slate - Google Throws in The Towel on Pixel Slate

[jiyeon]

Source: Engadget | Verge | Computer World | MKBHD (Twitter)

 

Google has officially declared that the Pixel Slate is the last tablet in the Pixel lineup. It was kind of shocking to hear that Google are throwing in the towel in making a new Slate, but the Pixel Slate was so unrefined and unoptimised for the price and specs that I'm not too surprised.

 

Quote

Google will not be launching a sequel to last year’s Pixel Slate tablet, according to Business Insider and Computer World, and will instead focus its Chrome OS hardware efforts on traditional laptop devices like the Pixelbook. “For Google’s first-party hardware efforts, we’ll be focusing on Chrome OS laptops and will continue to support Pixel Slate,” a spokesperson told Business Insider.

 

Google has shifted focus over to laptops, so Chrome OS seems to be a focus for Google now that they're done with the tablet market.

 

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As for that future, a Google spokesperson tells me it's quite possible we'll see a new laptop-oriented Pixelbook product before the end of this year. The existing Pixel Slate will continue to be supported and to receive regular software updates all the way through June of 2024, meanwhile, as had initially been promised — nothing's changing there. And the Chrome OS team in general will continue to focus on both laptops and tablets with its software development, as regardless of Google's plans for its own self-made hardware, plenty of other manufacturers still create Chrome OS devices with all types of forms.

 

It's kind of hard to think that Google would give up on a product, given that it was one of the few tablets on the market that could rival the iPad Pro, even if by a little.

 

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The Pixel Slate received largely mediocre reviews when it went on sale last year. Google earned praise for the device’s hardware design, but the software felt unfinished — Chrome OS has yet to really feel at home on a tablet — and lower-priced versions of the Slate suffered from extremely sluggish performance and lag.

 

The news makes me wonder if Google plans to still compete with Apple's iPad Pro and perhaps come out with something much more refined to run their Chrome OS on to perhaps compete with a MacBook. The Pixel Slate sure had the price to match the iPad Pro but sadly not the performance.

 

I very much antipicate a Pixelbook in the future because of hearing Google will shift their focus onto laptops.

[Guest]

Good riddance, it was quite frankly not in its own shoes.

[Arika]

Well yeah, that's what happens when you make a super expensive device running on an OS with not a lot of uses

[captain_to_fire]

Does it mean the only ones remaining to push the tablet form factor is Apple and Microsoft? 

[Fnige]

2 hours ago, seoz said:

It's kind of hard to think that Google would give up on a product

kind of

[DrMacintosh]

1 hour ago, captain_to_fire said:

Does it mean the only ones remaining to push the tablet form factor is Apple and Microsoft? 

Mostly just Apple tbh. Microsoft is doing their own thing. And people don't want Windows. They just wanna watch Netflix.

[DrMacintosh]

Tim Cook is one step closer to totall tablet market domination. 

[ARikozuM]

Time to break up Apple's iPad monopoly. 

[Drak3]

I'd say nothing of value was lost, but it goes beyond that. Now less resources are being wasted on garbage products.

 

2 hours ago, captain_to_fire said:

Does it mean the only ones remaining to push the tablet form factor is Apple and Microsoft? 

Basically, they're the only ones actually good at it.

[Results45]

2 hours ago, floofer said:

Good riddance, it was quite frankly not in its own shoes.

What if Google teamed-up with Nvidia and added support for SHIELD games & game-streaming?

 

On the other hand, they might just do that with all Chrome OS devices with Stadia. 

[jiyeon]

57 minutes ago, SlimyPython said:

kind of

You're a monster for showing me this.

 

 

The largest of F's were paid.

[Guest]

6 minutes ago, Results45 said:

What if Google teamed-up with Nvidia and added support for SHIELD games & game-streaming?

 

On the other hand, they might just do that with all Chrome OS devices with Stadia. 

If you want to play games designed for a computer, you are 100% going to be better off with a laptop.

[descendency]

I had to look - because I didn't even realize anyone was still selling Android tablets. And the Pixel Slate was a dumpster fire according to most reviewers. Google never put the effort into tablets to make a compelling product. And the result showed. 

[Gullerback]

Not all that surprised from a tablet upwards of $1600, The cheapest 600

[Arika]

3 hours ago, DrMacintosh said:

Tim Cook is one step closer to totall tablet market domination. 

that's not a good thing though. competition needs to exist

[DrMacintosh]

Just now, Arika S said:

that's not a good thing though. competition needs to exist

Sure. But it's not Apples fault that nobody want's an Android tablet. 

[Arika]

1 minute ago, DrMacintosh said:

Sure. But it's not Apples fault that nobody want's an Android tablet. 

I know more people with android tablets than Apple. I'm personally waiting to see want samsung's s5 Tab is going to be. i much prefer the Android ecosystem over iOS

[DrMacintosh]

1 minute ago, Arika S said:

I know more people with android tablets than Apple.

Sure, maybe on a personal level. Most people tend to associate with the same type of people. But marketshare wise, Apple holds a commanding lead, for good reason. The hardware and software is simply unmatched. 

[Arika]

2 minutes ago, DrMacintosh said:

Apple holds a commanding lead, for good reason. The hardware and software is simply unmatched.

That may be the case, but a monopoly on the tablet market benefits no one but Apple as a company. 

[DrMacintosh]

1 minute ago, Arika S said:

but a monopoly on the tablet market benefits no one but Apple as a company. 

*grins* -Tim Cook

[captain_to_fire]

1 hour ago, DrMacintosh said:

*grins* -Tim Cook

Inb4 congress holds a session to break up Apple’s tablet monopoly 

[DrMacintosh]

Just now, captain_to_fire said:

Inb4 congress holds a session to break up Apple’s tablet monopoly 

Reeee! Where are the lobbyists when you need them?!

[Drak3]

2 minutes ago, captain_to_fire said:

Inb4 congress holds a session to break up Apple’s tablet monopoly 

And to anyone else claiming an Apple monopoly:

 

https://www.ibtimes.com/microsoft-windows-tablet-market-share-almost-double-2019-androids-expense-2197859

 

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iOS, which runs on the iPad, is expected to claim 23 percent of the market in 2019, increasing market share by one percentage point. The big loser in the shift will be Android, whose current 68 percent share will be eroded to 59 percent towards the end of the decade.

 

And Windows tablets/2in1s are growing. Fairly fast according to the article.

[captain_to_fire]

Just now, Drak3 said:

And to anyone else claiming an Apple monopoly:

It was a joke bruh 

[Drak3]

Just now, captain_to_fire said:

It was a joke bruh 

Except that it seems that Arika and the Not So Good Doctor aren't joking.