Google bids adieu to tablets

Last year at about this time various rumours started swirling around that suggested Google was looking to kill its tablet line-up. This news was far from the truth as it appeared that a bug removed all data related to the sale of tablets from its official website. A year on, it appears that the bug was an ominous sign of things to come and it looks like Google is saying goodbye to its tablets business.

Last year, Google launched the Google Slate, a tablet that could serve as a strong alternative for its top-of-the-line Pixel Book. A report by TechCrunch states that the device felt redundant and it appears to be the last of its kind. Google has now admitted that its hardware team is giving up on the tablet business for good.

In an official statement, Google says, “For Google’s first-party hardware efforts, we’ll be focusing on Chrome OS laptops and will continue to support Pixel Slate.” This followed up by a tweet from Google SVP Rick Osterloh who aims to clarify certain articles by stating, “Hey, it’s true…Google’s HARDWARE team will be solely focused on building laptops moving forward,” he wrote, “but make no mistake, Android & Chrome OS teams are 100% committed for the long-run on working with our partners on tablets for all segments of the market (consumer, enterprise, edu).”

Tablets have always been a major pain point for brands that don’t have the name Apple associated with it and Google, for their part have tried relentlessly to successfully launch their own tablet. However, they have always failed in the premium segment which was dominated by Apple and even in the lower budget segment that’s the stronghold of Chinese manufacturers.

So, for now, at least, this appears to be the end of the Google tablet.