Earlier this month, entry-level Pixel Slates were discontinued. High-end variants would remain as we were told but now we’re hearing the Pixel Slate line will be no more. Google won’t be replacing the series with a new one. The search giant is done with the tablet category. The Pixel Slate won’t have a follow-up because the company is said to focus on the laptop business. The Pixel Slate hasn’t been out for a year but Google has decided to stop working on self-made tablets.
The Pixel Slate will not have a sibling. It’s the first and last Pixel Slate model we’ll know. Do note that only the Pixel tablet line will be over. The Pixel phones will continue so don’t worry.
Google is believed to have been working on the smaller standalone Pixel Slates. They’re now set aside even before we learn about the codenames.
The Pixelbook is also safe. It’s different from the Pixel Slate so again, don’t worry. Google already considers Pixelbook as a laptop. A representative from Google shared the information with Computerworld that the company will also be reassigning employees to other divisions. Some have already transferred to the laptop group.
Google must be carefully reevaluating its move these days. We have no numbers but we don’t think the Pixel Slates did well. Google will still release software updates to the Pixel Slate until the year 2024 so don’t throw the tablet yet.
A new Pixelbook will be announced later and just before 2019 ends so watch out for that. It will run on Chrome OS with support for Android.
The company is simply refocusing on laptops. The tablet game isn’t exactly great at the moment. Growth is stagnant especially since smartphones are getting bigger. Some phablets (phone + tablet) may be enough that you don’t really need to get a separate tablet.
