Google Axes Pixel C Android Tablet
Search engine giant quietly retires its Android-based tablet Pixel C, in favour of Chromebooks
Google has stopped selling its Android-based business tablet device – the Pixel C, but said that it remains committed to ongoing support for the machine.
Google’s decision to retire the device was first noted by Android Police, after it found that the Pixel C listing had disappeared from the Google Store, and the listing page redirected to the Pixelbook.
It means that Google no longer sells Android-based tablets, and instead is putting its faith in ChromeOS.
Android Tablet
The Pixel C had been launched in September 2015, and was designed to be Microsoft Surface Pro and iPad Pro-beater.
The 10.2 inch device can be twinned with a magnetic full-size keyboard for maximum portability, and initially ran Android 6.0 Marshmallow, and not ChromeOS.
Under the hood, there was a quad-core Nvidia Tegra X1 processor, Intel Maxwell GPU and 3GB of RAM, and it also boasted USB-C connectivity.
It is understood that the 32GB Pixel C had been retired a while now, but Google kept selling the 64GB variant for the full price of $599 (£443).
But there were concerns that the Pixel C was not best suited for the business sector, where it was up against stiff competition from the likes of the Microsoft Surface Pro and iPad Pro.
The fact that the Pixel C ran the Android operating system was also an issue, as although multitasking was eventually added, Android apps are still are not best suited on tablet-sized screens.
And Google has now officially confirmed the retirement of the device.
“As is common when a device has been out for a few years, we’re now retiring Pixel C and it is no longer available for sale,” Google told The Verge in a statement.
“However, we are committed to updating and supporting it, including the recent update to Android 8.0, so customers can continue to get the best out of their device,” Google said. “Our newly launched Google Pixelbook combines the best parts of a laptop and a tablet for those looking for a versatile device.
Google Pixelbook
Google had launched the Google Pixelbook, a high performance Chromebook that seeks to combine the best parts of a laptop, a tablet, and a smartphone, back in October 2017.
The Pixelbook comes equipped with the Chrome OS; Google Assistant; and all the usual apps on Google Play.
Google claims that the Pixelbook is the thinnest, lightest laptop it has ever made, with a 10.3mm thin aluminium body that weights 1.1 kilograms.
The device is also foldable thanks to 360 degree hinges and boasts a 4-in-1 design, so it can be used in different modes.
The Pixelbook boasts a 12.3-inch high-resolution touchscreen display that is said to deliver enough brightness to use outside, even on a sunny day. The thin keyboard comes with soft-touch keys and a backlit design, and the trackpad “uses new, special touch-processing algorithms to make sure you can navigate with accuracy.”
Under the hood lurks either an Intel Core i5 or i7 processors, as well as either 8GB or 16GB of RAM. Solid state drives (SSDs) are either 128GB, 256GB, or 512GB.
