The Pixel C, a rare hardware product released by tech giant Google in 2015, is being discontinued in the midst of declining global interest in tablets as personal computing devices. The Pixel C tablet is actually a hybrid similar to the Surface line of portable computers launched by Microsoft, but Google was not able to glean enough momentum with its Android tablets; for this reason, the device is no longer available for purchase on the Play Store.
Google has not enjoyed great success with its hardware projects; however, the Pixel C showed a lot of promise when it first arrived on the market. The company later introduced the Pixelbook and various Chromebook devices that have generated better sales. Current owners of Pixel C tablets will continue to receive Android updates.
Google’s push into the market of mobile and portable devices has been tentative; with the Pixel C, the company sought to compete against iPads and Surface devices by offering ultra-high resolution, long battery life and a powerful processor, but the split screen view of the Android operating system did not seem natural for mobile apps that have been largely developed for smartphones. Another issue that impacted sales of this device is the growing popularity of “phablets,” powerful smartphones with very large screens.
At a time when Google is trying to bring the full experience of Android mobile apps to its Chromebook line of laptops, the retirement of the Pixel C makes sense; after all, Google recently announced that Chrome OS 64 will include a special feature called Android Parallel Tasks, which will allow Android apps to continue running in the background while users are focused on other activities. This new feature will likely drive more interest to Chromebooks in the enterprise segment, thereby offering business users an alternative to Microsoft Surface devices.
Even though the Pixel C was probably the best device in the crowded field of Android tablets, this particular segment is dominated by low cost models. At $499, the Pixel C was a bit of a hard sell, particularly when considering that its own keyboard sold for $149.
The retirement of the Pixel C has not surprised hardware analysts; after all, even Apple has seen enthusiasm wean for the numerous versions of the iPad, the device that launched the short-lived tablet revolution. At this point, it is not clear whether Microsoft will continue to develop hybrid Surface devices, especially since the company’s most recent hardware product was a laptop.
