Google’s first Pixel Tablet was released at its I/O Developer Conference. It picked up critical acclaim as Google decided to focus on one use case for consumers while promoting its support for Android tablets to the wider industry. Android phone owners are reporting their Google Home apps are displaying push notifications promoting the tablet alongside links to Google’s Pixel Store. What could lie behind this decision?
Google’s Pixel Tablet
Manuel Vonau reports on the push notifications selling the Pixel Tablet on Android Police:
“Many people report seeing a “Meet the Google Pixel Tablet” banner in their notifications, with a tap on it sending them straight to its product listing on the Google Store. Samsung received hefty criticism for a similar approach to promoting new devices in the past, but it still seems like Google is attempting to jump on board with this strategy.”
Any Android tablet faces a bit of a chicken-and-egg problem. Unlike Apple’s iPad, which established itself as a viable platform for developers soon after it was launched in 2010, Android tablets have had less success in attracting software developers; tablet-first apps are far less common in the Android world. Without those apps, the impetus to buy an Android tablet is less; without Android tablet sales, developers are less likely to bring apps to the platform.
Support for Android tablets has increased in the last two years. Android 12L, Google’s tablet variant of the operating system, signalled that tablets and large-screened devices such as foldables were receiving Google’s attention. That has led several manufacturers to launch their own tablets, with OnePlus’ titular OnePlus Pad being a solid example.
Another example is Google’s Pixel Tablet. Much like the other devices under the Pixel brand, the Pixel Tablet is being used to show what Google believes a tablet can do. In the case of the Pixel smartphones, then the outcome – this is our flavour of Android on the phone – is easy to see. With the Pixel Tablet, it is less clear cut.
The aforementioned OnePlus Pad leans into productivity, with a 7:5 aspect screen, stylus, and keyboard all available. The Pixel Tablet has neither of these peripherals. Instead, it comes bundled with a speaker and dock, adding a ‘home automation controller’ to its portfolio alongside the rest of the Android software suite.
The Pixel Tablet is not the perfect distillation of an Android tablet. It illustrates Google’s belief in the Android tablet ecosystem, shows how hardware and software can work together, and answers the question of what a tablet can do.
This is all good, but unless you increase the addressable audience of Android tablets, developers will not have this platform at the forefront of their minds.
Which is where we return to reports of Google promoting the Pixel Tablet through the Google Home app with push notifications. This isn’t an unused method of cross-promotion – both Samsung and Xiaomi have used similar routes in the past – but it appears to be the first use of this technique from Google.
Whether it leads to more Pixel Tablet sales, it shows Google pushing the Android tablet platform.
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