Google is making all the right moves with the Pixel Tablet | Tech Reddy

Google’s tablet ambitions have been no secret. The recently teased Pixel Tablet is the latest in Google’s attempt to disrupt the smart slate market. But instead of taking the same formulaic approach to tablets, Google seems to be building something completely different.

By positioning the Pixel Tablet as a competent tablet that doubles as the hub of your smart home, Google is giving it a unique proposition. That’s why I believe this is Google’s best chance to make its tablet a mainstream success.

I have tried many pills over the years. While I like the Nexus 7’s slimmer profile, the bite-size tablet rarely, if ever, leaves my desk. I would occasionally use it to check RSS feeds or catch up on social media. Sometimes I would use it to stream video content, but mostly it would just sit there until the battery died. When it finally came time to put it away, I struggled to find a use case to justify picking up another tablet.

Years later, my iPad Air often does the same. I use it as a secondary display for browsing to-do lists or scrolling through RSS feeds. If I’m feeling a little adventurous, I stick it in a Magic Keyboard case that I spent way too much money on and work in a coffee shop. But most of the time, it never leaves my house. I am not alone in this.

According to a recent report, only 12% of users take their tablets outside the home. Google reiterates the same on its Pixel Tablet teaser page. Tablet usage, understandably, is dramatically lower than that of smartphones, and with phone displays reaching mini-tablet proportions, it doesn’t make sense for most people to carry two devices. Meanwhile, the advent of foldable smartphones is expected to further reduce the use of dedicated tablets.

Furthermore, tablets are often communal accessories and it is not unusual to see a tablet being shared by several family members in a household. By positioning the Pixel tablet as a central smart home accessory rather than a stand-alone tablet, Google is aiming for a much wider audience. At a time when demand for tablets is slowing globally.

Positioning the tablet as the hub of a smart home isn’t exactly a new approach. Amazon has been marketing its Fire tablets as pseudo-Echo Show devices for a while now. It’s a functional approach, but the whole experience can leave you wanting. Similarly, Lenovo’s Google Assistant-powered Smart Tab M10 smartphone does double duty as a smart display. However, a budget tablet rarely provides a high-quality ambient computing experience.

Doubling up as a central smart hub device gives the Pixel tablet a unique dual purpose, and a lot of that has to do with Google’s implementation. Unlike Lenovo and Amazon, Google is building the Pixel tablet to have a first-class smart display that will be a key differentiator.

First, the speaker and charging dock give it much better audio capabilities. While most tablets sit in the corner or on a table, the Pixel tablet in its dock uses a high-definition display to display photos from your Google Photos library while charging. And this is just the beginning. The combination of powerful internals and a full-fledged operating system should allow it to handle many interesting experiences.

If you’re anything like me, your tablet probably sits on your coffee table or bookshelf. I often find it running low on power when I really need it. Giving the Pixel Tablet a stable home base and more purposes at home solves both of these issues.

Ironically, I’ve been longing for the Nest Hub that often sits next to my desk. Instant access, a display focused on home control, and a decent set of speakers make it infinitely more useful than a tablet for me. With support for the web browser and basic apps, the Nest Hub covers most of the times I need a tablet. Apparently, someone at Google had the same mindset.

The Pixel tablet and its connectivity base are clearly built for accessibility and seamless access. Just pick it up and drop it back into the dock when you need to adjust your smart lights. Whenever you want some Netflix and chill time, just turn it off the speaker, then head back to the charger.

Plus, as much as I love the Nest Hub, I had a hard time justifying placing multiple units around my connected home. The Pixel Tablet’s smart home leanings make it an easy sell for me. Carrying it around with me in any living space makes it much more useful as a smart hub, and I’m sure many other people will be happy to pay a premium for it.

I don’t know about you, but I’m looking to minimize clutter in my living space and between the Nest Hub and my tablet I know which one gets the most use. Combine the two and you have the perfect modular approach.

Google’s two-problem-with-one-solution approach has a distinct added advantage. The global tablet market is at two opposite ends of the spectrum. Apple’s iPad portfolio is aimed at a more premium audience. However, the maximum sales will be only in the budget tablet segment. There’s a mid-sized hole in the market that Samsung is trying to fill without specifying a real target, and the Pixel Tablet could be the same entry as the Pixel 7.

The Pixel Tablet may inspire buyers to look beyond budget tablets. It makes no pretense of being a professional-oriented high-end machine, nor does it need to. A pro tablet is just a high-end Netflix machine without a pro-focused app ecosystem — something the Android tablet ecosystem has struggled with. The only reason Samsung’s high-end Galaxy Tabs stand out is because of Samsung’s software ecosystem. The Pixel tablet, on the other hand, gives the audience what they want. Focusing on everyday, everyday use cases allows you to be different where it matters.

Looking at the wider Pixel series, it’s clear that Google is happy to play between the mid-range and premium price segments. If Google can replicate the same pricing strategy with the Pixel Tablet, it could have a winner.

Google’s hardware strategy suggests it’s content to sit in the sub-flagship tablet space. Using the same Tensor G2 processor as the Pixel 7 smartphones allows it to take advantage of the economies of scale and machine learning smarts that its phones excel at. Similarly, the large bezels, polycarbonate construction and lack of multiple cameras suggest a device built to meet a certain price point. In my opinion, this is the right approach for the Pixel tablet to have a chance to succeed.

Timing works great too. Previous tablet efforts have suffered from a lack of software designed for the big screen. Google needs the Pixel Tablet to be a first-class Android-based tablet; it already claims that the Pixel tablet will be the best way to experience Android on the big screen. With optimization aimed at the Android 12L tablet, hopefully it should have the right software to back up the claim.

From what we know about the Pixel Tablet, it looks like Google’s product team finally got the memo. Combining the Pixel tablet with the brand familiarity and secondary use case of the Nest ecosystem makes the reasonably priced product even more appealing.

With a clear, coordinated focus and a greater focus on everyday use, the Pixel Tablet seems to have all the right ingredients for success, especially for someone like me who doesn’t believe in the need for a dedicated tablet.

As a bigger and better Nest Hub, it can be the center of my smart home ecosystem. When I need a tablet, I don’t have to look for it on the bookshelf and hope it’s charged. On paper, the Pixel Tablet ticks all the right boxes for me as a casual user. I think it will work for many other users as well.

Continue reading: The Pixel tablet could be the future of smart home displays