Google has virtually conceded to Apple in the tablet market, and here's the proof

Presented at the recent Google I/O event, Google's maiden tablet, the Pixel Tablet, showcased immense potential with hardware directly from Google.

However, those were my musings prior to witnessing the entire Google product launch event and perusing top reviews of Google's latest tablet. The Google Pixel Tablet appears to be more than just a conventional tablet; it serves as a device supporting smart home control or features related to enhancing the experience and presentation of images and videos.

In case you weren't aware, the Google Pixel Tablet bears a striking resemblance to devices like the Nest Hub or the new Standby mode of iOS 17. Why did Google opt for such an unconventional and divergent user market compared to the prevailing tablet industry trend? Without further delay, let's explore this article to find out.

Back to 2011 with Android 3.0 Honeycomb

If you're a tech enthusiast and have been acquainted with Android phones since the early days, you surely won't forget Android 3.0 Honeycomb. In 2011, recognizing the immense potential observed in iPads, Google developed and introduced the Android 3.0 Honeycomb operating system specifically for devices with large screens.

The release of a version tailored for tablets heralded a golden era for Android tablets. Despite Google later discontinuing Android 3.0 Honeycomb, tablet brands at that time continued to actively launch products using Android 4.4 or Android 5.0.

These instances also illustrate Google's vision for the tablet market in the future and affirm the inevitability of Android 3.0 Honeycomb's departure. The outdated interface, excessive hardware requirements, and lack of tablet-specific apps made it challenging for large screens to fully leverage their potential.

The departure of Android 3.0 dealt a heavy blow to the once vibrant tablet market. Although products continued to be released with Android 4.4.4 or Android 5.0, there weren't as many dedicated tablet apps, meaning that most popular Play Store apps were simply enlarged phone versions.

At the same time, the current iPad has made significant strides, such as the iPad Air model transitioning to a 64-bit processor for improved performance and even better support for future apps. This is evident as the first-generation iPad Air still commands a high price tag of nearly 3 million dong.

In addition, the app store has been revamped for quite some time and categorized in a very intuitive manner. For instance, if you use an iPhone, you'll definitely download versions tailored for smaller screens. But if you use an iPad, you'll have the option for both iPad and iPhone versions.

The pinnacle of iPad excellence came with the iPad Air 2 generation. At that time, Apple introduced hardware configurations specifically for the iPad, ensuring an exceptionally long support lifecycle. Released in 2014, the iPad Air 2 can still support up to iPadOS 15.2 with a maximum lifespan of 8 years. Just think about how many Android tablets can achieve this feat.

But that doesn't mean the iPad's performance has diminished or it's no longer usable. The iPad Air 2 still handles most basic user tasks well despite the passage of time. This is thanks to top-notch hardware with the Apple A8X processor and the first 3GB RAM on Apple mobile devices.

Apple always delivers the best hardware for iPad

Fast forward to 2023, the Google Pixel Tablet, despite being equipped with seemingly powerful hardware, failed to make its mark. The Tensor G2 processor made a return, powering both the Google Pixel 7a and the Google Pixel Tablet. However, the performance of this processor didn't quite meet the expectations, as you may already know.

Therefore, it feels like the Pixel Tablet wasn't designed to compete with Apple's iPad. Google seems to have a different direction for its product line, focusing on the smart features that the processor brings. This strategy has its advantages for Google, especially evident with the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro introductions.

In contrast to Apple's iPad, the device emphasizes the performance brought by the processor, ensuring significant power for a variety of creative content tasks. Moreover, it receives substantial support from third-party app developers, such as Adobe, and most recently, the inclusion of Final Cut software on the tablet.

Moreover, if you follow or have observed digital content creators and artists, you'll notice they often choose the iPad for their work over other devices like the Galaxy Tab or Android Tablet. This indicates the unbeatable position of Apple's products, particularly the iPad, in this regard.

While Android products are still grappling with Qualcomm's ARM processors for mobile devices, such as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 on the Galaxy Tab S8 series, which is also used in the Galaxy S22 series, or the recent Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy on the Galaxy Tab S9 series, appearing in the Galaxy S23 series.

With the aforementioned processors, is there any way to compare Android tablets with the iPad? Apple surprised the world in 2020 by transitioning from Intel's x86 processors to ARM processors with the Apple M1. This opened up a vast ecosystem and showcased the tremendous potential of Apple's strength. iPads have greatly benefited from this transition, both in terms of power and battery life with iPadOS.

Google Pixel Tablet could be seen as a smart display

Google has truly 'surrendered' to Apple in the tablet world by directing the Pixel Tablet to become a smart display instead of introducing an entirely new operating system to compete with Apple. Or optimizing apps and providing some truly superior processors.

Why? Frankly speaking, Google's direction for the Pixel Tablet has clearly changed significantly from user expectations. The company has positioned its device in the realm of smart home control that Google is establishing within its ecosystem.

Additionally, Google has shown no signs of improved optimization capabilities on the Pixel Tablet operating system platform. Apps will still be enlarged versions from phones for an experience no different from other Android world products.

Clearly, this sign is Google's 'white flag' in the race between the two giants. Currently, Apple has truly 'outshone' Android tablets, and Google has acknowledged this.

But unfortunately for Google, the company also struggles with its direction to turn its product into a smart display. Basic features of smart displays are almost identical to iOS 17's Standby mode.

Moreover, Pixel Tablet also supports smart home control capabilities with Google Assistant, so the niche market Google chooses still has many gaps. It's just regrettable that Google no longer supports manufacturers to optimize the tablet experience.

What's left for the Android tablet market

If you're feeling discouraged about the lackluster Android tablet market, don't worry too much. While the high-end segment for content creators is dominated by Apple and Samsung, there are still other very promising customer segments.

As for interfaces, Samsung's Dex Mode provides an experience similar to a real computer. It allows for smoother workflow and supports much more impressive multitasking with floating windows. However, this does not fully address the needs of content creators who use S Pen or design-focused applications.

Meanwhile, the lower segment with products like the Lenovo Legion Y700 (2023) using the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor clearly still outperforms iPad Gen 9 or iPad Gen 10 in terms of price. But it's quite disheartening that most outstanding tablet models on the market are only intended for the Chinese market, with few products available globally.

Additionally, iPads offer better optimization, so the long-term usage experience tends to favor Apple's tablets more. The company ensures a more seamless operating system update experience and mitigates many long-term usage issues leading to lagging.

In Conclusion

Clearly, the above analysis indicates Google's 'surrender' to the vastly superior position of Apple compared to the early years of 2011. With Google's somewhat lackluster efforts, competing on equal footing with the iPad is extremely challenging. Therefore, Android users can only look forward to the potential development efforts of third-party manufacturers like Samsung or Xiaomi to someday revive the golden age of Android tablets.

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