Google reportedly cancels Pixel Tablet 2 and might quit the category — again

Yesterday Android Headlines reported that Google had canceled its development of the Pixel Tablet 3 — even before announcing a second-gen model. Well, today Android Authority is saying that it’s in fact the second-generation Pixel Tablet that has been canned, meaning that the device released last year will apparently be a one-off and that Google is bailing on the tablet category for the second time in a little over five years. At best, we’re in for a long pause until the next one.

If true, the news would suggest that sales of the Pixel Tablet have been so poor that Google has decided further investment in a follow-up just isn’t worth it. As recently as last week, there were rumors of new features and a keyboard accessory for the now-abandoned product.

It’s worth noting the possibility that Google’s Nest division could take over its large-screen product ambitions and focus on evolving devices like the Nest Hub and Hub Max instead of standalone tablets.

Helped in no part by its on-again, off-again strategy, Google has always struggled to meaningfully break into the tablet market and produce a contender capable of rivaling Apple’s iPad in sales and mainstream success. It got off to a promising start ages ago with the Nexus 7, but never really put up much of a fight after that — even if the hardware was nice. Android badly lags iPadOS in the number of third-party apps that are optimized for tablets, another issue that has held back Google’s efforts.

The Verge has reached out to Google for comment and clarification on its tablet plans.