Google’s Pixel C tablet, the last first-party Android tablet may have just received the final patch of its security update. The tablet was first released back in December 2015.
According to 9to5google, Google Pixel C tablet is not included in on Google’s update schedule help page which notifies users about which Google devices will receive the latest security updates from Google. Unfortunately, the Pixel C tablet was not included in July’s update schedule. It should be noted that no official announcement has been made by Google at the moment but following the typical Google schedule for its native devices which is three years, it is highly likely that the Pixel C tablet has been excluded from the update loop.
Another reason which solidifies this claim is that Google in the past has said that its devices continue “get security updates for at least 18 months from when the Google Store last sold the device.” Going by this timeline, Pixel C tablet was last sold on the Google Play Store on in December 2018 which was one and a half year ago.
This perfectly couples and coincides with Google’s recent decision to drop the tablet business was good and focus more on its laptop (chrome book) and smartphone line-up. Google’s board member Rick Osterloh officially announced the news on Twitter last month and said that his hardware team will now focus more on the other Google hardware products. If the announcement of Google dropping out of tablet business was enough for Android tablet fans, then the possible news of Pixel C tablet receiving the last security update should be the final nail in the coffin.
It is still unknown regarding how will the software giant deal with other manufacturers who are still keen on making Android tablets. The likes of Samsung and Huawei still have a credible market for Android tablets, whether Google will continue to provide optimized versions of the latest Android OS for tablets is a question for another time.
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