Google: ‘Android not optimised for tablets’
Gingerbread seems likely to be tablet-friendly OS — Google has stated that it currently isn't using Android on any tablets, hinting that it will have a tablet-centric OS soon. — Although Gingerbread and Honeycomb have been strongly tipped …
Context & Ripple Effects
Google had already signaled Honeycomb as its next Android release, but the company’s admission draws a sharper line between Android’s phone base and tablet requirements. It also leaves Chrome OS focused on netbooks rather than as an immediate tablet alternative, concentrating Google’s large-screen software response around Android.
First-order effects
- Android device makers lack a Google-optimized tablet software base, forcing them to account for tablet-specific interface and application gaps in products built around Android.
- Google must make the forthcoming Android release the focal point for tablet partners rather than treating existing phone software as a finished large-screen platform.
Second-order effects
- Developers and hardware partners face a moving target: applications and device designs aimed at Android tablets may need to align with the tablet-focused version rather than the installed phone-oriented platform.
- Tablet makers using Android compete without a consistent Google-defined tablet experience, making software differentiation and access to Google services more consequential.
Third-order effects
- The split points toward Android releases being segmented by device class, with Google’s platform roadmap—not just handset hardware—shaping which manufacturers can offer a coherent tablet product.
- If Google formalizes a tablet-specific Android track, its ecosystem will have to balance faster optimization for large screens against the added fragmentation facing developers and partners.
The trend: Google is moving from a single phone-led Android platform toward device-specific software optimization as tablets become a distinct competitive category.