Google Gives Cancelled Products a Second Chance at I/O

Google’s annual I/O event, which took place from May 11-12, revealed a handful of new releases and updates to its range of hardware and software. Google also shared that a few previously discontinued and canceled products would be revived, including Android tablets and watches, the latter of which will feature a partnership with Samsung. Android 13 was also debuted and is slated for release in August alongside the new Pixel 7 and 7 Pro. Key points of emphasis for Android 13 include enhancing user privacy and experience while also building out support for protocols such as Bluetooth LE.

Google expressed interest in recommitting to tablet and tablet app development with the announcement of the new Pixel Tablet, as well as new tablet interfaces for up to 20 Google applications. Recent tablet releases from the company have been scarce; the company last released tablet hardware (Pixel C) in 2015. Following a one-off return in 2018, the company again exited the tablet space for three years. Some applications receiving tablet integrations included Google Play, YouTube, Chrome, and Google Maps. It is very possible that Google is aiming to have its latest iteration of the Pixel Tablet double up as a smart hub/display, as attendees of I/O noted that the tablet keynote ended with a sneak peek of various pins, potentially indicating a display dock for connected devices.

Parks Associates latest research shows that smart speakers/displays are currently adopted in 54% of Internet households. Even further, our research reveals a strong correlation between smart speaker and smart home device ownership—60% of smart speaker owners and/or smart display owners own at least one smart home device, versus 34% of US broadband households overall. They represent an affordable option for a command-and-control center for a home’s smart home and entertainment devices. Google in particular has been successful in tying its smart speaker/smart display products to the Google and Nest ecosystems—76% of Google smart speaker/smart display owners also own smart home devices.

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