Dell will no longer sell or upgrade its Android tablet line and will instead focus on Windows devices. The news broke last week but I suspect the holiday – and the collective yawn that was the Dell Venue line – put a damper on its spread.
The company will instead focus on 2-in-1 Windows machines, the laptop/slate hybrids that take advantage of Windows’ touchscreen capabilities. These machines, which are similar to the Surface, are apparently far more popular for Dell customers.
“The slate tablet market is over-saturated and is experiencing declining demand from consumers, so we’ve decided to discontinue the Android-based Venue tablet line,” a Dell spokesman told IDG.
Android-based tablets are going the way to of the Dodo. With larger phones like the Galaxy Note and less impetus to add yet another mobile data line to a standalone tablet it’s clear that there is little need for yet another Android slate. The primary users – children and casual web browsers – are better served by cheap tablets like the Kindle Fire line.
Dell will continue to sell and support its Chromebooks which can run Android apps and renew its focus on Windows laptops.