Apple iPad’s competitor just died as Google announces it will stop making tablets

In an unusual announcement, Google said it is discontinuing the development of tablets under its portfolio in order to shift focus to the laptop line. Rick Osterloh, boss of hardware products at Google, asserted that the hardware team will be focused “on building laptops” going forward. The Mountain View-based company is finally giving up on tablets months after it launched the Pixel Slate as its answer to the iPad Pro last year.

Osterloh reiterated in a tweet that confirms the speculations that Google is pulling the plug on the tablet development. A report earlier this week by ComputerWorld said that Google has stopped working on two tablets that were in early development. But he clarified that the teams behind Android and Chrome OS are “100% committed” to working with the partner companies that are still in the tablet business. This essentially means that Google will continue providing support and necessary resources to the consumer, enterprise, and education tablet partners.