A forerunner of the Pixel tablet’s ambient mode and a threat to dock for the iPad
U I’m talking to Google and learn more As for the Pixel tablet, my biggest takeaway is that pulling double duty as a secondary smart display will be its path to success. It all comes down to execution, which is of course harder said than done considering Google basically tried Assistant Ambient Mode two years ago. Meanwhile, Apple is rumored to be right behind the Pixel tablet and pursuing the same strategy for the iPad.
Deja vu/Precursor
In mid-2019, we started seeing work to “Ambient Mode” of the Assistant in the Google app. Was officially announced in September to give you a “visual overview” by replacing the charging lock screen of Android phones and tablets.
Like the Pixel tablet, Ambient Mode displayed a Google Photos slideshow with the time centered above and a way to launch the Assistant below. In the main “home” view, the time is recorded in the upper left corner with a greeting from the Assistant and your next appointment.
The weather appeared in the upper right corner with a column of calendar notifications and reminders. There was also a way to continue the music with full screen control available. The final component of Ambient Mode was a series of smart home actions such as watching camera feeds, turning lights on/off, and controlling the thermostat.
It’s launched two Lenovo tablets which came with the docks and Nokia phones. In many ways, this experience was more feature-rich than the Nest Hub because unlocking it literally gives you a full tablet of Android apps.
That’s very much the upcoming goal of the Pixel Tablet, although Google is very committed deliver a great tablet experience for media consumption and productivity through Workspace apps optimized for the big screen. In fact, our conversation with Google revealed that the product team sees this as the Pixel tablet’s main raison d’être, with the Smart Display and Charging Dock aspects coming after that.
Personally, I think Google will have more success if it puts the Smart Display component of the Pixel tablet first, or at least on an equal footing when selling the device. I believe that doubling as the Nest Hub is what will bring Android tablets into the home, and then people can discover all the work Google has put into tweaking the mobile operating system for big screens, and optimizing first-party applications.
In fact, I think the Smart Display experience on Android should be available to all partners (ie Samsung) if Google wants to seriously compete with Apple.
iPad docking threat
Speaking of the iPad, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman on Saturday reported it Apple “eventually wants to push its tablet deeper into the home with plans to turn the device into a smart hub and speaker.”
Last year I reported that Apple was exploring a standalone device that combined an iPad with a speaker hub. The idea is to offer something that users can place on the kitchen counter, in the living room or on their bedside table. But Apple has also been working on a docking accessory for the iPad that could be sold separately and would accomplish much of the same thing.
It remains to be seen if that docking accessory will only be for new iPads in the future or if it will have some backwards compatibility. If it’s the latter, the Pixel Tablet would be seriously neglected if Apple could just update iPadOS and sell accessories that breathe new life into iPads that people already have but don’t fully use.
Android OEMs have a natural affordability advantage. However, if this rumored Apple dock is even cheaper than what Google and partners are offering brand new, the best chance of success for modern Android tablets would be greatly reduced.
Of course, this is the path to success for the form Google says it is dedicated it comes down to execution. In theory, Google could have done the smart screen aspect of the Pixel tablet two years ago and attracted Samsung. Of course, Assistant Ambient Mode was far from a success. Lenovo has announced a new tablet that uses Ambient Mode in January 2020while the experience extended to OnePlus a month later.
We haven’t heard anything about Ambient Mode since early 2020, which goes hand-in-hand with Assistant going back to basics — improving the core voice experience instead of branding various experiences as Assistant-powered — over the past year. There is obsolescence Assistant Snapshot and recently Driving mode control panel/Home screen.
“One more time to breakthrough”
I think what Google has going for them today is that the Android tablet experience is in a better place because of that Android 12L and 13as well as an incentive to encourage optimization of third-party applications.
Meanwhile, Android tablets might just be the next evolution of smart screens. Nest Hub has received new features such as Look and talk and Quick phrases in recent months, while we have seen signs of a a major redesign of the user interface. However, none of these capabilities are unique to the dedicated Cast or Fuchsia-powered Smart screens vs. Android tablets.
Finally, while not the most ideal answer, competition from Apple and the iPad could push Google to innovate and move forward with the Pixel Tablet in a meaningful way. Debuting this experience on a Pixel-branded product and failing would be a bigger eyesore than Ambient Mode ever was. Those two factors alone are powerful driving forces.
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