Over the past few weeks, we have had a few announcements of several Android tablets coming out for Q4. For some, this is exciting news as we have been waiting all year long for that iPad killer to come along. However, we should realize that with this influx of tablets coming out, you won’t find them to be of equal quality, and you won’t find them all with Android Market.
Although Android is an open OS, they still have a criteria to meet, which they call “the google experience.” When questioned about what criteria is needed, at a briefing yesterday, Hugo Barra, Google’s mobile product development director told PaidContent UK that:
“It could be any number of things – form factor, the limited number of pixels, does it have a GPS on it?”
“We’re concerned that users will get a good experience at the end of the day.”
“You can have Android if it leads to a good implementation. We have to make sure that every device meets the criteria for a good experience for Android Market.”
I agree with Google having criteria to meet in order to have the Android Market on a tablet. Having mediocre hardware touting Android does not give Google a good reputation if that tablet is carrying their name. Also, this helps to weed out the high-end products from the manufacturers that only want to have Android installed to make a profit, and not really allow development to flourish. So, when making your purchase this holiday season, look out for Android tablets without the Market.