It’s no secret Motorola’s first tablet — the late Motorola XOOM — wasn’t the most successful venture ever. It came to market with an outrageously high price tag, lack of LTE (it was later offered for those who didn’t mind shipping their device back in) and a whole gang of bugs. But it was important in that it was the first tablet to champion Android for the big screen. They then followed up with the DROID Xyboard family that was exclusive to Verizon.
We’ve always wondered whether the company would look to introduce another one in more modern times, especially with Verizon having dropped hints of a new Motorola tablet in the past, but it looks like those plans were taken out back and lit on fire. Rick Osterloh, Motorola Mobility’s president, confirmed on Twitter that the company has no plans to create Android tablets (and opted to name drop his parent company Lenovo as a fine source for Android tablets).
A rumor back in 2013 suggested Motorola was going to take what they’ve learned from the successful launch of Moto Maker and the Moto X to provide a tablet with similar qualities (that is, one that is simple, clean and can be made-to-order depending on your style). A lot can change in two years in the tech space, though, and it seems those exciting plans were lost throughout all the hubbub of being bought by Google, then subsequently sold to Lenovo.
That said, it’s worth remembering that “no plans” doesn’t mean plans can’t change. We’re still holding out hope for Motorola to make a comeback in the tablet space, but if you’re somehow still waiting for a new slate from the company after four long years then it’s safe to say you should look to move on. We hear that Nexus 9 is pretty darn good.
