One of Android’s authentic founders, Rich Miner, is engaged on Android tablets, a indisputable fact that was lately revealed in a ComputerWorld report digging into Google’s historical past with tablets. Miner’s LinkedIn page seems to substantiate it, itemizing his present title as “CTO Android Tablets,” and says he’s been in that position since March, 2021. Given that somebody pivotal to Android’s historical past is now engaged on tablets, and a few job listings Google has posted, it looks as if the corporate could also be doing one thing attention-grabbing with Android past telephones and foldables.

Miner labored on Android when it was being constructed by an organization known as Android, Inc., which might later go on to be acquired by Google. He’s completed lots of issues within the time since (together with serving to Google work out which startups to put money into), however it looks as if now he’s again engaged on Android, with an eye fixed in the direction of making it higher for tablets.

It’s not simply Miner’s position that reveals Google has a renewed give attention to larger-screen units. The upcoming Android 12L replace, which is presently in beta, is targeted on enhancing the pill and foldable expertise. A job itemizing for a “Senior Engineering Manager, Android Tablet App Experience” spotted by 9to5Google additionally says that Google believes “the future of computing is shifting towards more powerful and capable tablets.”

That’s a little bit of an about-face for Google — in 2019, the corporate stated that its {hardware} group was completed engaged on tablets, and could be absolutely specializing in laptops. While Google’s {hardware} lead stated that the “Android & Chrome OS teams are 100% committed for the long-run on working with our partners on tablets,” within the wake of the not-so-great Pixel Slate (which used Chrome OS as an alternative of Android) it was arduous to really feel excited concerning the future for Google-powered tablets.

Now, with the hires and rumors that Google’s working by itself foldable Pixel telephone (which may mainly find yourself being a telephone that turns right into a pill), it undoubtedly looks as if the corporate is planning on returning to the pill house not directly. Google didn’t reply to The Verge’s request for remark, asking if it had reconsidered working by itself tablets, however Miner himself has been making some attention-grabbing feedback on Twitter. He retweeted ComputerWorld’s article with the remark “Definitely a sad story, but there is an indication of hope at the end. What is that [Rich Miner] guy up to…” He additionally replied to a comment from Mishaal Rahman, saying that Android 12L, an upcoming replace centered on bigger display screen units, is a “great start.”

While the iPad is the principle focus of dialog round tablets, Apple isn’t fully dominating the market. According to market research firm IDC, Apple was the highest pill vendor within the third quarter of 2021, with round a 34 p.c share of the market. But that leaves a lot of room for opponents like Samsung (the second largest with round 18 p.c market share in Q3 2021), Amazon, and extra. While it’s very potential Google is simply planning to give attention to its relationship with pill OEMs, it taking one other crack at a Pixel pill wouldn’t be unwelcome — particularly to individuals with fond recollections of the Nexus 7.