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As the old adage goes: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. If it, copy something that works. That is exactly what Google is set to do.
In a last-ditch bid to ‘fix’ its failing Pixel C tablet, Google is reverting back to its successful Pixel smartphone for inspiration. In the latest software update, the tablet is given a more-or-less total overhaul in design to look more like the company’s flagship smartphone. Despite being on sale for a year and a half, and rumours of a new tablet surfacing, Google appears determined to get the Pixel C right once and for all.
The majority of the tweaks are o unify the interface with Google’s own Pixel smartphone. Rounded app icons for Google’s own apps have been installed as well as an updated look for third-party apps. The ‘all apps’ button at the bottom of the tablet screen has been given the chop, and in its place users have to swipe up from the bottom of the screen to see every app installed. Also borrowing from the smartphone, the Pixel’s weather and date widget is now placed in the top right-hand corner of the screen. And finally the Google search bar has been banished and replaced by a ‘G’ in the top left-hand corner that accesses the search app.
But not all of the updates are directly borrowed from the smartphone. Among the new changes, a multitasking view has been installed for the tablet’s bigger screen. Instead of scrolling through a list of open apps, the tablet now displays a grid of eight most recent programmes.
The updated has been available to devices with Android beta for a couple of weeks, but will be rolled out across all Pixel C users as of today. To download, users can access the update in the settings app.
