A latest piece of stories regarding Google’s work on Android for tablets actually drove residence some extent that’s been evident to many individuals for a protracted whereas.
In keeping with Android Authority, Google is about to introduce a brand new badge to its Google Play Retailer that can spotlight apps designed for the bigger screens of tablets (and book-style foldables, clearly).
That is ostensibly optimistic information, however for my cash, it speaks way more to Google’s whopping nice failings within the pill area.
Google’s pill blind spot
You might query why it’s taken Google this lengthy to spotlight tablet-ready apps in such a basic style – Android tablets have been a factor since 2010, in any case.
However I believe it speaks to a much more basic situation. Why is Google nonetheless battling the cut up between apps which were correctly optimised for tablets and people which might be merely stretched out cellphone apps?
This appears to be an issue from an earlier period, but right here it’s, nonetheless plaguing Android pill house owners in mid-2026.
Jon Mundy / Foundry
Apple’s pill dominance
Suffice to say, Apple doesn’t fear about any of these items. Whereas there are nonetheless cases of cell apps not coming to iPad for a protracted interval – are you able to imagine that WhatsApp solely obtained a local iPad app final 12 months? – you’ll be able to usually depend on an enormous library of correctly iPad-ready functions.
It’s no surprise Apple dominates the pill market, with the iPad collection making up a 51.5% share as of early 2026, in keeping with StatCounter. And earlier than you say “that’s solely simply over half”, bear in mind the fractured nature of the Android pill, and take into account the truth that Samsung is in second place with simply 25.8%.
This actually is Apple’s area, and it might take the entire darned factor if it needed.
Who is aware of, possibly below John Ternus’s management, it is going to. In any case, the newly anointed Apple CEO drove the event of the MacBook Neo, and that’s the product that would level the way in which to a complete pill shutout.
Foundry
Ready for a saviour named Neo
Whereas we usually depart Mac protection to our colleagues at Macworld, we do keep watch over Apple’s laptops – not least as a result of many people select to make use of them for work. Make no mistake, we all know all in regards to the MacBook Neo.
It’s a landmark product from Apple, seeing the corporate lastly dipping its toes into the reasonably priced laptop computer market. The MacBook Neo is a brilliant, massively accessible, impressively succesful but surprisingly reasonably priced laptop computer that retails for simply £600/$600.
At this worth, it enters into the dialog on your common pupil. It’s additionally, not coincidentally, the realm of the market during which so many low-cost and nasty Home windows laptops function. Frankly, they by no means stood an opportunity.
The following step for Apple appears clear to me: make an iPad Neo and lock up the pill market. Give us a brightly colored £200/$200ish full-sized pill, with Apple’s peerless deal with on the entire software program and {hardware} pipeline, and its spectacular customized silicon operation.
A part of me questions whether or not I needs to be wishing for a digital monopoly to get even stronger, however actually, Google and its Android cohorts solely have themselves accountable. They’ve had 16 years to construct a compelling, constant Android pill ecosystem, however there have been far too many half-steps and false dawns.
Certainly, simply because the MacBook Neo is shaking up the Home windows laptop computer business, an iPad Neo may very well be simply what the Android pill scene must shake it out of its stupor.