Dell is apparently exiting the tablet market, less than two years after its first tablet model was unveiled. The computer manufacturer struggled with its line of Android tablets and made the mistake of announcing early and releasing late. Dell introduced the Streak tablet in early 2010, but failed to ship a working model until August of that year. In those intervening months, Apple unveiled the iPad and took the tablet world by storm.
Dell has removed the Streak 7 from its website and referred to the tablet in a recent press release using the past tense, a choice of words that suggests the tablet is being dropped from Dell’s mobile lineup. The company said,
“”Dell remains committed to the mobility market and continues to sell products here and in other parts of the world,” the company said. “Streak 7 delivered a unique experience for customers who wanted a larger screen-size yet the freedom of staying connected to their personal and professional content while on the-go. It continues to be available in many markets through retail, distributors and carrier partners such as Optus in Australia. A 10-inch version of the tablet, Streak 10 Pro, is currently offered in China, offering the ultimate digital divide between work and life. The Venue and Venue Pro devices, as well, continue to earn accolades for performance, design and functionality around the world. We also recently launched the Latitude ST, a 10-inch Windows 7-based touch-screen tablet designed for vertical markets such as education, finance and healthcare in November of this year. We remain committed to expanding our reach beyond PCs with a targeted set of open, standards-based mobility solutions and services designed for commercial and mobile professional customers.”
Dell says it “remains committed” to mobile, but will likely drop Android to focus on Windows 7 and Windows 8 tablets. The transition makes sense as Dell sells a lot of Windows-based PCs and is a close business partner with Microsoft.
[Dell via Electronista]