Google’s new tablet may have originally been a Chrome OS device

Google released the Pixel C earlier this week, and while most people agree that it’s a solid tablet with an excellent design, it doesn’t have nearly as many productivity features as the iPad Pro or the Surface Pro 4, which is pretty damn important for a productivity-focused tablet. The fact that it’s powered by Android means it was always going to be limited, but that doesn’t excuse the fact that much of the device’s software feels unfinished. While the team behind the tablet has promised that the software will continue to develop, there’s a theory that the Pixel C was originally supposed to be powered by Chrome OS, not Android, but that the team switched its strategy in the middle of development.

When the Pixel C surprisingly hit stores on Tuesday, initial reviews came out pretty glowing. The hardware looked impressive, after all, and many users praised the sturdy construction and gorgeous 10.2-inch display. They physical keyboard promised that this tablet would be the kind of machine you could really get work done on as well. However, software issues soon began to make themselves apparent, and public perspective of the Pixel C rapidly shifted. It almost seemed like the software hadn’t been finished, and the development team held a Reddit AMA in order to try to explain the devices shortcomings. The team promised that the software was going to continue to be developed, but they didn’t really offer any answer regarding why the Pixel C was rushed into release with so many problems still present. Now a new theory has arrived that seems to completely explain the Pixel C’s shortcomings. Specifically, the device wasn’t supposed to be an Android tablet at all, but rather a Chrome tablet. In a piece of damn fine journalism, Ron Amadeo over at Ars Technica wrote up an exposé detailing development of the Pixel C and organizing a body of evidence that’s very difficult to argue with. It seems the tablet was originally conceived to run as a flagship for a touch-centric version of the Chrome OS codenamed “Project Athena.”