We already told you last week that Google keep working on Fuchsia OS, but it is not yet entirely clear that he will take the step of replace Android and Chrome OS with him, so in the short and medium term the dilemma of the search engine between these two operating systems regarding the future (in the short and medium term) of tablets, is still there. The reviews of the first tablet with Chrome OS, however, they awaken many questions.
Criticisms of the tablet itself
Indeed, with a view to the launch of the tablet in the United States, which took place today, some of the media in this country have had the opportunity to get their hands on the first tablet to the Chromebook Tab 10 de Acer (as The Verge o Engadget), which has given us a new opportunity to assess the potential of the tablets with Chrome OS And, once again, the reviews have not been too positive.
We must begin by clarifying, yes, that a good part of the complaints are directed very directly against the tablet itself, but it does not hurt to echo them so that they can help us to assess what we should ask for the next tablets that are released with Chrome OS if we want to avoid disappointment, because it must be said that for a tablet with a price of around $300, there are a few bets on the part of Acer that attract attention, to say the least, and that we hope set no precedent.
The first of these is the design, something that we had already commented from a first contact with the tablet, since it is too bulky and heavy for what we are used to seeing in Android tablets and iPad of that price. The second is the Rockchip processor, which everyone agrees that it leaves a performance very poor, especially when it comes to managing more than one app at the same time. The third is the least relevant, but we note the emphasis that everyone has placed on the issue: cameras they are very limited, even for a tablet.
Criticisms of the experience of using Chrome OS on tablets
The software has not fared too well either, and this is a more important question going forward. We already told you from that first contact with this tablet that, although some were more enthusiastic, many insisted that it gave the feeling that Chrome OS I wasn't ready to make the jump to tablets yet, as it kept crying out to be used primarily with keyboard and mouse. At that time we read, for example, some criticisms of how uncomfortable it was to use it without a home or start button.
In this new batch of reviews, however, what has been criticized most frequently is that apps open full screen by default, starting because many of the Android apps are not optimized for this format. It's not the only thing that has left a bad taste in your mouth, if at all, and we've also seen complaints about how uncomfortable it is to use your virtual keyboard or lack of gestures that facilitate navigation, for example.
The most important for us is probably the very negative evaluations that are made of the multitask, more than anything, because this was one of the sections in which we expected that Chrome OS was an important advance over Android, and at the moment it seems that it works practically the same as in this one, without going beyond having the option of opening two apps side by side and adjusting the size of each one.
Android tablets still have no successors
No matter how many doubts the Android tablets in recent times, it seems clear that at the moment they have no replacement and are still the only viable option for those who do not want to jump on the iPad. In fact, seeing that Fuchsia is already on the horizon and the little that continues to convince Chrome OS on tablets despite all efforts of Google In recent years, it is inevitable to wonder if it had not been more worthwhile to dedicate them simply to improve the experience of using Android in this format.
Of course, this does not mean to rule out that Chrome OS it will end up being an interesting option in tablets, but it simply seems that few there are who are not clear that it is far from being it yet. Yes Google He continues working to improve it, surely he will end up finding the solution for all the problems that are being put to him at the moment, but it may mean waiting a couple of years more and who knows how the panorama will be on tablets by then.
Fortunately, even if it is true that for many Android tablets are not going to be the best bet if we are thinking of a tablet to work or study, it is also true that for the needs of many others, and especially if what we are looking for is mainly using them as multimedia devices, we are not going to have any problem, and in recent times, we are witnessing the launch of many new models, with very interesting features.