Many of you may be shocked to find out that Dell is backing out of the US tablet market, but I suspect a good deal of you will be shocked to learn that it was ever in the race to begin with. Today, Dell has confirmed that it has stopped selling the Dell Streak 7, its last Android tablet still on sale in the United States. The company discontinued the Dell Streak 5 back in August. The Dell Streak 10 continues to be available in China, but no North American release has been announced.
“Dell remains committed to the mobility market and continues to sell products here and in other parts of the world,” the company said in a statement. “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….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.”
From the looks of it, Dell is now pinning its hopes on Windows. The company currently sells a couple Windows Phones (that haven’t sold well) and an Inspiron laptop that converts into a Windows 7 tablet and will likely come out with Windows 8 machines sometime in 2012 when Microsoft launches the new OS. The company could feasibly return to the tablet market at that time as well, since Windows 8 will run on mobile ARM processors, as well as Intel, and is being built for touchscreens.
If any of you actually own a Dell Streak, let us know what you think of it.
