Dell Discontinues Android-Powered Venue Tablets; No OS Updates for Existing Customers

Dell on Thursday said that it is discontinuing its Android-based Venue tablet line-up, adding it won't be offering any OS updates to the existing line-up. With this discontinuation, the company has backed out of Android market entirely and is planning to focus on Windows-powered 2-in-1 devices.

"The slate tablet market is over-saturated and is experiencing declining demand from consumers, so we've decided to discontinue the Android-based Venue tablet line," Dell's spokesperson told IDG News Service in an email on Thursday.

However, the company has affirmed that it will continue to support the currently active warranty and service contracts until they expire.

The company said that it is seeing rise in demand, especially in commercial space, for 2-in-1s since they provide a more "optimal" mix of PC capabilities and mobility that a tablet provides.

Last Month, Dell unveiled Inspiron 7000, Inspiron 11 3000, and Inspiron 5000 devices in the 2-in-1 category at Computex 2016.

On April 28, research company IDC reported that the total tablet shipments saw a decline of around 1.7 percent year-on-year during the January-March quarter and Apple continued to have a big chunk of the market share with 10.3 percent of the total tablet shipments coming from the company, followed by Samsung, Amazon, and Lenovo.