Earlier this week, we heard news that Google could revamp the way it sells the original Pixel Tablet. That means selling the tablet and its dock as separate products, rather than a bundle. But on top of that, we may also see the tablet get the accessory support it sorely needs to take on the impending wave of iPads — specifically an official stylus and keyboard.
According to leaker @MysteryLupin, Google is set to release an official Pen and Bluetooth keyboard for the Pixel tablet. They claim that the two accessories will be available in Hazel and Porcelain coloring, and will retail for “around €100."
That’s €100 each, apparently, and it’s claimed that there won’t be a bundle of tablet and accessories. Altogether, you will be spending around €800 based on newly-rumored pricing, or €949 if you also wanted the Pixel Tablet speaker dock as well.
At first glance, this seems steep. But considering the Apple Pencil 2 costs as much as €149 in Europe, and the iPad Pro’s Magic Keyboard costs €299, a €100 price tag for the new accessories may not be that unreasonable. It all depends on what kind of hardware and features Google is offering.
A keyboard akin to Apple’s Magic keyboard, complete with a floating stand mechanism could be worth it. But if Google comes at us with a basic Bluetooth keyboard, even if it’s attached to a case, then there's an ocean of cheaper alternatives.
It's difficult to gauge how U.S. pricing might look, because the Pixel Tablet is considerably more expensive in the EU than it is over here.
We don’t have any additional details, so we can’t really comment any further right now. If this rumor is legitimate then we’ll likely find out more at Google I/O on May 14. However the fact that one of our biggest criticisms of the Pixel Tablet was the lack of official productivity accessories, here’s hoping Google doesn’t let us down.
