Android Thoughts: Is Android Failing as a Tablet Platform?

"I like Android. I own both a tablet and a smartphone running Android, and I find them both to be great mobile devices. I have tested and reviewed dozens of phones and tablets running some form of Android, and for the most part I have liked them all. My personal preference for Android aside, I have to be honest and state that Android is failing as a tablet platform compared to the competition."

Failing? Not really, but, I look at Android for tablets somewhat like I look at Linux for desktops and laptops, it works, but there is currently no compelling reason for me to switch. Like Linux, Android for tablets come in a variety of flavors, layered atop Honeycomb, just as the various Linux distros are layered upon a Linux kernel. Slight differences. The author makes a good point, that no one company is stepping up and driving the platform forward, not even Google. An example would be the Xoom's lack of support for the SD hardware onboard, even though this was touted as an advantage over the competition. A fix is rumored to be soon available outside North America, according to Motorola Europe. What about us? Until someone (Amazon, for example?) steps up and drives (unifies, extends) Android for tablets forward, it'll continue to be second in the race, and we all know that almost nobody remembers a second place finisher in a competition.