A dedicated GPS is something like a navigation system built into a car, works well but is often several years out of date and very limited when compared to a tablet/phone.
A tablet is more than a portable blueprint, you can build a plotter on it, but it is much more expensive than a tablet and you also risk stealing/expansion of such an expensive device during the period when you are not on board, take a tablet. Take you home safely.
The disadvantage of the installation is that you want to use this screen both indoors and outdoors, the repeater screen in the router position makes it more expensive, and the portability of the tablet is also a big plus.
An onboard GPS often has a monochrome LCD and an arrow in the direction of the waypoint you enter using the coordinates.
Graphical solutions with integrated hydrographs with depths, vertical clearance, bridge run times, port rates and telephone numbers, route diagram, VHF channels used, etc. manufacturer and you do not have the freedom to run alternative applications, in short this is a very expensive and limited option.
In addition, the tablet is multifunctional, just look at Netflix or NL, and watch it work on a plotter, this tablet also works at home on the couch as a non-GPS device, so You can also enjoy with it even an expensive built-in boot screen.
You will be amazed how many sailing ships, (small) cruisers and sailboats in the cabin nowadays use a tablet as a modern water chart and calendar on board during voyages. It is good to consume the media in the evening, as at home.
So it was a reaction to saying that no one needs a GPS on their tablet to navigate…
This is of course not the biggest market and probably not what Google is focused on, no GPS = mainly indoor use (screen doesn’t have to be too bright, battery life is less important either) and with this tablet Google offers great integration with Google Home/Nest and all something important.
Overall, I’ve been happy for a long time that Google is paying attention to tablets again and coming up with hardware again, hopefully a Pro/Active version with GPS and/or 5G and also adding something along the way.