Google tells hardware workers to find new roles

Raising questions over its future plans in the hardware business, Google has reportedly told several employees in its laptop and tablet division to find other roles at the company.

According to the Business Insider, the move is aimed at trimming Google's "Create" division which manufactures the Pixelbook laptop and Pixel Slate tablet, among other products.

Other hardware teams at Google develop Pixel smartphones, "Home" smart speakers and Wearables.

"According to one source, the Create hardware team had a abunch of stuff in the works' and that the cutting the number of hardware engineers and programme managers on the team will likely apare down the portfolio' of products," the report said on Wednesday.

The affected workers have been told to seek temporary roles within other Google or Alphabet teams.

A Google spokesperson declined to comment on the development.

Google Pixelbook is a "Chromebook", running on Google's Chrome OS software and is only capable of using Internet-based applications.

Google's first Pixel device, the Chromebook Pixel laptop, was announced in 2013.