|
| VIEW EVENT INFORMATION: Google |
 |
About the organization Google:
Type: Business
Sub-Types: Website, Search Engine, Computer Software, Application Software, Telecommunication Software |
|
Notable Organizations: Google, Techcrunch
|
|
| Google wanted to announce more than just a boatload of products at its event the other week. The company hoped to foster a new conversation around consumer hardware, moving from a narrative about specs to one about artificial intelligence and machine learning.
The Pixel 2 is the centerpiece of that idea. The sequel to last year’s hit phone isn’t a radical upgrade. If it were an Apple product, the company would put a somewhat resigned “S” after the model number as an affirmation that this is one of those in-between years. It’s an evolution of a good phone that helps the device keep pace with the market, but lacks the sort of wow factor that drives early adopters to trade in last year’s model.
But while Google managed to wow many reviewers with its self-branded entry into the market, the Pixel line was arguably never really just about hardware to begin with. It’s about developing hardware and software together.
It’s a synergy few outside of Apple have been able to accomplish, but as Microsoft has done with its surprisingly successful Surface line, the phones are showcases for the power of pure, uncut Android. It’s a line developed with the Android experience at its core — a marked change from many of the company’s hardware partners, where OS is more of an afterthought.
There’s little doubt that the company is doing some of the industry’s most compelling work in terms of consumer-facing AI and machine learning. Years of research and development on those fronts are beginning to bear fruit and have converged here in some very interesting ways. Taking a step back to examine Google’s long-term goals with software offerings like Assistant and Lens, it’s easy to envision a future where hardware becomes relatively incidental. |
|
|
| Leave Comments: |
|
|
|
|
|
