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OPINION: This week Google launched its new Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Professional smartphones. And whereas this is probably not terribly “new”, with the agency doing the identical October tech launch like clockwork for almost the final decade, for me the occasion felt very completely different.
This wasn’t simply because each telephones appear to be the most important updates we’ve seen to Google’s handset providing because the first technology Pixels launched many moons in the past. Or that it noticed Google return to the true flagship area with the Pixel 6 Professional, after seeming to desert it with final 12 months’s distinctly mid-range Pixel 5.
It was as a result of, for the primary time, Google appeared to have fully misplaced curiosity in taking part in good with the telephone and part makers that made the Android platform as nice as it’s.
This was obvious the second Google Senior Vice President, Rick Osterloh and Google Product Supervisor, Monica Gupta took to the stage on the Google occasion and triumphantly mentioned the 2 telephone’s new Tensor chips.
All through their descriptions the phrases like, “held again”, “not nearly as good”, “first time we’ve been in a position to” have been thrown round to explain the brand new chip and its capabilities in comparison with the competitors.
This can be a profound change to the best way Google has talked about different telephone makers and part suppliers prior to now.
When Android first launched, Google was not a {hardware} firm. Even the primary Nexus gadgets didn’t actually change that. Sure, you might purchase them and Google did crow about how good they have been, however it spent most of its time throughout these keynotes promoting their software program, not {hardware}.
The Nexus gadgets have been there purely to woo builders to work on Android and make it a world main platform. This was a key motive it by no means made its personal Nexus, selecting as a substitute to accomplice with the likes of HTC, Samsung, Motorola, LG and Huawei for every new technology. Any point out of how good the {hardware} was tended to come back through visitor audio system from Qualcomm, or the corporate that helped make the telephone
You would argue that this modified the second Google launched Pixel, the primary telephone line created solely by the search large. However I’d argue that wasn’t the case. Regardless of being “made by Google”, the Pixels nonetheless used elements from different OEMs, chief of which have been the Snapdragon chips they have been powered by. And Google by no means made as a lot of an enormous deal about their {hardware}, nonetheless pointing to their stellar software program and Google providers, which embrace innovative AI picture processing.
The transfer to deal with the way it was being held again earlier than Tensor is an indication Google’s come to the conclusion it not must play good with competing tech corporations and is transferring to chop them out – to a level.
This is able to make sense, as regardless of all the beautiful advertising, Google’s primary mission has by no means actually modified. Google is at its core an information firm. Each service it offers, each machine it makes has one purpose; to get customers onto its platform, its advertisements and sharing their information.
This is the reason Google made Gmail, Maps, Drive and just about each service in its portfolio. It’s additionally why it’s now making Tensor. The AI chip isn’t there that can assist you translate conversations overseas in real-time, or allow you to take higher footage. These are simply tertiary, albeit intentional, perks designed to entice you to make use of Google providers. Like Apple with its A and M-series chips, all it’s doing in a different way is attempting to chop out any additional value, or middlemen from the method.
From a shopper standpoint this may very well be a great factor. We’ve already seen how constructive a tech firm having full management over a tool’s software program and {hardware} will be with Apple’s iPhone line. However from a contest standpoint it may very well be horrible. Right here OEMs may very well be put in a really robust state of affairs the place the selection is to undertake Google {hardware} and software program, or ditch each in the event that they wish to supply aggressive person experiences.
We’ve already seen Huawei have to do that, albeit for various causes, with its Concord OS. Oppo’s additionally rumoured to be tinkering with its personal working system for this very motive. Again within the day Samsung additionally tried and failed to do that with Tizen having seemingly anticipated this eventuality.
This is the reason I can’t assist however really feel Google Tensor is a pivotal second for the tech trade that might essentially break the Android vs iOS establishment we’ve seen within the telephone marketplace for the final decade.
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