Is Google’s ecosystem pushing too fast? Let’s debate.

Google has flooded I / O 2022 with hardware announcements. While we were already looking forward to seeing the Pixel 6a and Pixel Watch, we were surprised by the promised return to the tablet ecosystem with the Pixel tablet. Google now has fingers on many different feet, from smartphones to earbuds, from tablets to smartwatches, from smart home devices to laptops, and perhaps even devices that can be folded at some point in the future.

This raises the question: is Google pushing itself into new product segments all at once? Or is it finally serious about creating an integrated ecosystem that will be able to nail a T-shirt? Android authorityIndomitable and Rita present arguments from both sides.

Our guide: All You Need to Know About Google Hardware

Google’s “help world” may need some help of its own (Adamya)

Google has done what is expected of a high-tech company. It announced the entry into smartwatches and re-entry into the Android tablet landscape. But this author suspects that the Mountain View Giant could pull off all these new form factors and sustain them year after year, let alone pushed through some of the well-established markets that have ruined consumers for choice today.

Alphabet, Google’s parent company, has been waiting a long time to create this hardware splash – an Android smartwatch that works wonders with an Android phone just like the Apple Watch works with an iPhone, but also the ultimate Android tablet the iPad competitor we’ve always wanted. But Google has a history of jumping on the bandwagon and then backtracking on its big promises. Why do we have something called Google Graveyard. An impersonal landscape of Nexus Player, Chromecast Audio and countless other products that Google was once passionate about was abandoned in the middle. It’s almost as if Google creates things without a broader perspective and then kills them for lack of commitment.

Don’t get me wrong, Google certainly has the power to do everything – and Rita will tell you why in a moment. If anything last year, the company has proven that it can enjoy success in the flagship smartphone space. However, its recent hardware wins are not a sign of things to come.

In 2020, a year before the arrival of the Pixel 6, Alphabet acknowledged a decline in hardware sales. And while Google is now parading its new victory, the owners of the Pixel 6 are not happy. Since the series launched in October 2021, the bugs have had an irresistible spot. Complaints about dropped calls, broken Wi-Fi, and more have flooded Reddit’s history for months. The company is even planning to offer higher kickbacks to salespeople to take the Pixel 6 out of the door now.

With Pixel Watch and tablets on the horizon, Google’s software team must have fully developed Android for large and small screens. This raises the question of whether the team will be able to provide quality updates across devices, especially to focus more on new products than existing ones.

Google neglected Google smartwatch software for years before Samsung came along, and last year it took a breather with Wear OS 3. The success of the Galaxy Watch 4 is how things should have been from the beginning and how Google, with all its resources, has failed to do justice to the Android smartwatch landscape over the years.

However, despite Samsung’s involvement, we didn’t really see much speed in the development of Wear OS 3. A number of existing smartwatches are expected to be upgraded, but have not yet done so; The new and improved Wear OS is currently only available on the Galaxy Watch 4. The Pixel Watch will be the litmus test for software that Google has ignored for years. It’s possible that we’ll see the real wonder of Wear OS 3 in Google’s wearable wear, but the company’s silence about the future of the software and its tarnished update history doesn’t really inspire confidence at the moment.

For the Pixel tablet, Google has been away from the bus for years now. Its last tablet – Chrome OS-powered Pixel Slate – was released five years ago. There was a lot for the device but its heavy price tags and software bugs didn’t bring it close to destroying the 12.9-inch iPad Pro. Then all of a sudden, not too long ago in 2019, Google left the tablet market with a decision to double its laptop portfolio.

Three years later, Google has once again become the tablet champion, calling the Pixel tablet “the most helpful tablet in the world.” But I doubt it will. Even Google’s more focused efforts can’t convince me that it can bridge Market gap Between Android tablets and iPads. Yes, copying accessories from a Pixel phone to a tablet would be great, but tablet buyers who can afford the $ 329 iPad and know it will take many years to replace it. With a new one. In order to truly launch the Pixel tablet, Google must first ensure that it is fully committed to the tablet ecosystem and not abandon it one last time. Scaling for the tablet screen requires more than just updating its apps.

Visit more: With Android 12L, Google must lead by example

So far, I think Google’s entire ecosystem push could be too fast. But my colleague Rita has some very valid points for Google. Here’s how he feels about the company renting out his new venture.

Everything is OK for Google’s ecosystem to succeed in the end (Rita)

The realistic side of my brain agrees with every point raised indomitably. Google has historically drew the attention of Dory (fame of Finding Nemo and Finding Dory) to the shiny new project. It identifies bugs and issues with every single hardware and software product it shipped. Its previous attempts to crack the tablet and wearable markets have not been very successful. And communication between its various groups has been ridiculously bad over the years; Just look at the status of its messaging app – there are six of them!

On top of that, Google has to strike a balance between winning its own brand and keeping its partners happy in the wider Android ecosystem. If the company starts taking a big chunk of the pie, it could push away the choices of Samsung or Xiaomi, resulting in more fragmentation, less market dominance and ultimately less revenue for its very profitable advertising business.

That’s why when I think of an integrated ecosystem and an integrated experience across products, the first name that comes to mind is Google. Apple Hall. But that’s why I think this ecosystem push isn’t too much or too fast. In fact, it was what we needed and it was time for it to happen.

For the first time in years, most of Google’s hardware seems to have ducked up. The Pixel 6 is the fastest-selling Pixel, Pixel 4 and Pixel 5, both sold in less than eight months. The cheap Pixel ‘a’ line-up has seen positive reception over the years and paved the way for better midrange devices across the board. With new custom tensor processors, impressive cameras and attractive prices, the company holds a formula for success that could repeat itself over the years to cement its presence in the smartphone space.

See also: The Pixel A and Galaxy A series usher in the golden age of midrange smartphones

But that’s just part of the story. The purchase of Fitbit and the recent collaboration with Samsung on Wear OS has given it a foothold in the wearable market that was not there before. Over the years, it has had to rely on a few third-party smartwatch makers (such as Tickwatch) and fashion brands (like Fossil) to transform its vision into a physical product. The change in Google’s wearables during the transition from the Nexus brand to the Pixel brand is similar to what we’ve seen now. Now, Google can cast its own vision into a product that it always controls.

On the software side, things are looking up for the first time in a while. Of course, we had to say goodbye to some of our favorite services and exciting projects, but it also resulted in a more streamlined and focused effort for Google. We’ve seen the tablet software get some much-needed attention with Android 12L and promise further improvements. We’ve seen most of Google’s apps update to Material You over the months – similar shifts were used a few years ago in the days of holo and original material design.

Google has clearly improved its software-centric approach to hardware products. Thanks to quarterly feature drops, more AI-based cameras and calling (and more) features, and deeper Google Assistant integration, Pixel devices are getting better with the ownership cycle. This means a strict integration between hardware and software; The two became inseparable, similar to Apple’s entire policy.

Read more: It’s time to dump her and move on

A few years ago, Google should have pushed for a more integrated Pixel ecosystem, but it’s not too late. In fact, I would argue that it is now or never. Apple has already established itself as the standard for a seamlessly integrated experience across all devices, but many other Android makers are trying to create their own mini-walled gardens – to name a few, including Samsung’s Buds and Xiaomi’s smart home portfolio of watches and health platforms. If Google doesn’t offer a similar experience now, it runs the risk of losing even its toughest pixel fans.

The goal is not to compete with Samsung or Xiaomi. I suspect this is the case and I suspect Google has the logistics to stop this. But in Android’s grand scheme, Beacon could be a lineup of tightly-linked Pixel products that show the way for other manufacturers, showing them what should and should not be done for a better experience.

If a company can create a fully integrated ecosystem, starting with a phone and then making some more scattered products, then Google. It has resources, it has knowledge, it seems to be more focused than before and the stars were not aligned as they are now.

Of course, there will be countless bugs and hardware failures, and of course, they will magnify inconsistently (like anything pixel-related), but when things work out like them, a pixel ecosystem will provide a pleasurable experience. And Google will continue to learn and improve over the next few generations. I choose to believe in a positive outcome for this effort. How are you