Google is said to be “doubling down” on Pixel phones & its hardware
All of this is based on an internal document that The Information managed to get ahold of. Removing Google Assistant support on some Wear OS watches, and lessening support for Assistant features are a part of the change within the company. In case you’re worried this will affect Google’s support for its partners and Android makers, it should not. This simply implies that Google is getting more serious about its hardware. Android is a completely separate story. It was reported a while back that the Pixel 6 has been the fastest-selling Pixel series ever. Google seemingly realized that it can succeed on the hardware side of things, and wants to rely more on itself in that regard. Based on the provided information, Google also has a shortlist of Android brands “for which it should develop the best Google services”. Samsung, OnePlus, and Xiaomi are included on that list, at least.
Google is concerned about Apple’s domination in the US
Google also seems to be “concerned” that Samsung is losing Android customers to Apple. As some of you know, iPhone shipments overtook sales of Android phones in the US for the first time ever this year. So, Google wants to make a push of its own, to win those customers back. A broader economic situation also has something to do with all this. Sundar Pichai, Google’s CEO, said recently that it wants to make the company “20% more efficient”. This led to hiring freezes and scaling back in some areas. That could be the reason (or part of it) why Google Stadia is getting shut down, and why the Area 120 division got cut down by 50%. This report also cites Kirk McMaster, the previous head of Cyanogen. He said that Google “can’t afford to back off” with Pixel phones and its own hardware. He said that if Google pulls away, it would be “really ceding power to Apple”.
