With its {hardware} occasion Tuesday, Alphabet Inc.’s Google is making an attempt to upstage Apple’s annual iPhone launch and is letting veteran government Rick Osterloh take heart stage.
Osterloh, a former Motorola president who joined Google in 2016, will lead the primary main product launch because the firm unified its {hardware} and Android working system improvement groups below his management this yr. The reorganization expanded Osterloh’s affect on the firm and confirmed that Google intends to compete within the {hardware} sector for the long run.
In an indication of a extra aggressive push into shopper units, Google moved up the annual launch of its flagship Pixel smartphone from October to August, preempting the upcoming debut of Apple Inc.’s iPhone and capturing consideration throughout a usually quiet interval for the trade.
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“For the primary time, I really feel like Alphabet is taking {hardware} and the smartphone house very severely,” stated Mandeep Singh, an analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence. “That’s a mirrored image of Rick’s management and what he’s executed.”
Google has invested closely in its Pixel line, together with designing its personal chip, sponsoring the NBA playoffs and giving units to famous person gamers like Giannis Antetokounmpo. And but it nonetheless trails Apple on the excessive finish of the market. Android accomplice Samsung Electronics Co. has cornered a lot of the remainder of that phase within the U.S., leaving little room for insurgents, even these as influential as Google.
Stiff competitors hasn’t slowed Osterloh’s star from rising inside Google, and handing him unilateral management of the corporate’s shopper choices (on the expense of Hiroshi Lockheimer, who beforehand oversaw Android) could also be a transfer to make sure Google can capitalize on the present push to monetize AI throughout units.
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“The scope of Osterloh’s position is appreciable. It applies not simply to Android, but in addition to different key platforms comparable to Chrome,” stated Ben Wooden, chief analyst at CCS Perception. “It might point out that Google has realized it wants a extra cohesive method throughout all platforms, notably because the AI battle heats up.”
The most recent wave of generative AI options has the potential to reignite shopper curiosity in smartphones and encourage them to improve their units extra often, Singh stated. Samsung has positioned its Galaxy line as an AI-first providing this yr, and reported that its Galaxy S24 collection posted double-digit gross sales progress over its predecessor. Apple has additionally signaled that it intends to promote iPhones because of a set of recent options it calls Apple Intelligence.
Google’s Pixel line, which dates again to Osterloh’s time on the firm, has been notable for its embrace of synthetic intelligence in its digicam software program. It has supplied groundbreaking developments like Night time Sight, a images mode that has been emulated throughout the cell trade, together with by Apple. And Google’s improvement of a Tensor cell chip, designed in-house, provides the corporate a differentiating function from different Android rivals.
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By holding its {hardware} unveiling a month earlier than the iPhone maker’s largest annual occasion, Google is “getting forward of Apple and likewise making it clear that we’re most likely means forward of what Apple will present for the iPhone 16, no less than,” Singh stated. Google has no less than a six-month head begin on Apple, which has invested much less in AI over time than a few of its Large Tech friends, he added.
Google’s technique — combining {hardware}, software program and companies improvement — has echoes of Apple’s profitable method to designing units. However as Osterloh appears to be like to grab the chance introduced by AI, he faces a perennial problem for Google: taking the battle to Apple with out threatening key relationships with {hardware} giants like Xiaomi Corp. that depend on the Android working system.
Sameer Samat, Android’s president, stated in an interview that his crew maintains strict boundaries on data sharing to make sure its tasks with the Pixel crew and companions like Samsung do not get combined up with one another. Nonetheless, the crew’s place below Osterloh will pave the best way for Google’s AI from the labs to Android companions, Samat stated.
“It permits us to take a few of our AI innovation and convey it to extra elements of the ecosystem extra shortly,” he added. “It’s about making an attempt to maneuver our AI journey sooner and enhance the patron expertise.”
Shortly after assuming his new position, Osterloh traveled to South Korea to satisfy together with his Samsung counterpart TM Roh to make sure the partnership and collaboration between the 2 firms continues to run easily. He additionally attended Samsung’s Unpacked product launch occasion in July, promising to carry Google’s AI-powered experiences “to each Android gadget.”
Due to the complexity of switching from Apple to Android units, any positive aspects Google makes in {hardware} will doubtless come on the expense of Android companions, which might be a helpful power in itself, Singh stated.
“This can put stress on these manufacturers to maneuver sooner,” Singh stated. “And total, I feel it is going to simply strengthen the Google ecosystem.”
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