New Google Hardware Thoughts
Well, I watched the live stream today. And here is where I stand on things.
Pixel 3
Perhaps the most expected and least exciting would have to be the Pixel 3. Though, the unveiling itself was actually more than half decent because it appears as though the most exciting announcements are all around software, and software which will roll out to both the existing Pixel and Pixel 2 phones.
The Pixel 3 hardware itself is a tough sell. At least, for those like me with a Pixel 2. The RAM remains the same and the screen is similar tech. The processor gets a bump up, but with just about everything else remaining the same it is hard to see this as a serious hardware refresh. Given the nearly stagnant specs and the investment in software, I was kind of hoping the leaks around price were wrong.
It seems like Google realizes this. But didn't want to tarnish the brand image by lowering the price point. Here in Canada for instance, the phone if pre-ordered comes with a free Pixel Stand, a $75 Play Store credit, 4 years of free original quality storage for photos and 6 months of YouTube TV. Needless to say, if you subtract the market value of the perks from the overall price you get a device which is MUCH more reasonably priced. The $75 Play credit and stand alone are 1/5 of the devices price tag. And, if this is anything like the Pixel 2 launch, some or all of those perks could remain in place for a decent time after the pre-order window. In fact, I expect at least some of them to do so.
It is hard for me to justify it, but I kind of want it. I'm really kind of lured in by the wireless charging. My wife's Pixel 2 already has a somewhat flaky USB-C charge port. She also has the extended warranty so if it gets too bad, she is covered. Mine is fine, but my Nexus 6P was having charging issues before I dropped a giant paper weight on it. Also, I always like having a backup phone. And right now, I don't have one.
Pixel Home Hub
This looks cool. And the price point is around where I had hoped it would be. I don't know what it will translate into in CAD, but it isn't that bad. I wish it were detachable from the base. But, nothing indicated that in the presentation so I doubt it is. I'm also not sold on how good it actually is at managing smart homes despite the name. But, the price is good and the looks are good. That is about all I can say for now.
Pixel Slate
This follows the steps of Google's past with over priced Chrome OS based hardware. The cheapest model is a Celeron based tablet with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. And that goes for $849 CAD. This is probably the most expensive Celeron based device on the planet. Chrome OS still falls behind both Windows and Mac OS for productivity. On the high end is an i7 based model for $2k CAD. In reality, if they want to price it this way, the m3 and i5 models should probably be the only models. And the m3 should cost what the Celeron one does. I'd be OK with it dropping to 4GB or RAM and 32GB disk to get the price down. And the i5 should cost around what the m3 does.
At the end of the day, the i7 is simply stupid for Chrome OS, even with the addition of Play Store apps and games.
Maybe I'm just a crazy cynic. But Chrome OS is a much lighter OS than Windows or MacOS. It has lower requirements. So, it should have a lower entry price in the market for a decent slate than either. But, it costs more. LOTS more. Lots more than even the 1st party offerings from their competitors. It is easily over twice the price of the cheapest iPad and almost twice as much as the cheapest Surface Go.
I have ZERO issues with hero devices or flagship devices. They are definitely needed to build hype. But, every ecosystem also needs affordable entrants which are done well. Chrome OS probably would have displaced Mac OS by now if they had a quality entry level device.
That covers the major announcements. I think, mostly, the reception will be muted. It wasn't really a ground breaking event. Even if you factor out the early leaks. This wouldn't have been a wildly exciting announcement. In fact, the most interesting stuff wasn't leaked. It was the software changes on the phones. None of the products break new ground or represent a huge evolution on their own. Everything is VERY expensive except the Hub which also has a lot of competition from Amazon and is also the hardest purchase to justify.
I feel much the same about Apple's recent product launches.
Both companies are making attempts to exploit the reality of the current market. Which is to say, hardware isn't advancing that quick and no one has a killer idea they are willing to stand behind. So, they are coming up with other ways to push costs and margins up.
Google has left the phones mostly untouched, but throws in a bunch of "freebies" to whet your appetite. Apple released a new tier of product to justify making everything else more expensive.
If you own the prior gen of any tier of iPhone or Pixel, you have no real compelling reason to upgrade. And this is more the case now than ever before.
Camera quality improves. As does processor. But the reality is most apps don't need to added processing head room, and percentage-wise the gaps are increasingly smaller between generations. And while people certainly value their photography, the iterative differences get smaller and smaller to the point that now, even professionals can quibble for hours over whether the past or current gen is better or whether the Pixel is better or worse than the iPhone.
I remember when the Pixel 2 came out. I literally read two camera reviews back to back comparing the iPhone X camera with the Pixel 2. Both claimed to be avid photographers. And both claimed to be in the know. Both drew MASSIVELY different conclusions on the "winner". So, don't tell me that you, or your brother or the Apple Genius really care enough about the difference to even be able to spot it.
My Pixel 2 takes great pictures. But, honestly, I liked the ones from my Nexus 6P as much or more. And, I wouldn't complain if all of my pictures were still frozen in time at the quality produced by my Lumia 1020. Prior to my 1020, my opinion on phone hardware changes a lot. But, that means that a 5 year old camera produced high enough quality pictures to satisfy my current needs. My Nexus 6P was better than the 1020. Around that point in time, my phones started taking good enough pictures that I would no longer consider buying a dedicated camera. The only thing the Pixel has done better is increase speed and consistency.
Anyway, I got far off topic. I like the Pixel 3. Not a fan of notches, so not a fan of the 3 XL. Just personal preference. But, I'm actually actively trying to persuade myself not to buy it. And that is kind of the exact opposite of every other experience I've had.
Pixel 3
Perhaps the most expected and least exciting would have to be the Pixel 3. Though, the unveiling itself was actually more than half decent because it appears as though the most exciting announcements are all around software, and software which will roll out to both the existing Pixel and Pixel 2 phones.
The Pixel 3 hardware itself is a tough sell. At least, for those like me with a Pixel 2. The RAM remains the same and the screen is similar tech. The processor gets a bump up, but with just about everything else remaining the same it is hard to see this as a serious hardware refresh. Given the nearly stagnant specs and the investment in software, I was kind of hoping the leaks around price were wrong.
It seems like Google realizes this. But didn't want to tarnish the brand image by lowering the price point. Here in Canada for instance, the phone if pre-ordered comes with a free Pixel Stand, a $75 Play Store credit, 4 years of free original quality storage for photos and 6 months of YouTube TV. Needless to say, if you subtract the market value of the perks from the overall price you get a device which is MUCH more reasonably priced. The $75 Play credit and stand alone are 1/5 of the devices price tag. And, if this is anything like the Pixel 2 launch, some or all of those perks could remain in place for a decent time after the pre-order window. In fact, I expect at least some of them to do so.
It is hard for me to justify it, but I kind of want it. I'm really kind of lured in by the wireless charging. My wife's Pixel 2 already has a somewhat flaky USB-C charge port. She also has the extended warranty so if it gets too bad, she is covered. Mine is fine, but my Nexus 6P was having charging issues before I dropped a giant paper weight on it. Also, I always like having a backup phone. And right now, I don't have one.
Pixel Home Hub
This looks cool. And the price point is around where I had hoped it would be. I don't know what it will translate into in CAD, but it isn't that bad. I wish it were detachable from the base. But, nothing indicated that in the presentation so I doubt it is. I'm also not sold on how good it actually is at managing smart homes despite the name. But, the price is good and the looks are good. That is about all I can say for now.
Pixel Slate
This follows the steps of Google's past with over priced Chrome OS based hardware. The cheapest model is a Celeron based tablet with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. And that goes for $849 CAD. This is probably the most expensive Celeron based device on the planet. Chrome OS still falls behind both Windows and Mac OS for productivity. On the high end is an i7 based model for $2k CAD. In reality, if they want to price it this way, the m3 and i5 models should probably be the only models. And the m3 should cost what the Celeron one does. I'd be OK with it dropping to 4GB or RAM and 32GB disk to get the price down. And the i5 should cost around what the m3 does.
At the end of the day, the i7 is simply stupid for Chrome OS, even with the addition of Play Store apps and games.
Maybe I'm just a crazy cynic. But Chrome OS is a much lighter OS than Windows or MacOS. It has lower requirements. So, it should have a lower entry price in the market for a decent slate than either. But, it costs more. LOTS more. Lots more than even the 1st party offerings from their competitors. It is easily over twice the price of the cheapest iPad and almost twice as much as the cheapest Surface Go.
I have ZERO issues with hero devices or flagship devices. They are definitely needed to build hype. But, every ecosystem also needs affordable entrants which are done well. Chrome OS probably would have displaced Mac OS by now if they had a quality entry level device.
That covers the major announcements. I think, mostly, the reception will be muted. It wasn't really a ground breaking event. Even if you factor out the early leaks. This wouldn't have been a wildly exciting announcement. In fact, the most interesting stuff wasn't leaked. It was the software changes on the phones. None of the products break new ground or represent a huge evolution on their own. Everything is VERY expensive except the Hub which also has a lot of competition from Amazon and is also the hardest purchase to justify.
I feel much the same about Apple's recent product launches.
Both companies are making attempts to exploit the reality of the current market. Which is to say, hardware isn't advancing that quick and no one has a killer idea they are willing to stand behind. So, they are coming up with other ways to push costs and margins up.
Google has left the phones mostly untouched, but throws in a bunch of "freebies" to whet your appetite. Apple released a new tier of product to justify making everything else more expensive.
If you own the prior gen of any tier of iPhone or Pixel, you have no real compelling reason to upgrade. And this is more the case now than ever before.
Camera quality improves. As does processor. But the reality is most apps don't need to added processing head room, and percentage-wise the gaps are increasingly smaller between generations. And while people certainly value their photography, the iterative differences get smaller and smaller to the point that now, even professionals can quibble for hours over whether the past or current gen is better or whether the Pixel is better or worse than the iPhone.
I remember when the Pixel 2 came out. I literally read two camera reviews back to back comparing the iPhone X camera with the Pixel 2. Both claimed to be avid photographers. And both claimed to be in the know. Both drew MASSIVELY different conclusions on the "winner". So, don't tell me that you, or your brother or the Apple Genius really care enough about the difference to even be able to spot it.
My Pixel 2 takes great pictures. But, honestly, I liked the ones from my Nexus 6P as much or more. And, I wouldn't complain if all of my pictures were still frozen in time at the quality produced by my Lumia 1020. Prior to my 1020, my opinion on phone hardware changes a lot. But, that means that a 5 year old camera produced high enough quality pictures to satisfy my current needs. My Nexus 6P was better than the 1020. Around that point in time, my phones started taking good enough pictures that I would no longer consider buying a dedicated camera. The only thing the Pixel has done better is increase speed and consistency.
Anyway, I got far off topic. I like the Pixel 3. Not a fan of notches, so not a fan of the 3 XL. Just personal preference. But, I'm actually actively trying to persuade myself not to buy it. And that is kind of the exact opposite of every other experience I've had.
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