Larry Page has been interviewed about the coming plans of Google. It seems to be less about new devices, and more about new ways to run all devices with Google software.
If you can take anything from the Google I/O Dev Conference (other than smartwatches still aren’t cool), it is that Google wants to be everywhere. They want to be on your computer, your tablet, your phone, your accessories, your TV, your car and – literally – on your face.
Larry Page said in an interview at the event that this is all part of their goal for multi-screen synchronization. Google wants to be a part of your life every step of your day. All of their products are aiming to be controlled by the same basic Android software in order to accomplish it.
This was Microsoft’s mantra, once upon a time, and Apple’s before that. In fact, the nearly identical nature of the scramble to dominate all devices with a single brand is almost startling. Google seems to be taking up where others left off.
With one key difference: Google has a much higher chance of succeeding in the venture. Already, the company has managed to crack their way into nearly every high and consumer tech related industry available.
All of this is despite the fact that users are becoming more paranoid about privacy. Farhad Manjoo of the NY Times pointed out the difficulty of fulfilling an agenda based entirely on a consumer’s willingness to provide private information to a company in exchange for handy gadgets.
Yet, we have already done that. Who doesn’t have a Google account? Gmail? Google+? YouTube? An Android run device? A Google Play account? Use Google Drive? Use the Google search engine?
We have already joined the cult of Google. So these plans to exchange privacy for full device integration are not nearly as “far-reaching” as Manjoo might optimistically speculate. We are, as a global whole, more than happy to give away privacy for nifty stuff.
In the end, I don’t think this is surprising. Automation and integration have both been creeping forward with each new stage in the technology’s evolution. It was only a matter of time before someone started taking real steps to connect the brand fully. Google is probably the most likely winner of the race, because they have been the most successful in releasing products in every area.
Still, the backlash is growing.
Source: NY Times
