Along with I would imagine many other people I watched Google’s Pixel release presentation. Like I said on Tuesday I would come and talk about what I saw. As a tech blogger, it should be no surprise to you that I love watching these things. To be clear, I’m a big fan of Apple so Google users can, but I will recognize that Google has some awesome tech. Seeing the newest and best that is coming out is a refreshing look at where we’re going technologically and what views the various companies have about what is important to their customers.
I will admit that this is the first Google event that I have watched. I’ve turned into a few of the Apple ones and I liked them (and their products, let’s be honest) but I’ve not tuned into one of the Google ones yet. It was fun to watch which was great to see a company that wants to display their new products and does so in an accessible way. This was in contrast to the way that Microsoft did it the previous week.
1) They’ve been drinking Apple’s Presentation Kool-aid – One of the first things that struck me right off the bat was their presentation style. For years Apple has been presenting in a very specific formula. Talk about all the accomplishments the company has done over the year, Talk about the products using adjectives like “awesome,” “Really cool” and “We’ve done (ThingX) like no one else on the market,” show super cool and dynamic videos for each of the products being promoted. Google has taken this style to heart. Throughout the whole presentation, they followed this formula exactly. I’m not knocking this way of selling products; in fact, I think it’s great that they do it. If someone is trying to sell you on a product and uses adjectives like “It’s ok…” or “I suppose it works” you would A) not buy the product and B) likely forget about it after 10 minutes. By not only saying that something is “Totally awesome” and sounding like you believe it, but it’s also the kind of enthusiasm that makes your potential consumers want to look and see how awesome it is. It seemed clear to me that the people at Google were seriously on board with the products that they were launching.
2) They see the universe through “Searchable information” and how it can help you live – As Google started life out as a search engine, it should come as so surprise that they view the world and how their products work through Information Search-ability. Everything from their Picture Metadata to their products ability to sense whose talking to them is framed in the scope of how information and gathering information for people can improve their lives.
3) Their technology is super cool – Even as an Apple guy, I have to admit that some of the stuff that they have come out with looks to be super cool. The one thing that struck me was the Google Hub. This is designed to be a next-generation version of Google home. It not only gives you verbal information but also has a screen to show you information as well. One of the examples that they gave of this being awesome was that it would A) recognize different people’s voices and respond accordingly depending on the person, and B) give you Videos on how to do things if that’s what you wanted. It’s getting that much closer to being a true digital assistant. If you are entirely on Google for your calendar, to-do lists, etc. Google Hub will be able to go through and help you get your day to day life organized.
4) Their Diversity is an interesting touch – I don’t believe that this was on purpose, but I did like how diverse the ethnicity’s of the various speakers were. In a world where we are seeing more and more grumpy old white men talking about things that make us angry, it’s nice to see a true cross-section of North American life in a corporation being represented at the forefront. I do not doubt in my mind that it was entirely coincidental that that is what happened, and that the people leading the projects that they were talking about (Pixel phone, Google hub, etc.) were the qualified people for the job. In other words, I don’t think it was cast that way, and you certainly can’t fake the level of enthusiasm for the products that the presenters were showing off.
5) Their three guiding principles – At the beginning of the keynote, they outlined the three guiding principles of the company. They were 1) Respect each user as an individual 2) The Security of their users and 3) how you are in control of your digital well being (as in you can put down your screens and be less addicted). I really like the fact that they talked about it at length right at the beginning. Before they got into how cool their accomplishments were before they talked about their awesome tech, they talked about how important their core values are.
All in all, I think that it was a presentation. I like the fact that they put their values first. It’s essential to have a company out there that is willing to stick to its values and have THAT be the core of its business. It seems clear to me that a business like this will do well. With the kind of enthusiasm that they quite clearly show, and the awesome products that they quite clearly are capable of making, there is no way that they can fail. But don’t take my word for it. Check out the keynote for yourself.
Do you use a Google Device? Would you consider it after watching their Keynote?
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