Google – Ins and Outs (I/O).

Developer conferences are where the ecosystem evolves.

• Developer conferences are becoming increasingly important as the relevance of the device continues to decline.
• Google will host its 2014 I/O conference this week and it is here that a glimpse of what is really planned for the Google Ecosystem over the next 12 months will be given.
• As the ecosystem becomes more and more important, it is the developer conferences where the key announcements are being made with device launch events becoming less and less relevant.
• This has really come into focus this year as Microsoft’s Build, Apple’s WWDC, Facebook’s F8 and now Google’s I/O have been where all the really important announcements have been made.
• This is a further sign that devices are increasingly commoditised and that the value from which profit margin is being derived in the mobile device industry is coming from the ecosystem.
• Developers are a critical part of the ecosystem and consequently how an ecosystem loves and nurtures its developers is key to its long term success.
• Google’s I/O conference runs from June 25^th to June 26^th and I am expecting two major developments.
• First: Gaming. Gaming is a huge part of Digital Life and yet Google still declines to properly address the segment.
• Last year’s I/O saw some half-hearted attempts to address gaming but this year I am expecting something more.
• There are already signs that Google is working on this (see here) and I am hopeful that some of this is ready for launch.
• Google does not necessarily have to offer the games themselves but merely be the glue that ties gamers together when they go on line to play and download games.
• The rumour mill has been very quiet on this issue recently but I think it is one of the most important issues that Google needs to address.
• Second: wearables and here I think that Google has got it wrong.
• Wearables are mostly tiny devices that are going to have a single purpose or function.
• In effect, they will be like sensors that collect analogue data, digitise it and send it on to a larger device like a smartphone that can interpret it and make is useful.
• Hence, they are not likely to be devices to which third parties will be writing applications.
• Putting Android into a tiny device like this is exactly the same as trying to shoe horn a full version of Microsoft Windows into a smartphone.
• This has been tried and tried and tried but every time it fails.
• Hence, I suspect that using Android in a wearable will result in a large, expensive device with awful battery life.
• The Samsung Galaxy Gear was a good example of this.
• Therefore, I suspect that most wearables that give a good user experience, will run an RTOS (Real Time Operating System) which will enable tiny devices to fulfil their purpose and have a very long battery life.
• Google should be focusing on making Android the data collection and aggregation point for all of these devices rather than trying to put the OS on the devices themselves.
• It is in the data where the value for Google lies and it is in the aggregation of that data where I expect Google to eventually focus its efforts.
• Google remains the only company I would look at in the Android ecosystem as it is slowly but surely subjugating all other players to its will.