Google's ambitious agenda to reach every corner of our lives may also be its greatest challenge
A Reach Too Far by Google? — SAN FRANCISCO — One way to think of Google is as an extremely helpful, all-knowing, hyper-intelligent executive assistant. Already, it can remind you about your flight …
Context & Ripple Effects
Google's 2014 push follows its earlier stated goal of organizing daily life and a long-running debate over who can see the information Google collects. The I/O announcements extend that ambition across Android devices, work use, streaming hardware, virtual reality and experimental mobile hardware rather than confining it to search.
The significance is executional as much as technological: Google is tying more everyday screens and services to Android while asking users and businesses to accept a broader role for the company in their digital routines.
First-order effects
- Google gives Android developers a new platform target with the Android L preview, while Android for Work makes the operating system a more explicit pitch to enterprise users.
- Google's Chromecast pairing feature, Cardboard kits, Project Tango and Project Ara demonstrations widen the set of devices through which Google can reach users and developers.
Second-order effects
- Enterprise IT buyers evaluating Android for Work gain a Google-backed route to deploy Android more broadly, increasing the importance of workplace management and trust alongside consumer features.
- Android device makers and app developers face pressure to support a more consistent experience across phones, tablets, TVs, cars and wearables as Google coordinates the platform across screens.
Third-order effects
- If Google can make Android the connective layer across personal and workplace devices, competition shifts from a single device or app toward control of the interface that mediates daily tasks.
- The earlier scrutiny of Google's visibility into user activity means each additional connected surface raises the stakes of privacy and trust as constraints on the company's expansion.
The trend: Google is moving from a search-led product portfolio toward an Android-centered layer spanning the devices and contexts of everyday computing.