Here at LINC Project, we love technology. We love using it, we love writing, about it, and we love analyzing the latest trends from the major players in the technology sphere, which is what makes yesterday so exciting for us. Back in January, we reviewed Microsoft’s upcoming strategy for 2015 with Windows10. In March, we looked at possible competitors for Apple’s latest and greatest in
novation.
Today, we round out the Big Three with a review of
Google’s I/O event, which wrapped up yesterday. If there was one take away from the keynote event, its this…Google is not sitting on its laurels. By the holiday shopping season of this year, Google will be ready to go head to head with both Apple and Microsoft for another round of the consumer wars.
Google is ready for the next round, but what are they armed with this time? In the tradition of America’s Pastime, lets look at the top of the lineup for Google’s offense (insert applause here):
• Batting in the leadoff position is a solid hitter that Google hopes will be ready to move out of its rookie years and into its prime…Google Photos! Yesterday Google announced that Google Photos will get a massive overhaul to become is own stand-alone app and with 16 megapixel unlimited photo storage. This move continues to push Google up against iCloud and other photo sharing services for backup and storage capability.
• Batting second is a familiar player Google sent back down to the minor leagues, but after much development, might just be ready for a return to the majors…Google Pay! Realizing the phenomena that Apple Pay might become, Google realized that they had to have a response and the best option might be the deployment of infrastructure that they already had in place. Hence, Google Wallet is becoming Android Pay. It’s a risky move as many pundits consider the technology behind Android Pay to be the same as Apple Pay, but the bet here is that with a similar platform, Google will be able to blunt the effect that Apple pay might have on the overall market.
• Batting third is Google’s unproven rookie sensation…Weave! In tandem with Project Brillo, Google hope to beat its competitors to a fully networked true ‘SmartHome’. Given how heavily the ‘Internet of Things’ played into this year’s consumer electronics show, this rookie player has the potential to show some true pop if Google can keep up with the compatibility issues that are sure to come up from so many developers making so many products at once.
• Finally, batting fourth in the cleanup position is Google’s best hitter and player….the Android operating system with Android M! Android has always been a star player for Google and its clear its really been working out over the off-season to bring its game to the next level. This latest version of Android will feature major improvements such as streamlined permissions, integration of Google Pay, and USB-C Support. However it will also feature smaller improvements such as a polished interface for functions such as cutting and pasting text from app to app.
So there you have it. Rounding out the Big Three, Google will add another dimension to the growing consumer wars as these companies continue to battle it out for the right to be our window into the world of mobile and home technology. Each of the Big Three bring something to the table worth discussing. The only question left is…which team are you on?