Even though this year’s I/O didn’t start as flashy as the previous one, it was rich in information and as spectacular as ever. Google announced a number of innovations including a myriad of new Android features, changes in Google Maps, upgrades to their amazing Google Chrome browser and tools to further modify it, newly functional music streaming service Google Play Music All Access, which is posing direct competition to Spotify, and a lot more. However, some people were more interested in things that they have expected to be addressed in the Keynote and that were somehow left out.
Google I/O Keynote: The Missing Bits
One of the missing things that attracted the most attention was the absence of any talk about the awaited new versions of Android. People at the Keynote were told that there were 48 billion downloads of different Android apps, and that there have been amazing 900 million activations of the platform. And even though the platform itself has been addressed in numerous ways, the questions on just about everyone’s mind have not been answered. The public has been waiting on news regarding 5.0 Key Lime Pie, or Android 4.3 Jelly Bean, however, it seems that we will have to wait a bit more.
I Can Haz Update Plz?
Some people think that the reason behind this move is that Google is trying to take it slow with their updates. After all, the platform has achieved a more than satisfactory level of reliability and stability, and it doesn’t need to be changed as often as it was in the past. Right now, Google just might be trying to focus on helping everyone interested, but primarily developers, get to know the current Android environment as thoroughly as possible.
Software Is Awesome But…
Another thing that was noticeably missing from the Keynote was significant new hardware. Google has got people accustomed to this event presenting hardware, but this year the only thing presented was Samsung Galaxy S 4 Google Edition, a phone which comes with 4.2.2 Jelly Bean version of Android, which has left most people less than thrilled. Also, they were giving their Chromebook Pixel, a notebook of amazing performance, to developers, but as interesting as this device is, it somehow doesn’t even come close to satisfying people’s expectations when it comes to hardware talk.
Where Was The Glass?
One of the things that has been on the people’s minds for quite a while now, and that even got those who are generally indifferent to new gadgets constantly checking the news, Google Glass, has been noticeably ignored in the Keynote. Since the last year’s spectacular presentation of this concept, people have been constantly buzzing about it, waiting for updates on the progress of the project and talking about what it will eventually look like. Well, it seems that people from Google are perfectly willing to let them guess for a little while longer.
This is not to say that they didn’t go into too much detail or that they have failed to be give out particular information, that would have probably be fine with most people. However, not mentioning them at all, which is exactly what they did, left a lot of people confused and disappointed. It is somewhat surprising that Google isn’t stoking the fires of public attention, but it just might be that they feel that the product is hyped enough and that they don’t exactly have a need to create more publicity for it. However, they might have included at least some information as a treat to all the interested people.
The Chrome Must Need More Polish
Another thing that wasn’t discussed at any length was Google’s OS, Chrome. Even though they have been steadily pushing the platform, constantly investing time and money into its improvement, and obviously showing faith in it, they didn’t use this chance to additionally promote it, or at least give some info on where the platform is heading. This seems to be consistent with the Chrome’s development. The platform seems to have been built up in small, subtle increments. Most people wouldn’t remember any major changes to it, but it has been steadily improved, bit by bit, and is today looking much different than it did when it came out.