No Android Update Or New Nexus At Google I/O - A Good Move by Google

I/O is admittedly Google’s biggest event every year for the past 6 years now. It is during these 3 days that Google shows of the future of Google and its products. These three days in the past have seen some of the biggest announcements from the Mountain View Company - from the Nexus 7 to Google TV, Chrome to Glass and everything in between.

The Google I/O 2013 began yesterday, and the opening keynote stretched for more than three hours (it began at 10 PM IST). The earlier rumors were pointing for a refurbished Nexus 7, Android 4.3, maybe a Nexus 5 or the Motorola X phone. But as the keynote progressed, with new features and updates dropping left and right, it became more and more evident what this year’s I/O was all about: Google services and apps. And that does not make the I/O a failure, rather this move was a good thing by Google.

For the past few year’s Google has been giving its OS an upgrade nearly every 6 months. This has led to an already fragmented market getting worse. As a developer, for your apps to reach the majority – one has to support devices from Android v2.1 and up. If Google shifts to an annual cycle, by releasing new Android versions in December along with the updated tablets and mobile. It will not only help reduce the fragmentation on Android, but also launches during the holiday season could be beneficial to the OEM’s (If they can keep up with the demand).

This also makes the I/O event more for the developers and a bit less for the consumers, which in my eyes is exactly what this 3 days event is about. For me Google I/O has been about new services from Google and how a developer can use them. The few new hardware/software launches that I appreciated were revolutionary (Chrome, Glass, even the first Nexus 7), rather than being just evolutionary. The launches (of upgrades in products) should occur at press conferences and not at a developer conference.

The focus of this year’s I/O was on all the kinds of things Google is doing for developers so that they can write better things. It showed how Google services are doing amazing things on top of Android (and also Chrome). For a complete round-up of this year’s I/O – Click Here (Android Police) or Here (The Verge).

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