The "Apple-lization" of Google - or what do I think of my new Google Pixel
I have been using iPhone since the iPhone 4 generation. While I was a little late to the game, I did stick with the iOS for six long years. In the meanwhile, I bought an iPad 3, a MacBook Pro, and I was completely suckered in the Apple ecosystem until now. In the past several generations, Apple has begun to take a more conservative approach to innovation and this is alright. The Cupertino giant has very stellar and stable products that utilize the smoothest phone performance. Any benchmark such as (http://www.redmondpie.com/google-pixel-pixel-xl-vs-apple-iphone-7-7-plus-benchmarks-comparison/) would give a clear edge to the iPhone 7 to the best that Android has to currently offer. However, I was sold to the idea that the Pixel has a more detailed and in the regular (not XL or Plus) models a bigger screen. Furthermore, it has a better camera, voice recognition assistant (named in the minimalist Google style just an "Assistant"), unlimited cloud storage for full-resolution photos and videos and a Daydream View VR that is the single best mobile VR platform. So I gave the Google Pixel a shot.
While the integration with my Mac is not at an iPhone-level, neither did I expect it to be, apps like mySMS have filled in beautifully the gap where you can write messages on your Mac. However, the main issue for me is the strong swing in the Apple direction that the Pixel and Google, in general, have done on several level broken down below:
Level 1: The Google Pixel exactly matches the iPhone pricing. The Pixel will set you back 32GB (£599) and 128GB (£699). When the Nexus 6P was introduced the prices were 32GB (£449), 64GB (£499), and 128GB (£579). That makes even the premium model of last year's generation a £20 cheaper than the cheapest Pixel and if you compare the 32GB models, the Nexus 6P is a cool £150 cheaper.
Level 2: Google wants you to join their own ecosystem. While Android is open to other phone manufacturers, Google has taken decisive steps to limit aspects of it to other standards. Since the introduction of Marshmallow, Android no longer support Miracast, a standard imposed by the Wi-Fi Alliance. Instead it supports Google Cast, Google's own proprietary standard. Does it ring a bell *cough* Apple AirPlay *cough*? The Google Assistant is only available on Google Pixel as of writing this blog post. While there are plans to extend it to other phones, it would happen at an undetermined date. Similarly, the Google Daydream View VR works on select few phones only. Nothing like the Google Cardboard that can be used on hundreds of Android devices and, yes, even the iPhone.
Level 3: Make the old obsolete. YouTube has been the centerpiece of Smart TV since the Smart TVs were a lot dumber than they are now. However, in 2014 Google began offering the Android TV OS that was quickly picked up by manufacturers including Sony, Philips and Sharp. Surprisingly, YouTube support for smart TVs and iOS devices predating 2013 has stopped. In many cases, they cannot play YouTube videos anymore unless the browser supports HTML5 or Flash that a lot of smart TVs at the time did not. Well, old smart TV users, I guess its time to buy a new smart TV and Android TV has just what you are looking for.
Not all is bad though as many of the Google proprietary systems are superior than their predecessors creating for a smooth ecosystem. Google Cast works like a charm and even has a limited iOS and Mac functionality. Google Assistant is the best voice-recognition system on the market for people with thick Bulgarian or accents like me. And Android TV is just what smart TVs manufacturers should have done in the first place unless they go the proprietary way as they initially did, reminiscent of the early smartphone days. The result for smart TV was that each manufacturer was completely changing its OS every few years. For instance, the biggest TV manufacturer Samsung has three smart TV iterations so far with Tizen being the latest one. However, I cannot help but feel that Google can remain open and still be successful in its offerings. Would it be too difficult for both Chromecast and Miracast to co-exist on Android?