Google I/O 2012

The Google I/O is an annual event held by Google for developers from across the US and the world. As with all things Google, the I/O is heavily publicized and captures media and public attention. The tickets sell out within a few hours of going on sale. Everything is set and the anticipation. From the outside looking in, one would expect the Google I/O to be a sedate and somber affair where Google would unveil its new products and planned projects.

However, as it turns out, it was anything but a serious affair. In fact, some people have described Google I/O 2012 as a circus interspersed with product launches and keynotes. This doesn’t mean that Google blew the I/O but it does show that Google still hasn’t grown out of its publicity hunting attitude. They still look to gain the maximum mileage from the event and that is one area where they have succeeded.

The Jelly Bean

The first day of the event featured the Android keynote. While there was little that was of note, Google revealed the fact that the upcoming Jelly Bean software is not going to be one of the major releases. In fact, it is just a new version of the Android operating system, simply Android 4.1. Apart from the revelation about Jelly Bean, the Google I/O 2012 featured little information about software. It is quite clear that Google as a company is focused more on hardware from now on.

Google Jellybean

The Hardware

As mentioned above, Google is aggressively pursuing hardware developments rather than software. The event was dominated by new products being unveiled the Nexus 7. The new tablet was developed entirely by Google, but has Asus as a partner even though Google only invited Asus to join a couple of months before release.

As mentioned above, Google is aggressively pursuing hardware developments rather than software. The event was dominated by new products being unveiled the Nexus 7. The new tablet was developed entirely by Google, but has Asus as a partner even though Google only invited Asus to join a couple of months before release.

The second major hardware release announced was that of the Google Glasses. It is a pair of glasses that have a camera attached on top. There is little information about it available so far which would help people determine whether they are more than just glasses with a wearable camera. One thing that is known for sure is that the Google Glass is going to be priced at well over a thousand dollars.

Google Glasses

This and much more was the focus of Google I/O 2012. Coming back to the circus bit, there were plenty of gimmicks and video presentations to keep the attendees interested. For the competitors and industry analysts, it was more an exercise in self-praise rather than achieving any goals for the company.

Images via seroundtable & tctechcrunch]