Hook, line, and sinker? No. But Pixel Pass was a money thing, this promise is a brand thing.
Most people didn't know Pixel Pass exists. They drop this promise, and I guarantee you your grandparents will know about it. It's a brand killer kind of moment.
All I'm saying is the scales tip in favour of them holding this up. We're on the 8th generation of Pixel phones now. Generations 4&5 we're rough, but they stuck it through when it would have been easier to walk away.
This is a great move for Google, and goes beyond the minimum of what they needed to do. That's a huge step forward for them, Pixels, and Android as a whole.
Right from the first Pixel, Google was seeking (for better or worse) to take a bite out of Apple's pie. They've largely been successful in that. Without Google entering the fray, it would only be Samsung left.
They've elevated the hardware expectations of Android devices. Pushed the envelope of software integration. Shown that a bloat free experience is preferable and possible for the consumer (even though many here on Lemmy want a Google free device, that is a different discussion).
Now they didn't merely match other OEMs, but exceeded their updated promises by years.
Android isn't going anywhere. This is a pillar of their company now, and Pixels are a key part of that strategy. If Google dumped making Pixels, the whole Android ecosystem would be in doubt, because who would make phones if the maker itself doesn't believe in them? Google, by jumping into the fray, has moved from a platform provider to a pillar of the hardware ecosystem.
So despite all the cynicism, which is justified for all but their core software, this promise has teeth. If they don't follow through on this, we're likely seeing the demise of Google as a company, not just the Pixel line.
The gating of a lot of the software features and UWB are really disappointing in the non-pro 8. I'd love a smaller phone, but they really do push you to the big one if you plan on keeping it for any length of time.
Even the pre-order bonuses are only for the larger phone.
Need more places calling them out on this.
If you aren't up on the acronyms: The Wolf Among Us 2.
For those curious, the game was released March 11, 2022.
Making the server support just over a year and a half of running the servers before pulling the plug. That's not something I'd be spending 60USD (which is what it is on sale for today) on.
The idea of the product is really great. The cost is prohibitive for all but major corporate customers.
Add in Google's track record of killing products... just like this... and why would you invest?
Jamboard needs to be a tablet companion app first, and the hardware can follow. If they're going to keep coming up with these halo products, then they need to support them for the long term. They also need to be willing to bite the bullet and give these away to lock people into Workspace because it's unique and no one else does it.
Now it's another reason to not buy in.
The multiple quitees was brutal. I miss old Jeff, who would have ripped into her with no holds barred. All we got was an incredulous look.
She was a day into survivor.
I enjoyed the first episode. Some good characters.
Really wish Jeff would stop saying, "This is how we do it!"
Ah. The UWB is only for direct position. It largely uses Bluetooth to be found and broadcast.
What does that have to do with the Pixels? That's a Bluetooth beacon thing, and it's being added to all Androids through Play Services, including supporting Air Tags.
As far as hardware, it'll be interesting to see if they announce anything on October 4th.
I had no idea what SHMUP is... so if you're like me they are SHoot eM Up games. Either bullet hell or isometric shooters.
More specifically, it is enabled in the dev builds, but not in the user builds at this time.