Google Showcased New Generation of Its Own Devices

Google unveiled the second generation of its own devices along with an array of entirely new gadgets, plowing the company deeper into a competitive consumer hardware market, according to Bloomberg.

But at its press event in San Francisco, Google executives announced each device with a repetitive focus on its artificial intelligence software. That drumbeat served as a reminder that the tech giant’s hardware strategy centers on keeping its lucrative web services relevant and curbing the threat of rivals.

The company has introduced two new versions of its Pixel smartphone; a new premium laptop; a cheaper, smaller model of its Home speaker and a larger version designed for music. All the products go head-on with recent offerings from Apple and Amazon. Those two rivals are aggressively shipping devices with built-in features, like voice-assistance and augmented reality, that could upend how people access information, Google’s main business.

And its latest device refresh is all about making sure it can claim a lead in that next era of computing, and keep its services front-and-center in people’s lives. Google CEO Sundar Pichai said the hardware design efforts revolve around artificial intelligence, a field where the company has an early lead.

Pichai laid out four principles for “AI-first“ design, including new ways to deliver information contextually and in natural conversations, and announced advances in image-recognition and translation software. “Computers should adapt to how people live,“ he said. “We’re in a unique moment of time where we can bring a unique combination of hardware, software and AI.“

Its latest device portfolio is even more integrated with Google services than last year. The new Pixel phones offer new ways to more easily access Google’s assistant, its voice search interface, and its music services. The company rolled out each gadget with a marked emphasis on its smarts. A $999 laptop, called the Pixelbook, was introduced “with AI at the center.“ A new $399 home speaker, the Home Max, was praised for its customized acoustics, a system called “smart sound“ that uses Google’s software.