Made by Google is coming early, which means new Pixel hardware almost two months sooner than we anticipated. We asked you what you thought and here’s what you had to say.
For anyone out of the loop, Google announced that the next Pixel hardware launch event is going to happen on August 13. For the first time in a number of years, this will take place at the tech giants Mountain View headquarters.
Could this early Made by Google event be an attempt to beat Apple to the punch with the launch of the iPhone 16 series and more Apple Intelligence functions? At this stage it’s unclear, but you have a fair idea of what you think it means.
A whopping 76% of you think that calling Made by Google 2024 early is a good decision to get ahead of Apple and get these new devices into the hands of fans and buyers. I’m inclined to agree. In years gone by, Google has often been in the shadow of Apple’s flashy September iPhone launches. Reader Berni actively questioned our poll – which is very fair! – but made a salient point that an “August release lines up better with Android.” Berni goes on to further point out that we should have been asking if Google should “keep this release as the new normal.”
Personally, I agree with that. Bringing the yearly flagship Pixel launch forward and having an early Made by Google event makes sense. We’ve seen Google discount devices heavily shortly after launch, which actively harms initial sales. Mr. Snow hopes that we don’t get an announcement and then a delay of the physical hardware launch. Stating that “momentum and excitement” is probably going to be lost if Google waits a couple of months before putting the Pixel 9 series on sale after unveiling on stage.
Just 13% of you think that October is the “home” of Made by Google launch events. This has historically been the last major smartphone launch of the year. With every OEM revealing their hand, this probably hasn’t been a good play with the hectic Christmas and holiday period looming large after launch.
An even smaller 3.5% of you said you think Google’s early Made by Google is too close to Samsung’s summer Unpacked event. With a foldable expected from Google, at least we’ll have an idea of how the Z Fold and Pixel Fold follow-up stack up without a long wait. That left 7% of that had lots to say in our comment section. It was an interesting discussion but most do agree that Google has made the right choice to bring things forward.
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