Hey, Google: It's time to step up your Pixel upgrade promise - Computerworld

Look, it's nary large concealed that I'm a instrumentality of Google's Pixel program.

I've personally owned Pixel phones since the first-gen exemplary graced our gunk-filled pockets mode backmost successful 2016. And Pixels person been the lone Android devices I've wholeheartedly recommended for astir folks ever since.

There's a reason. And much than anything, it comes down to the bundle and the wide experience Google's Pixel attack provides.

• Part of that is the Pixel's interface and the deficiency of immoderate unnecessary meddling and complication — including the lack of confusing (and often privacy-compromising) duplicative apps and services larded onto the telephone for the manufacturer's concern payment and astatine the expense of your idiosyncratic experience.
• Part of it is the unmatched integration of exceptional Google services and exclusive Google intelligence that puts genuinely utile worldly you'll really payment from beforehand and halfway and makes it an integrated portion of the Pixel package.
• And, yes, portion of it is the Pixel upgrade committedness and the information that Pixel phones are inactive the lone Android devices wherever some timely and reliable bundle updates are a built-in feature and guarantee.

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To beryllium sure, different Android device-makers person gotten amended astir upgrades connected and disconnected implicit the years. But they've ne'er handled that country with the consistency and the existent commitment Google offers — peculiarly erstwhile it comes to the timeliness broadside of the coin. That's particularly existent with the oft-overlooked previous-gen flagships, wherever astir different Android-associated companies really driblet the ball.

So, please, support each of that discourse successful caput erstwhile I accidental this: Google's gotta bash better.

Allow maine to explain.

The Google Pixel update evolution

To get to what's happening today, we archetypal request to alert backmost for a infinitesimal to this clip six years ago.

Way backmost astatine the opening of the Pixel line's existence, backmost successful the autumn of 2016, offering a telephone with 2 years of operating strategy update enactment was beauteous overmuch array stakes.

That fig was the de facto Android ecosystem modular — for a flagship phone, astatine least, adjacent if astir others manufacturers didn't ever travel it.

So seeing Google instrumentality with that setup for its archetypal Pixel merchandise made capable sense. It wasn't exceptional successful and of itself, but the information that Google really delivered each of those updates to each of its Pixels much oregon little instantly aft each update's accomplishment was perfectly thing worthy celebrating (and that's putting it mildly).

Still, adjacent then, it felt similar determination was country for Google to bash more. As a definite comely writer mused that October, soon aft the archetypal Pixel's debut:

If the Pixel is going to correspond the precise champion of Google and Android, arsenic it's intended to, Google should bring things up a measurement from the baseline and marque the Pixel basal retired not conscionable for its committedness to timeliness but besides for its committedness to longevity. ...

An other twelvemonth of updates would amusement that this is simply a telephone meant to past — that it truly is simply a chopped supra the rest. It'd amusement that Google is acrophobic with semipermanent user restitution implicit short-term sales. It'd amusement that successful this benignant of holistic scenario, updates don't person to beryllium a root of vexation connected immoderate level.

More than anything, it'd amusement that the Pixel genuinely is simply a peculiar phone, done and done — a telephone that ... volition springiness you unmatched worth to spell on with its unmatched idiosyncratic experience.

One twelvemonth later, Google listened.

With the Pixel 2 successful 2017, Google boosted its bundle enactment promise to 3 years of some Android operating strategy updates and monthly information patches. By the clip we deed the Pixel 6 successful 2021, that committedness had expanded to a afloat five years of information spot enactment on with the aforesaid 3 years of operating strategy updates. That's surely thing to shingle a instrumentality at.

But astatine the aforesaid time, the ecosystem astir the Pixel has progressed. The modular has shifted. And alternatively of leading the mode with longevity, Google's Pixel is present lagging down immoderate of its contemporaries.

To wit: As of this year, Samsung is present pledging a afloat 4 years of operating strategy updates for immoderate of its Galaxy-branded Android products. And conscionable this week, OnePlus announced it'd bash the same for its top-of-the-line flagship phones starting successful 2023.

Now, determination are plentifulness of caveats to beryllium considered there. Both of those companies are confoundingly inconsistent with however long it takes for existent bundle to really scope its highest-paying customers — a conception that's particularly existent erstwhile it comes to the previous-generation products. If you're readying connected keeping a Samsung oregon OnePlus telephone for much than a year, you'd amended beryllium good with waiting a bully agelong portion to get the updates that should, by each counts, scope you wrong a substance of days.

And that's to accidental thing astir the timeliness of the arsenic important information patches, which OnePlus volition seemingly present only on a bimonthly basis alternatively of sending 'em retired each month, arsenic they arrive.

So, yes: Google's Pixel phones inactive supply a superior all-around bundle enactment setup — thing that's peculiarly evident erstwhile you're palming a one-, two-, oregon three-year-old Pixel and inactive getting the latest and top (and most privacy-respecting and secure) Android bundle wrong hours of its merchandise alternatively of waiting months to spot it.

But still: That's lone portion of the story. When it comes to longevity, Google's present behind the curve with its Pixel committedness alternatively of starring the mode — oregon astatine the precise slightest matching the starring offer.

Google Pixel perspective

To beryllium clear, nary of this takes distant from the Pixel's presumption arsenic the champion disposable all-around Android enactment successful my book. The asterisks astir the different starring Android choices are far much significant, and adjacent connected a purely numerical basis, the Pixel really inactive comes retired up successful astir measures.

Consider:

• The Pixel 7 costs $600, portion the Galaxy S22 starts astatine $800.
• If you disagreement those prices by the fig of years each instrumentality receives progressive operating strategy updates (and frankincense is afloat advisable to use, from a privateness and information standpoint), the Pixel 7 ends up costing $16.67 a period implicit its 36-month play — which is precisely the aforesaid arsenic what the Galaxy S22 costs per period implicit its 48-month OS enactment window.
• And remember, the Pixel 7 volition really get its updates much oregon little instantly upon their merchandise passim the duration of its life, whereas the Galaxy S22 volition look an progressively delayed transportation with each twelvemonth that it exists.

All of that being said, the examination present isn't wholly parallel. Google isn't Samsung. Its relation wrong the Android ecosystem is dramatically antithetic — arsenic is its concern exemplary and what it stands to summation from getting radical connected committee with its products.

Google, suffice it to say, isn't your mean Android manufacturer. While astir device-makers trust chiefly connected hardware income to crook a profit, Google makes the bulk of its wealth by encouraging you to walk arsenic overmuch clip arsenic imaginable utilizing the net and frankincense its services (which successful turn, of course, means you'll supply much information that'll fto Google show you much and amended targeted ads crossed the web).

Google's eventual goal, successful different words, isn't strictly to merchantability arsenic galore phones arsenic possible. It's to marque the Android acquisition arsenic good arsenic imaginable for arsenic galore radical arsenic it can. More than anything, it wants to supply a spectacular ongoing idiosyncratic acquisition successful which its ain services shine, arsenic that astir efficaciously supports its superior concern model.

That puts Google successful a unsocial presumption to rise the stakes connected bundle enactment and astatine the precise slightest lucifer but ideally surpass what immoderate different device-maker is doing. It puts Google successful a presumption to acceptable its ain singular modular — 1 befitting of the Pixel's positioning arsenic the champion disposable Android experience, with the champion disposable support.

And particularly erstwhile you origin successful the information that Google present uses its ain custom-made chips to powerfulness existent Pixels — frankincense eliminating a communal barrier to providing extended bundle support, arsenic that tin often beryllium astatine slightest successful portion connected the shaper of a phone's processor continuing to enactment the device's components — there's truly nary large justification for Google not to marque a determination similar this.

Last but not least, consider: Google's supposedly present "doubling down" connected its concern successful Pixel devices, according to a caller study astatine the website The Information. The institution is said to beryllium gearing up to much aggressively marketplace and propulsion its products arsenic the astir optimal mode to acquisition Android, successful an effort to much efficaciously caput disconnected caller U.S. marketplace gains being made by Apple.

All that's missing is the ecosystem-leading longevity committedness — and present much than ever, the pieces are successful spot to code that.

It's time, Google. If you truly privation the Pixel to radiance and to beryllium successful a league of its own, without immoderate evident "buts" astir it, this is the determination to make. And this is perfectly the infinitesimal to marque it.

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Contributing Editor JR Raphael serves up tasty morsels astir the quality broadside of technology. Hungry for more? Join him on Twitter oregon motion up for his play newsletter to get caller tips and penetration successful your inbox each Friday.