Also-Ran (Premium)

Google published a reasonably objective comparison of its Pixel 9a to Apple's iPhone 16e on its Google Store site, and I agree that the Pixel is the better entry-level smartphone. But I also see this for what it is. And I feel like a lot of the technology I've supported over the years falls into the same category.

Right. It's an also-ran.

To be fair to Google, what else can it do? Pixel sales have apparently improved in recent years, but that bar is about as low as it can be. And it's not like the online giant mentions ever the product line in its quarterly earnings reports unless it just launched new premium phones. And then it mentions them only in passing and never with any hard numbers.

God, this is so familiar and so frustrating. I've been down this road before. We all have, I suspect.

I recall debating the merits of the Amiga vs. PC compatibles in the very early 1990s and just being laughed at. The Amiga stands as the ultimate also-ran because it was demonstrably superior for so long and, almost literally, no one cared. And the reason no one cared is that winning in the market isn't about being the best, technically or functionally, or in any other way that might matter to people who love personal technology. Granted, being the best does help. But winning requires savvy marketing. Leadership. And a bit of luck, I guess.

By most accounts, Apple is the biggest smartphone maker in the world by unit sales, profits, and revenues. Only the first of those measures ever fluctuates; it's possible, for example, that Samsung regained the unit sales crown, if barely, after it shipped its S25 series flagships in January. But Samsung will never catch up to Apple where it matters most--money, ching-ching--and while there are opposing views on this, my opinion is that it will always trail Apple in an elusive and subjective category I call quality.

But Pixel is interesting.

As with Microsoft Surface, it's a hardware family made by the company that designs the operating system. Unlike Surface, and I think this is key, Google heavily modifies its own OS for its own devices, giving them capabilities that other phones do not have. (Yes, there are some exceptions--in an interesting twist, Microsoft and Google both partner with Samsung on devices in their respective ecosystems, and both companies grant Samsung some unique capabilities as well.) Google describes Pixel as "the helpful phone," and that's as accurate as it is bland and instantly forgettable. Every time I use a Pixel, I am reminded of this. The helpful bit, not the bland bit.

Looking at Pixel over time, I see specific eras. The me-too first few models, which were so heavily influenced by the iPhone that if you blinked, you might think Samsung made them. Then there was the single camera lens era, during which Pixel at first beat out Samsung and iPhone despite the other two supports multiple lens more quickly, before losing out as its multi-year switch to lower-end...