Pixel Launch Ruined by Leaks, Google Could Still Surprise Us

Thanks to a torrid set of leaks, we know that Google is set to announce its Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones, the Google Home virtual assistant appliance, the 4K/HDR-capable Chromecast Ultra, and a mesh-based Google Wi-Fi networking solution. But that doesn't mean Google doesn't have a major surprise it could share with us on Tuesday.

How you feel about the leaks depends heavily on how you view surprises, I guess. New parents, faced with learning the sex of a baby, have to choose whether to be surprised by ultrasound during pregnancy or at birth. And it's fair to say that opinions are strong in either direction despite the fact that a surprise is a surprise. It doesn't matter, in some ways, when it happens. Except, of course, that it does.

For tech giants plotting a major product introduction, the stakes aren't so personal, but they are financially very important. Google, like Apple, relies on the burst of attention it receives around product releases like the ones planned for this week. They rely on the surprise.

Well, there's no surprise here. And like Apple before it---the only real "surprise" at that firm's recent iPhone 7 launch event was that Nintendo had belatedly found religion and will release the first mobile game based around one of its core franchises---Google has been bit by leaks. Ravaged, really.

It's pretty clear that we already know everything substantive that Google will announce tomorrow.

We know that Google is killing its Nexus brand and will use the Pixel brand going forward instead. That the two phones it will announce include a 5-inch Pixel that replaces the Nexus 5X and a 5.5-inch Pixel XL that replaces the Nexus 6P.

We know that these phones will come with high-end specs---a Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor, 4 GB of RAM, 1080p (Pixel) and Quad HD (Pixel XL) displays, 12 MP cameras, and rear-facing fingerprint scanners---premium materials and finishes, and the premium price tags to match. This is a departure from the previous generation devices, which were affordable given the quality of the products.

We know that the new Pixel smartphones will be powered by Android 7.1, and will include a new app launcher and home screen icon design.

We know that Google Home, Google's virtual assistant appliance, will cost $129, putting it right in the middle, pricing-wise, of the Amazon Echo product family with which it will compete.

We know that Google is updating its excellent and affordable Chromecast family of products with an excellent and affordable Chromecast Ultra model that sports both 4K and HDR capabilities. And that it will cost just $69.

And we know that Google will announce Google Wi-Fi, a mesh-based multi-router system that will ensure you never have a weak Wi-Fi signal in your home, ever.

We know, in short, way too much.

But here's my advice to Google about creating a sense of surprise on Tuesday.

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