Google Announces Android Things 1.0
- Paul Thurrott
- May 07, 2018
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32
On the eve of Google IO, and while Microsoft was talking up IoT at its own developer show, Google announced the release of Android Things 1.0, its own Android-based IoT platform.
“Android Things is Google’s managed OS that enables you to build and maintain Internet of Things devices at scale,” Google’s Dave Smith writes. “We provide a robust platform that does the heavy lifting with certified hardware, rich developer APIs, and secure managed software updates using Google’s back-end infrastructure, so you can focus on building your product.”
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Given Microsoft’s own IoT platforms—Windows IoT Core/Enterprise and the more streamlined Azure Sphere—it is perhaps natural to compare Google’s offering to Microsoft’s.
And, as odd as this may seem, Microsoft seems to offer some important advantages over Google, which has struggled to gain acceptance of Android outside of smartphones. (This situation mirrors Microsoft’s issues with Windows on non-PC devices, when you think about it.)
More specifically, Android Things lacks several of the key advantages of Azure Sphere, most notably Microsoft’s focus on security as a service.
But it’s not just security: Where Microsoft supports Azure Sphere for ten years, Google is offering only three years of “guaranteed” support, and notes that customers will have to pay for extended support beyond that.
Microsoft’s platform is also available on devices with much smaller footprints. As Brad Smith noted at the Azure Sphere announcement, the chipsets that support this system are fingernail sized. But Android Things runs on comparatively humongous board PCs like Raspberry Pi in addition to a new generation of “system on a module” (SOM) chipsets. These will likely be more comparable to Azure Sphere.
So we’ll see what happens here. But it does seem that Microsoft’s offering is at least competitive, if not superior. And that Google, for all the success of Android, faces even bigger obstacles than Microsoft does in this new market.
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Conversation 32 comments
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dontbe evil
<p>"<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">And, as odd as this may seem, Microsoft seems to offer some important advantages over Google, which has struggled to gain acceptance of Android outside of smartphones."</span></p><p><br></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">this website becomes everyday more unprofessional</span></p>
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Bats
<blockquote><a href="#272497"><em>In reply to Kudupa:</em></a></blockquote><p>Microsoft is not going to win. Other than the unpopular Xbox, what does Microsoft have to offer?</p><p><br></p><p>How's the Harman Kardon doing? Success or huge failure? How about that Cortana thermostat? </p><p><br></p><p>You can't even begin to compare the smart ecosystem of Microsoft and Google's. Google's Nest products are fantastic! Android TV is, hands down, the best streaming player in the market. Perhaps one can make a case for Fire TV, but Android TV has got the Google Assistant. The reason why i say this can be summed up in one word: Kodi. As for Google Home, it's only the smartest speaker in the market. Alexa is okay, but she's not as smart as The Google Assistant, and that's a fact.</p><p><br></p><p>In addition to what I just stated, Google is even embedding itself on other products like third party televisions and other home appliances. Where's Microsoft?</p><p><br></p><p>As far, as I am concerned Microsoft Build is just fantasy pie-in-the sky talk. Microsoft will tell you that they "working" with partners. I know this because….they have done it before. As for Google, they've already done the work and products are about to be released. </p><p><br></p><p>This is the difference between Microsoft and Google. No one cares about the platform, IoT is running on. What they care about is that the IoT is working for them. For Microsoft, all they can offer is just a "dream."</p>
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Stooks
<blockquote><a href="#272587"><em>In reply to VancouverNinja:</em></a></blockquote><p>"Why wouldn't you just buy Alexa or a Cortana device?"</p><p><br></p><p>What Cortona devices? There are none. No one is using a computer to do this stuff, IoT is are small devices that automate stuff. Why would anyone using a Alexa powered device, EVER ask Cortona to do anything? Heck I bet 80% of Alexa owning consumers have NO idea what Cortona is.</p>
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Stooks
<blockquote><a href="#272685"><em>In reply to VancouverNinja:</em></a></blockquote><p>"Cortana is now going to be number #1 for deployments along with Alexa. "</p><p><br></p><p>Ummm really? How, why, who is asking or wanting for this? Will the Echo now respond to Cortona requests? Who would even know to ask?</p><p><br></p><p>Honestly this means nothing IMHO. Amazon got paid by Microsoft to do this and in the end it won't even matter. Cortona is dead, just like Windows Mobile, Groove, Band and many other late to the party Microsoft projects.</p><p><br></p><p>"Then there is the extra bonus of Office being coupled tightly to Cortana."</p><p><br></p><p>Because people are constantly asking Alexa questions about Office documents?</p>
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Stooks
<blockquote><a href="#272717"><em>In reply to curtisspendlove:</em></a></blockquote><p>Yeah it goes like this…</p><p><br></p><p>"Alexa, ask Cortona to open and read me off the Excel spreadsheet Third Quarter earnings charts _ 02"</p><p><br></p><p>Google IO starts today and every one will quickly forget about the Alexa/Cortana foot note. </p><p><br></p><p>I watched Paul and Sam's quick recap about yesterday and when they got to this Alexa/Cortana merger of sorts, they were way less than thrilled, Sam said its super slow and the useful functionality of it was too be determined. By the time the figure it out (Microsoft) the world will have blazed past them in this area, just like mobile.</p>
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Stooks
<blockquote><a href="#272578"><em>In reply to Bats:</em></a></blockquote><p>I never agree with you, but this time you are dead on. </p><p><br></p><p>There are lots and lots of IoT devices out there today. I have two friends, both have their own companies, and they do nothing but home/SMB automation, mostly for more wealthier people. IoT is exploding and right now. NOTHING runs on Microsoft. </p><p><br></p><p>Any non-apple device is running some form of Android/Linux. Apple devices are running Unix. For the privacy minded people it is HomeKit and since Apple now allows software home kit API's the device list has begun to grow super fast. For those that don't care about privacy as much it is some form Linux/Android/Google/Amazon device.</p><p><br></p><p>There are simply NO Microsoft options in this world right now. Just like Mobile, I think it is too late already.</p>
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skane2600
<p>I think the size of chipsets is a red herring. We've had fingernail sized computing for decades. It's really about the physical connections and the need to have separate modules for flexibility that drives the size of these platforms. Not to mention that you typically want a non-optimized physical layout during development that can be shrunk and component-reduced once you understand precisely what is needed for a production unit.</p>
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Stooks
<p>"<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Where Microsoft supports Azure Sphere for ten years, Google is offering only three years of “guaranteed” support, and notes that customers will have to pay for extended support beyond that."</span></p><p><br></p><p>At the current crazy rapid pace of IoT device growth, 3 years will seem like 10 if not more. It is all about the 3rd party support. Who will be building devices for Microsofts IoT world and who will build for Google's IoT world?</p>