Top 5 Google Stories of 2017 (Premium)

Google had an interesting year of platform advances and hardware mishaps. Here are the top Google stories from 2017.

#1: Google v. hardware

In 2017, Google tried to establish itself as a credible hardware maker and a firm that could potentially rival Apple. Or maybe Amazon. OK, Microsoft.

Nope. Unfortunately, Google had many more hardware fails than successes in 2017, lending credence to the adage that “hardware is hard.”

So let’s step through the list. Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL? Fail. (So much so that I pulled Pixel out as a separate story.) Google Home Mini? Fail. Pixel Buds? Fail. Pixelbook? Surprise: This one is great, though it’s too expensive. Google Home Max? Fail. Clips? Vaporware. The score, then, is 1-5-1. One success. Five fails. And one promised product that never shipped in 2017.

So Google has a lot of work to do before it can establish itself as a credible hardware maker. Except for one thing: The firm’s biggest successes in hardware, I think, came not from individual devices but rather from its integration of discrete hardware components that run AI and machine learning right on the device. This effort has been so successful, in fact, that I recommend that Google offer these capabilities to third-party device makers that know what they’re doing. This is the kind of hardware that Google can excel at.

#2: Pixelgate

The first-generation Pixel handsets were nothing special, and were correctly seen as iPhone ripoffs. For 2017, Google took another step backward, sadly, and released [a set of Pixel 2 handsets that each had their own unique problems.

And my God, were there problems. So many, in fact, that I dubbed them Pixelgate. So many, in fact, that I could never recommend the Pixel 2 XL I purchased, so I cut my review short.

Even given Google’s other hardware fails this year, the Pixel 2 lineup is a notable embarrassment. And these phones aren’t even “made” by Google; they’re just Nexus phones with a new brand. Shame on you Google. Either do better than this, or just stop.

#3: Chromebook and Android

As you may recall, Google announced in mid-2016 that it would bring Android apps and the Google Play Store to Chromebook. This was quite exciting, and I predicted that this combination would pose a serious threat to Windows and the PC.

But then we spent the second half of 2016 and all of 2017 waiting for a Chromebook revolution that never came. Until it did, tepidly, with the release of the excellent but expensive Pixelbook. This was the first Chromebook to ship with Android app support in non-beta form.

So we exit 2017 much as we entered it: Waiting. Waiting for Chromebooks with Android support to actually make a difference. I’m still bullish on this one. But my God. It’s taking forever.

#4: Google Assistant and Google Home

Released in late 2016, the Google Assistant-powered Google Home appliance had a lot of catching up to do if it was ever going to threaten Amazon’s Alexa-powered Echo devices.

Surprise. It did just that. Google spent all of 2017 upgrading and improving Google Assistant and Google Home at a bewildering rate.

And it’s not just catching up, it’s pulling ahead: Google was first in some key areas, including in itssupport of multiple users and hands-free phone calling. The selection of third-party Google Assistant-based smart speakers is growing rapidly. And Google has big plans for the future, too.

It is very clear that these technologies will seize the leadership roles in personal digital assistants and the smart home in 2018. This is a huge win for Google, especially when you consider how far behind they were just a year ago.

#5: Android 8.0 Oreo

Google doesn’t get a lot of credit for its steady improvements to Android, despite the fact that it is the most popular personal computing platform on earth. Part of the reason, I think, is an Apple-fueled lie about Android “fragmentation.” And part of it is that Google allows handset makers to customize Android to their needs, blurring the lines about what Android is, exactly.

In 2017, Google introduced and then released Android 8.0 Oreo. This release, which includes new features like focus notification dots, notification previews, and picture-in-picture support, provides the kind of reliability and performance that used to be big selling points for iOS. And while you may or may not get it on your existing device, relax: You will get it on your next phone.

Android 8.0 Oreo is so good, I switched to Android this year. And with the improvements still coming—Google recently completed development of Android 8.1—2018 promises to be another great year. This is one area where Google does really well.

Unlike with, say, Android Wear. Yikes.