What happened to Android?

Last week (10/9) the giant held an event to present its new line of products: Google's new line of phones, Pixel 3, a new integrant of the Home products, the Home Hub and, the one I considered the most interesting so far, Pixel Slate.

Slate, the Pixelbook evolution, is amazing. A Chrome OS based laptop but also a detachable tablet with all capabilities and specs of a flagship computer, capable of running Chrome OS applications as well as Android and Linux apps, including Android Studio. Finally. Google delivered what was promised by Apple with the iPad Pro and by Microsoft with Surface.

But one thing called my attention during the whole presentation: Google did not mention Android even a single time during the whole presentation.

Android is the most popular mobile operating system in the world, but Google didn’t utter the word “Android” on stage even once despite the fact that the newest version(Android 9) has been launched less than 2 months ago. 

Immediate after the event I started the lucubration of some theories.

Theory 1: Google accidentally forgot it. Nah... That is just not possible. Although Google's event is much more relaxed than Apple's, all speeches and announcements were prepared in advance, reviewed by marketing experts. It followed a general arrangement, a strategy. Nothing was impromptu. There was a clear, organized and well crafted script that guided the whole event... and, possibly, the will to exclude Android from the show.

Theory 2: Fuchsia. Google's new Operating System currently in development. Contrasting to prior Google-developed operating systems such as Chrome OS and Android, which are based on Linux kernels, Fuchsia is based on a new microkernel called "Zircon". The new OS is in development for more than 2 years and the main advantage of it would be the fact it's user interface and apps are written with Flutter and are compatible with Android, iOS and Fuchsia itself. It is also supposed to run on universal devices, from embedded systems to smartphones, watches, tablets and personal computers.

Another amazing feature of Fuchsia is the ability for quick switching between devices by saving your Stories to your personal ledger. A "Story" is one or more apps working together to help you complete a single task. You can start something on your cellphone and finish it on your tablet or laptop without worrying about saving, syncing, etc. It is transparent.

Fuchsia is a much more modern OS if compared to Android and iOS, but back to the Theory number 2, Fuchsia is still a few years away from being ready for a massive launch. It is not like Google is replacing android with Fuchsia next year or so.

Theory 3: Chrome OS. Announced back in 2009, Chrome OS is an operating system in which both applications and user data reside in the primarily on the cloud. Since 2016, it started supporting Android applications and more recently it also supports Linux full applications.

Chrome OS has evolved from a strictly web-centric desktop OS into an all-purpose computing solution that delivers the best of both worlds. An elegant solution where upgrades happen automatically and quietly, with no annoying delays or notifications.

Right now, Chrome OS is Google's silver bullet for delivering it's products on larger screens, providing a much better experience than Android for tablets, even than the iPad experience I would add.

In this theory, Google could have decided to shift the attention from Android to Chrome OS, after all, it actually runs both(plus Linux) .

Also, there are rumors of phones running Chrome OS. But I believe(and hope) they are just rumors.

Theory 4: Focus on the service not the device. Why does it matter if the user is using Android or Iphone? Chrome OS, Windows, Mac, Linux? Or wearing a smartwatch, talking to a smart hub like Google Home, or using Google Assistant on iOS.

Google is taking one more step towards the vision in which the important is the content, the service, the solution for a user's problem instead of the platform itself. While most of the other companies are focused on the means, the devices and the OSes, Google is offering what the users actually need. That is why people with apple devices still use google search, google maps, google photos, google gmail/inbox, youtube, docs, sheets, google assistant, and so on. Nonetheless, the solutions users will require in the future are much less app oriented and much more cloud and AI oriented. Google Assistant is the proof. You now ask you watch/phone/home/chromebook about anything: the weather, your appointments, to show the news on the living room tv, or to play a song in the master bedroom speakers, to answer calls for you, to wake you playing Eye of the Tiger at 7 a.m. and to dim all lights at 10 p.m. Google's AI is present is almost all of its products now, from helping you to take better photos to learning how to understand voice dialogs.

Google is attempting to integrate its services into every aspect of the digital user experience. And that's a real advantage, since no matter the vehicle, people will keep using Google.

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Back to theory 3, I don't believe Google is frankensteining Chrome OS to the point it would run on a phone. So, if I would bet on something it would be a combination of Theories 2 and 4. Google is increasing the investment in Fuchsia and it will eventually coexist and, later perhaps, even replace Android. But Google is also in a strong movement, shifting to a more ethereal service provisioning to the users. You can now access google's most famous products from your phone, your PC - any platform, your tablet, your tv, your watch, your google home appliances, your glasses(ok.. stuck there).

Google wants to be transparent. It doesn't matter the device or platform, it will deliver what you need. Google wants to be omnipresent!

Still, does not explain the absence of Android in the launch event. Thoughts?