The blogs are aflutter today with news that Google is not only planning an in-home media center, but has already designed and started testing the device. The idea is a central media control center similar to a hacked Xbox (and to be fair, hacked Xboxes are so popular that I don’t understand why Microsoft doesn’t simply sell them that way).
The move has a number of critics for obvious reasons – it’s not exactly part of Google’s core mission, and the market for such devices is fairly small at this time (though of course, that was true of smart phones when Google first unveiled Android). And there is plenty of competition here ; in fact, Google’s already tried something similar with Google TV, which hasn’t taken off particularly well.
Still, Google has been moving ever more towards an integrated “we’re everywhere” approach to electronics, and on the long scale, the move makes sense. After all, it’s only a matter of time until homes are “smart” and controlled from central computers; viewed in that context, entry into the home industry now gives Google a foot in the door for penetrating the developing “smart home” market.
Google has made explicit its plans to expand the offering beyond simple music streaming and integrate it with other smart appliances throughout the household, so it seems clear that the ultimate strategy is building a smart home around a Google core. The decision to build and market its own device for this is a major departure from previous Google market penetrations, which usually rely on third party manufacturers building around Google software. The only time Google builds its own devices is for the really cutting edge stuff (automated cars, heads-up display googles), which lends further credence to the notion that the company views this as a critical advanced technology. It is likely, though, that there will be plenty of room for Google’s traditional OEM partners in the manufacture of smart peripherals.
Computer, activate thermostat. Thanks, Google!
Related posts:
- Android @ Home
- Apple’s TV Controller
- Google+ Still Plussing
- Google’s Cloud Drive
- Google Expands Chromebook Purchase Options
This entry was posted on Saturday, February 11th, 2012 at 5:45 am and is filed under Cartoon Songs. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.