Last night at Google I/O, Google really showed us how a keynote should be done. Just the right amount of self back patting with numbers (300M new devices activated since 2011), plenty of substance with an “incremental update” complete with revolutionary new executions of existing concepts, hardware hits and misses and a super flashy demonstration of a super expensive concept. Watching along with my 4 fellow guests, we were all very happy with what we saw. Even after we had to end prematurely due to a technical issue, the Glass demo and session had me watching, jaw agape at the potential and what Google has been working on with Project Glass.
Overall, the keynote was a sight to behold and on thing that stuck out in my mind was a quote from Google during the latter parts of the show: “We were taught to have a strong disrespect for the impossible”. If this is the attitude that Google as a whole has going for them, then I’m looking forward to the next few years of Google. Google+ may not be the Facebook killer that everyone hoped for it to be, but heck it does some stuff amazingly well which Facebook can’t touch, like Hangouts On Air. Who would have thought you’d be able to get a 7inch tablet which is at the peak of consumer technology for less than US$200? Who would have thought we would be getting a socially connected device that captures your viewpoint with such ease and even though it costs US$1,500 and is only for developers, Project Glass is truly revolutionary.
Maybe Apple can take a page out of Google’s keynote handbook. Apple is doing great but Google gave me a feeling I hadn’t felt since Apple introduced the iPhone and iPhone 4. I felt that I needed to throw money at my screen, get behind a product and lust after a bloody software update. I was truly jealous for the attendees at Google I/O for getting that generous goodie bag and I was certainly not alone. Google got it right. Apple hasn’t been getting it wrong, just not as right as Google. I don’t think any Apple fans will disagree when I say that what was shown was pretty darn cool. For now, Google has won me over, completely and utterly but who knows, we still have the iPhone 5 to look forward to. Your move Apple.
Here’s a recap of all the Google I/O stories we have posted so far:
GOOGLE SHOWS OFF ANDROID 4.1 JELLYBEAN AND GOOGLE NOW
GOOGLE UNVEILS 7INCH NEXUS 7 AND NEXUS Q MEDIA PLAYER
GOOGLE TAKES ITS GOOGLE GLASS FOR A SKY DIVING TRIP
ANDROID: GOOGLE MAPS OFFLINE NOW AVAILABLE; CHROME CLIMBS OUT OF BETA
