Why this year’s Pixel 8/8 Pro launch is important?
7 years of OS updates, that’s a significant promise!
Alright, it’s Techtober.
I always look forward to Techtober. Not because there are a lot of birthdays and anniversaries and a few festivals coming up, although that’s a part of it, but because Google launches its new Pixel phones every year.
The Pixel lineup, as you already know, is popular for taking great photos. This year too, Google improved upon it. Alongside a couple of new features, and slightly better specs.
But that’s not the talking point this year.
Let’s see what is.
Why This Year’s Launch is Important?
Apart from the incremental upgrades every year, especially to the cameras, Google decided to surprise everyone with this one.
The main thing coming out of this year’s Pixel launches is the 7 years of OS support for the Pixel 8 and the Pixel 8 Pro.
Yes, that’s right: 7 YEARS of OS SUPPORT.
Your phone will stay up-to-date until 2030.
You won’t have to change your smartphone until 2030. Usually, people change their smartphones every few years.
This could mean a win for everyone. The longer you can use your phone, the better, especially for the environment.
So far, so good, right?
Well, almost, if the phones weren’t made by Google. Let me tell you what I meant.
The Problem
The promise looks pretty good. But,
Google is a company famous for killing its products. In fact, there’s a whole website dedicated to it: Google Graveyard.
This raises a concern for a lot of people because there’s no guarantee that Google will fulfill their promise.
And since there’s no guarantee, the next day, Google could very well, drop the support for their phones.
And it won’t be the first time they would have done something like this. Remember Hangouts? Play Music? Jamboard? Domains?
Alright, I think you it.
But what if they kept their promise this time?
The Positive Takeaway
If Google manages to keep its promise and support the phones until 2030, this could mean a lot for everyone.
Not because you won’t have to change your phone every couple of years, which eventually turns into e-waste at the end of its lifecycle. Or having to choose between tempting options.
But because of competition.
Competition in an industry always benefits the consumers.
If Google manages to follow through on its promise, we can likely see other companies like Apple and Samsung doing the same.
If that happens, it's great for everyone. It’s great for the consumers, it’s great for the environment as there will be less e-waste generated.
It’s a win-win situation. Even if that comes at a slightly incremental price tag.
But only if Google manages to follow through.
I keep emphasizing it because they have a reputation for killing their products. And I don’t want that to happen to this year’s Pixel line-up as well.
Thank you for your time.
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Until next time, bye-bye.