Confirming Pixel rumours not enough for Google to woo users

NEW DELHI: While Pixel smartphones demonstrate Google’s willingness to more tightly integrate hardware and software like Apple, they have not been a massive sales success story for now owing to the lack of a solid strategy to beat the rivals, industry analysts said on Monday.
Google is set to announce two new Pixel smartphones — Pixel 4 and 4 XL along with a 5G version — a rumoured Pixel Watch and a slew of updated home products like Nest series of devices.
Google Pixel currently has a minuscule global market share despite arriving on the scene in 2016. In the second quarter of 2019, it had less than 0.1 market share in the Indian premium smartphone segment.
According to Frank Gillett, Vice President and Principal Analyst at global market research firm Forrester, Google needs to do more than just confirm rumours of the Pixel 4 and its list of flagship phone innovations at its launch event on October 15.
“Keeping the Pixel as a lighthouse Android smartphone to challenge and inspire Android OEM (original equipment manufacturers) partners won’t be enough. Google needs to update their Nest line of devices. We expect to see updates to the Mini smart speaker, at a minimum, plus new Google Wi-Fi units with a smart speaker included,” Gillett told IANS.
They should also update on the Google Buds, the Pixelbook laptop and the Nest Hello digital doorbell, he added.