Based on materials from TheVerge
When Google rolled out its Nexus program in favor of the Pixel last year, many of those who commented on the decision missed the point: rather, it was a rebranding to make the new product sound fresher and more relevant. Some bought into Google's promise of a completely new approach that would mark a direct challenge to Apple and her iPhone, but Pixel has remained the start of a long journey. All we have seen lately is an endless, continuous swirl of rumors and Google bringing in new engineers – solid proof of how passionate Google is in trying to impose Apple their own rules of the game.
Google wants to build its supply chain like Apple
The most significant distinguishing feature Apple is not in hardware or software advantages, not in service, and not in a combination of all this together. The power Apple that prevents other companies from equal is the integration of all the critical aspects that ultimately create a user experience that is completely satisfactory to the buyer. And for a long time only one company could hope to be able to match Apple, and that company was Google – due to its dominance in the OS software market Android. The Pixel project showed that Google wanted and could create a unique premium phone (the Pixel's camera remained unrivaled even months later). But this was clearly not the final product of a big Google project.
Leadership Apple in the hardware area is built on tight control, frequent monopoly in the supply chain of components for their devices. This is where Google is looking. According to recent rumors and leaks, MountainView has worked hard to find a reliable supplier OLED of displays for its alleged Pixel follower – with minimal bezels around the screen, that is, in the same vein as Samsung GalaxyS8 and LG G6. This is why the mentions that LG will make phones for Google next year makes sense: it is not impossible for Google to keep HTC as the manufacturer of their phones, and the screens are used from LG Display (nominally independent from LG Electronics), but this will be much more difficult than entrusting the entire process to a Korean manufacturer.
Like Apple, Google has enough funds to spend on debugging its supply chain, which is precisely the goal of the previously reported investment in LG Display. If the first Pixel was a trial balloon designed to find out what it was like to make a device from its own components, then Google should have learned a serious lesson from this experience: the demand for their phones will be high, but it will be even more frustrating if there are a shortage of devices. Unlike Apple, Google cannot yet use the huge sales of the future device as bait for potential suppliers. But that situation could very well change radically with the release of this year's Pixel, which is likely to see more adoption and marketing investment than the first device.
Google hires engineers Apple to create their own mobile processors
Not so long ago, two facts surfaced: the first is that Google is developing its own chipset for future mobile devices, and the second is the lead specialist of this project – none other than a man named Manu Gulati, who until recently was a senior engineer at Apple. Both facts demonstrate that Google will not rest until it gains maximum control over every aspect of the production of its smartphone – the same goal is pursued in Apple, releasing each new generation iPhone. Moreover, it is worth especially emphasizing the level of ambition of the company, which entices to itself a person who undoubtedly needs a very serious incentive to leave his job in Apple.
The chipset is the heart of any modern smartphone or tablet, on which most of its functions depend. Snapdragon from Qualcomm is the most famous and widespread example, compared to its direct competitor Exynos from Samsung, and the A-series of chipsets from Apple is the current gold standard, providing unattainable efficiency and performance. And if Google wants to be independent of the vagaries of fate and the interests of other companies, developing its own chipset is a fundamental part of the company's business as a manufacturer of mobile devices.
The current Pixel is built on the Snapdragon821 chipset — its architecture for speed and versatility owes much to the Pixel's excellent camera. In turn, the Snapdragon810 is an instructive example of what Google should fear. Qualcomm has had a ton of overheating problems associated with this particular chipset, and this has forced, for example, Samsung to completely abandon its use in its Galaxy S6, and Google simply cannot afford to get into a similar situation with the Snapdragon845 – or whatever comes next. Therefore, Google is currently busy developing its own chipset, which is fully supported by its list of vacancies that indicate the need to achieve this goal.
Integration is always more profitable
In addition to striving to save itself from the risks associated with the unpredictability of other critical component suppliers, efforts to control the production of all components for future devices will entail another positive development. Google can create smarter and more cohesive solutions. For example, look at how the Samsung Galaxy S8 signals new notifications by flashing blue light along the edges of its almost bezel-less display. If this solution were used in a device that does not have the elegant design of the S8, it would not look so impressive. The situation in which the hardware and software developers of the device work closely together is best demonstrated in Apple, which is difficult to argue with, but one can imagine, for example, how in the future there will be devices from Google with their own processing modules created specifically for the algorithms of the excellent Google camera. How much better and faster the Pixel would be if each of its components were designed for specific tasks, instead of meeting some average set of requirements.
So far, we don't know what Google's chipset will give the upcoming Pixel devices, but obviously Google is going to check it out. It can be assumed that the company is doing the same job for less visible parts of devices such as batteries, vibration motors, and so on. Not everything will be complete by the time a follow-up to the current Pixel hits the market later this year. There is no doubt that Google's mobile processor is still very far from appearing as a commercial product. But everything that was said above confirms the most important fact: Google has come into this area seriously and for a long time. The creator of Android decided that having his own version of iPhone was the best way to compete with iPhone.